U.S. Coast Guard
A
Mustang is a full body life suit designed to not only keep you on top of the
water but to use your body heat to warm the water inside the suit to keep you
warm if you fall in. I learned this
from spending a cool spring day with the U.S. Coast Guard.
I wanted to spend sometime with the Coast Guard to associate real faces
and people behind the uniforms. To
often many boaters do not understand the duties of the Coast Guard and the
valuable services they provide. I
found out that they are real people with an extreme since of duty and
commitment. Duty and commitment are
easy words to use on a television commercial to enhance your recruitment
efforts, however when you see these words in the hearts of real people it builds
a real sense of pride and appreciation. To often in our daily lives we see
people who do what they do for the love of money, the prestige of the position,
or the glory and recognition among the masses.
The U.S. Coast Guard operates in the background to protect America’s
interest. These ladies and gentlemen love their job and love our
country. This profile only skims
the surface of illustrating all the duties and services the U.S. Coast Guard
performs. Yet I am proud to have
them on our boating and sailing site. 
I
spent the day with James Pierce who is the Cox Swain (that is what you call the
Captain for enlisted personnel), Ben LaPaugh the Crew Man and Joshua Wigley is
the Engineer. One of the vessels in
their fleet is a 41-foot Utility Boat (UTB) that has an Aluminum Hull and can
tow 100 gross tons. This vessel is
impressive, not only can it tow but there are large water pumps on board used to
pump 500 gallons per minute to assist in putting out a fire. 
On
this day, the crew was working out of a temporary base out in the Hammond
Marina. James suggested that
we go out so that he could show me some of the hazardous spots along the lake.
Three real danger areas they showed me were:
 | The
old break wall in front of the Hammond harbor (If you are not familiar with
this in attempting to enter the harbor at night you could hit the rocks
breaching your hull or at the very least damage your props).
|
| The
gap entrance at the 95th street break wall (In returning from
Chicago to enter the Calumet Harbor, you must go west about half a mile to
the gap which is marked by stationary red and green lights. The problem is that if you are skimming the shoreline
you can see the entrance lights to Calumet harbor and mistake that for the
entrance to the gap and run right into the break wall). |
| The
Morgan Point Shoal, which is right east of Lake Shore Drive at about 51st.
(From the shore, this object can look like a capsized canoe.
James told me that they receive many calls from people reporting an
overturned boat in the water. There
is shallow water all around this object.
When some boaters view this and go to investigate, they can possibly
damage their props. When a
sailor goes to investigate, their keel can run aground and they have to be
pulled off. |
I
knew the U.S. Coast Guard started early in the morning, but I did not know that
their shifts lasted for several days. Many
of the crew is married, so they make a big sacrifice being away from their
families for an extended period of time. I visited the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chicago located in
Calumet Park. The other Illinois
office is located in Wilmette. Here
they monitor the emergency band channel 16 and respond when needed.
The order from the base commander is to “Train, Maintain, and
Respond”. Which means the crew
spends a lot of time training for their duties, maintaining all their tools and
equipment, and always on the ready to respond to an emergency call.
The
Coast Guard is here to:
|
Enforce
Maritime Law: They are here to
stop the entry of drugs into our country. |
|
Illegal
Migration: Constantly monitor
our waterways to interdict illegal migrants. |
|
Provide
Search and Rescue: Patrol our
coasts to rescue people in distress. |
|
Environmental
Protection: Establish standards
and enforce regulations that prevent oil and chemical spills. |
|
Ensure
Free and Safe Commerce: Keep
commercial shipping routes open. The
Coast Guard maintains more than 50,000 navigational aids to ensure maritime
safety. |
So the next time you are out on the waterways and see the U.S. Coast Guard, remember they are here for our protection. Obey their directions and let them know that they are appreciated. And a word of advice from James Pierce, “Always were your PFD.” The U.S. Coast Guard offers great opportunities for young people looking for a challenge. If you would like to know more, visit their web site at http://www.uscg.mil/jobs.