The United States Coast Guard

Hello, Honored Readers, I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS is “The Veterans’ Voice”.

Well, Honored Readers, it’s been a while.  The Veterans’ Voice has been on a most unplanned hiatus, while I dealt with some personal problems that I will not discuss or enumerate here.  What I will say is that I am back.  Today is Monday, and that mean’s it’s Military Monday.  Today’s offering is about a branch of the service that is quite dear to my heart…the United States Coast Guard.

The U.S. Coast Guard was founded in 1790 by our country’s first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton.  Secretary Hamilton requested the founding of an armed seagoing service to collect customs duties in our nations seaports.  Hamilton’s request was granted, and the Revenue Marine was born.  The Revenue Marine enforced trade tariffs and combated piracy, among other duties.  Their ships were called “cutters”, and thus the term “Revenue Marine” morphed into the “Revenue Cutter Service”.  The Revenue Cutter Service is the oldest continuous seagoing service of the United States.

During the early history of the United States, a number of volunteer organizations operated shore-based life saving stations, little more than storehouses for boats and equipment, that volunteers could use to go out to aid shipwreck victims and other life saving duties.  On August 14, 1848, the United States Congress passed the Newell Act, founding the United States Life Saving Service, and allocating $10,000 to fund the coastal life saving stations.  While the Life Saving Service was administered by the Revenue Cutter Service, it still relied on volunteers.

On January 28th, 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service was merged with the Life Saving Service, creating the United States Coast Guard.  Today, the United States Coast Guard is a unique, multi-role military organization.  The Coast Guard has the capability of conducting military operations, and act as a Federal regulatory agency.  It’s roles include search and rescue missions, drug and migrant interdiction, pollution investigation and enforcement, and homeland security.  In 2001, following the 9/11 Terrorist attacks, the Coast Guard was transferred from the Department of Transportation to the newly created Department of Homeland Security.

For more information on the Coast Guard to go: http://www.uscg.mil

That’s all for today, Honored Readers.  If you have an individual, unit, or military organization you would like me to write about for “Military Monday” go to the contact page, and send me an email, with “Military Monday” in the subject line.  I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and this is “The Veterans’ Voice”.

VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers” Fighter Squadron

Hello, Honored Readers, I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS is the Veterans’ Voice!

It’s Monday, and that means it’s time for “Military Monday”!  Today’s subject is the VFA-103 fighter squadron, also known as the “Jolly Rogers”.

The Fighting 103rd was activated in 1952, flying the FG-1D Corsair.  Assigned to Carrier Air Group 1, They served a tour aboard the U.S.S. Champlain.  Following this, they transitioned to the F9F-6 Cougar.  This was the point when they began calling themselves the “Flying Cougars”.  During this time, they served a tour aboard the U.S.S. Randolph during her shakedown cruise.  After that, they were reassigned to the U.S.S. Coral Sea, and began flying the F9F-8.  Their deployment to the Mediterranean Sea between 1956 and 1957 was the last time they flew from a straight deck air craft carrier.

Following this, they were assigned to the U.S.S. Forestall, and renamed “The Sluggers”.  They began their tour aboard the Forestall participating in mock attacks with squadrons of British Bombers.  During this time, the 103rd became one of the first U.S. Navy squadrons to begin using the supersonic F8U-1 Crusader.  Prior to this the British bombers carried out their mock attacks on the U.S. Navy with impunity.  But when the 103rd started flying the Crusader, they began breaking the British formations before they could even begin their mock attacks.

In 1958, the Forestall was assigned to the Mediterranean for the Lebanon Crisis, but the crisis ended before she could reach her station.  This was followed by regular deployments to the Mediterranean until the 1960s.  1962 saw the 103rd begin using the F-8C.  During their 1964-1965, the Sluggers began using the F-4B Phantom II, which they flew through the 60s and 70s.  1965 also saw them reassigned to the U.S.S. Saratoga.

In 1983, the 103rd became one of the last fighter squadrons to begin using the F-14 Tomcat.  In October of 1985, VF-103 and VF-74 participated in an operation to intercept an Egypt Boeing 737 that was hijacked by terrorists.  They intercepted the hijacked plane and forced it to land at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicilly.  In 1986, the 103rd participated in Operation Attain Document and Operation El Dorado Canyon.

The 1990s saw the 103rd participate in the First Gulf War.  On October 1st, 1995, VF-84 was disestablished.  VF-103 requested to be given the “Jolly Rogers” name, which had previously belonged to VF-84.   They did this so that the “Jolly Rogers” name would not be lost from Naval Aviation.  In 1996, the 103rd deployed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.  Then in 1997, they were assigned to the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In 2004, the 103rd made their final cruise with the F-14 Tomcat.  When they began using the F/A-18 Hornet, they were redesignated VFA-103.  Today, still flying the F/A-18 Hornet, they are now assigned to the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman.  The Jolly Rogers’ “Skull and Crossbones” logo has become one of the most recognized fighter squadron logos in popular culture.  It has shown up in movies, books, video games, and even cartoons.  The Pixar movie “Planes” featured the fictional Navy fighter squadron known as the “Jolly Wrenches” which featured a similar logo of a skull shaped like a piston, and crossed wrenches.  The Jolly Rogers’ skull and crossbones logo is also seen in the popular Japanese animated series “SDF Macross”.  It was used by the fictional fighter squadron known as “Skull Squadron”.

Well, that’s all for “Military Monday”, Honored Readers.  If you have a unit or service member that you would like me to write about, go to the contact page, and send me an email.  Please put “Military Monday” in the subject line.

I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS is the Veterans’ Voice.

U.S.S. NIMITZ, CVN-68

Hello, Honored Readers, I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS is The Veterans’ Voice.

It’s Monday again, and that means it’s time for “Military Monday”!  On Military Monday, I honor an active duty service member or military unit.  The subject for today’s Military Monday post is…the U.S.S. Nimitz.  This aircraft carrier has served the United States Navy for the past forty-two years, and is considered one of the best carriers in the fleet.

Her keel was laid in 1967 at the Newport News Shipyard, famed for building the Navy’s aircraft carriers.  In 1972, amid great pomp and circumstance, CVAN-68 was officially christened the “U.S.S. Nimitz”, named for Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.  The christening was performed by Catherine Nimitz, the daughter of Fleet Admiral Nimitz, who had passed away six years prior.  The Nimitz was delivered to the Navy in 1975, and officially entered service.

After two deployments in the Mediterranean Sea, the Nimitz was deployed to the Indian Ocean to aid operations during the Iran Hostage Crisis.  Prior to her deployment in the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Nimitz hosted a film crew and actors as she was the setting of the feature film “The Final Countdown”, in which Kirk Douglas played the C.O. of the Nimitz, and Martin Sheen played a Department of Defense official aboard the Nimitz on official DOD business.  After staring in a movie, the Nimitz operated as part of Operation Evening Light.

In 1981, the Nimitz was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea operating with the U.S.S. Forrestal, CV-59, in open ocean missile exercises in response to Khadafi’s “Line of Death” ultimatum.  During this operation, two Libyan fighters fired on two fighters from the Nimitz.  The Navy fighters returned fire and shot down the Libyan fighters, sparking news headlines that read “U.S. 2 – Libya 0”.  Then in 1988, the Nimitz was stationed near South Korea to help enforce security for the Olympics.

In the ninties, the Nimitz participated in Operations Desert Storm and Southern Watch.  After the turn of the century, she was again deployed to the Indian Ocean in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

To this day, the Nimitz continues to serve the Navy.  After the deactivation of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the Nimitz became the oldest aircraft carrier still on active duty.  At any one time she can carry as much as 5000 Navy sailors.  She carries nearly 100 aircraft and helicopters.  Being a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, she has more fuel and ammunition storage space than conventional steam carriers.

For more information on the U.S.S. Nimitz, log onto the following websites:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nimitz

http://www.nimitz.navy.mil/index.html

That’s all for Military Monday, Honored Readers.  If you know an active duty service member or military unit that you would like for me to write about for a future edition of Military Monday, go to my contact page and send me an email.  Please put “Military Monday” in the subject line.

That’s all for today, Honored Readers.  I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS has been The Veterans’ Voice.

The U.S.C.G.C. DILIGENCE, WMEC-616

Hello, Honored Readers, I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS is The Veterans’ Voice.

Today is Military Monday.  On Mondays I honor active duty service members or entire military units.  To make it into a Military Monday blog post, the service member or unit has to be an active duty unit, otherwise, I will write about them on Fridays (Honor Friday, when I honor all service members past and present, especially veterans).

For today’s Military Monday post, I have chosen to honor my old Coast Guard Cutter, the Coast Guard Cutter Diligence.  She was first built in 1963, at the Todd Shipyards in Houston, Texas.  She was originally designed as a patrol boat, but was later designated a Medium Endurance Cutter.  Comissioned in 1964, she became the sixth Coast Guard Cutter to bear the name “Diligence”.  She was assigned to the “Coast Guard City” of Wilmington, North Carolina.

The Diligence is capable of handling any mission typically assigned to “White Hulls” (for the color of her hull at the waterline).  Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations involve intercepting migrants attempting to enter United States Territory illegally, often via smugglers.  When the Diligence picks up migrants, she takes them to the nearest Coast Guard Station where they are processed by the U.S. Government and deported back to their country of origin.  Drug interdiction involves countering drug trafficking into United States Territory.  The part the Diligence plays is to intercept drug smugglers and drug traffickers operating in and out of U.S. waters, and the Diligence has numerous drug busts credited to her.  Fisheries Protection involves enforcing legal restrictions for commercial fishing areas.  This job involves prevent over fishing, and piratical fishing ventures, as well as ensuring commercial fishing ventures follow the environmental protection restrictions set forth by the United States Government, where they apply to U.S. territorial waters.  Finally, and most importantly, the Diligence performs Search and Rescue, or “SAR”, as we Coasties call it.  Search and Rescue missions are precisely what the name implies.  It is when people are in danger of losing their lives, whether be due to an accident, piracy, natural disaster, or simply human error.  The Diligence has performed many Search and Rescue missions ranging from simply boarding a disabled vessel to affect an engine repair to plucking endangered people from the ocean in storms.  To further enhance her search and rescue missions, and extend her search range to beyond the horizon, the Diligence can carry a Coast Guard Helicopter, often a HH-60 Dolphin.

My fondest memory of my time aboard the Diligence will always be the patrol cruise where we saw the Space Shuttle launch from Cape Canaveral.  We were enroute to Florida, where we were to spend time patrolling the waters between Cuba and Haiti.  While we were steaming for Florida, we were given orders to aid in enforcing the security zone off Cape Canaveral for a shuttle launch.  Our job was simple, sit off the coast and keep civilian boats out of the security zone.  The bonus was anyone not actually on duty was allowed to go out on deck and watch the Space Shuttle go up.  It was loud and it was bright, and because it was a night launch, it was spectacularly beautiful.  For hours, we could look up at the sky and see a bright spot in the clouds where the shuttle was flying into space.  Of course, after a certain amount of time, NASA dissolved the security zone, and we were able to sail on our way to the tip of Florida.

Well, that wraps it up for Military Monday.  Log onto The Veterans’ Voice next Monday, when I’ll honor another active duty service member or military unit.

If you know a service member or military unit you’d like me to honor for “Military Monday” then click on the “Contact” page and send me an email.  I must require that the service member or military unit must be currently active.  Service members who are no longer serving and military units that have been decommissioned or disbanded will be honored on “Honor Friday”.  Please put “Military Monday” on the subject line.

That’s all for today, Honored Readers, I’m Petty Officer Edmundson, and THIS is The Veteran’s Voice!