The official blog of the U.S. Coast Guard
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1845, John Miles was a keeper in the United States Lighthouse Service who continued to serve after losing his leg. After the Civil War, Miles lived in Fernandina, Florida, and served at Amelia Island’s North Range Lights located in the extreme northeast corner of Florida. There he lived and worked from 1873 into the 1880s and likely until his death in 1895.
The Florida Panhandle experienced pure devastation from Hurricane Michael, Oct. 10, 2018. It ripped through coastal towns and made its way inland, driving people from their homes and leaving thousands without power and fresh water. Relief efforts from federal and state agencies, as well as local and out-of-state volunteers, responded to help displaced survivors. The Coast Guard set up an Incident Command Post in Miramar Beach, Florida, in an effort to remove environmental threats from local waterways.
It would seem like once a Coast Guard crew interdicts illegal narcotics, the case is over, but that’s far from the truth. After the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Stratton took positive control of a semi-submersible, July 6, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of Florida and Operation Panama Express South investigated and prosecuted the drug traffickers. This Distinguished Public Service Award honors some of the highest levels of interagency coordination and cooperation we’ve seen across myriad U.S. and international entities in our nation’s whole-of-government effort to eradicate transnational organized crime networks.
It is necessary to take all precautions to prevent the transmission of Zika. ALCOAST 289/16 outlines Coast Guard requirements, as well as provides guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Widespread local transmission of Zika continues on the island of Puerto Rico and in the US Virgin Islands, and cases have also been found in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Read this important post to ensure you and your family are taking all precautions to prevent the transmission of the Zika virus.
One man has dedicated himself to helping disabled veterans. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Steve Woitt, a food service specialist stationed at Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, Florida, has volunteered in promoting and coordinating numerous events through the VetSports program. This initiative is nationwide non-profit, whose goal is to use sports as a tool to re-integrate injured military members and veterans into society, as well as help redirect their focus from despair to camaraderie.
“In bootcamp, I was the colors team captain,” said Seaman Apprentice Courtney Gray. “For me, it’s always been something I’ve admired and respected even before I joined the Coast Guard. Our respect for the flag shows what kind of nation we are. It’s always been very dear to my heart.”
“I can relate to these guys on a personal level, dealing with mild Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression and anxiety,” Somers said. “VETSports allows me to get together with brothers of the military who have been through traumatic experiences.”
“His efforts to build each case improved safety on the water to support successful prosecution,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Phillip Null, the operations petty officer at Coast Guard Station Marblehead.
Friday’s week in the life of the Coast Guard 2014 features a new response boat small in St. Petersburg, Florida, working in tight spaces at Station Seattle, gun inspections in Portsmouth, Va., local partnership training in Kodiak, Alaska and underway preparation on the Cutter Mako in Cape May, N.J.
Tuesdays week in the life of the Coast Guard 2014 features the work of Aids to Navagation team members, we honor a fallen shipmate in Long Beach, California, inventory of a new boat in Florida, ID card making in Honolulu and good ol’ hull maintenance on the Cutter Appleby