8TH EASTERN REGION The Tow Line DIVISION ONE

FLAGSHIP OF THE HEARTLAND Winter 2017

Special points of How the Coast Guard Became Part of the Military interest: From “The Maritime Exec- • How the Coast utive” Guard became Part of the Mili- August 3, 2016, William H. tary Thiesen, Coast Guard Atlan- tic Area Historian – Located within the Department of Homeland Security , the Coast Guard performs sev- eral critically important mis- sions, from interdicting drug smugglers far out at sea to safeguarding the marine envi- ronment. However, the USRC McLane (1832- Coast Guard is also one of 1840) the nation’s five armed ser- (U.S. Coast Guard Image) vices, and has fought in every USRC Massachusetts (1791-1792) major American conflict (U.S. Coast Guard Image) Inside this issue: since its founding in 1790. protecting the coast, trade, cutters under the same war- How the Coast 2 When the nation’s first De- and maritime interests of the time rules, regulations and Guard became partment of Treasury Secre- new republic. compensation as the re- Part of the Mili- tary, Alexander Hamilton, established U.S. Navy and tary (cont.) founded the service that Between 1797 and 1801, the transfer cutters from the became the Coast Guard, it U.S. and France fought an Treasury Department to the How the Coast 3 did not have an official title. undeclared naval war known Navy Department in time of Guard became It was simply referred to as as the “Quasi War.” How- war. These legislative acts Part of the Mili- “the cutters” or “the system ever, without a navy early in dictated the use of civilian- tary (complete) of cutters.” Hamilton estab- the conflict, American au- manned cutters in wartime lished this fleet to enforce thorities conscripted reve- until 1915, when Congress tariff laws, so these cutters nue cutters to help battle altered the status of the ser- Veterans Day 4 were armed but manned by French privateers. vice from a civilian agency to Parade civilian crews under the a military one. Treasury Department. Since With an urgent need for the Continental Navy was naval vessels trumping the With the exception of the Mandated Train- 4 disbanded in 1785, there was need for law enforcement Barbary Wars, the Revenue ing Workshop no navy initially under the vessels, Congress passed Cutter Service participated Constitution and the cutters legislative acts authorizing in every American naval con- were the only maritime the president to employ the flict of the 1800s. With each force available to the new cutters to defend American new conflict, the service government. Between 1790 sea coasts and commercial added new combat roles. and 1798, Hamilton’s cutters vessels, deploy Marines to were the only armed vessels serve aboard cutters, put (Continued on page 2)

Page 2 The Tow Line The marked World War I, Coast Guard The service has also fought the beginning of cutters activities transferred from in modern conflicts. In op- engaging in shallow water the Treasury Department to erations Desert Shield and combat operations, a the Navy. Desert Storm, Coast Guard wartime mission the ser- law enforcement detach- vice has conducted ever During the 1900s, the Coast ments (LEDETs) helped since. Guard underwent a great clear enemy oil platforms deal of change, including the and boarded hundreds of During the Seminole introduction of aviation to foreign-flagged commercial Wars, cutters attacked the service, a merger with vessels. The service de- war parties, broke up the U.S. Lighthouse Service, a ployed Reserve port securi- Beach Patrol (WW II) (photo by U.S. Coast Guard) rendezvous points, res- rapid influx of assets and ty units (PSUs) and flew cued survivors of raids, personnel, formation of the aviation missions to monitor transported troops and Coast Guard Reserve and spills from sabotaged Iraqi supplies and wrested in- Coast Guard Auxiliary, racial oil platforms. land waterways from and gender integration of the Seminole control. service, the development and During Operation Iraqi implementation of new tech- Freedom, Coast Guard LE- During the Mexican War, nologies, such as long-range DETs have provided mari- revenue cutters contin- navigation (LORAN) stations time interdiction and board- ued their earlier combat and the helicopter, and the ing support while PSUs de- missions and added the addition of the former Bu- ployed to ports in Bahrain, assignment of blockading reau of Marine Safety and Kuwait and Iraq. Coast enemy ports. Navigation (which became Guard assets and personnel permanent in 1946). also provided oil terminal In the Civil War, cutters security, maritime environ- “… combat undertook new missions In wars of the 20th century, mental response expertise operations of shore bombardment, including World War I, and aids-to-navigation to command duty and World War II, Korea, and mark the Khor Abd Allah outside the offshore blockade en- Vietnam, the Coast Guard River shipping channel. forcement. performed combat missions Western as well as traditional service Whether equipped with The Revenue Cutter Ser- mission such as aids to navi- civilian-manned sailing cut- Hemisphere ...” vice also rendered con- gation, search and rescue, ters of the18th century or spicuous service during marine safety, convoy escort modern National Security the Spanish-American duty, troop transport and Cutters manned by military War with cutters serving amphibious operations, port personnel, the Coast Guard in Caribbean theater and, security and beach patrols. has always been prepared to for the first time, in com- bat operations outside the Western Hemisphere, including the .

In January 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed the “Act to Create the Coast Guard,” merging Ice Breaker Eastwind the U.S. Life-Saving Ser- (photo by U.S. Coast Guard) vice with the U.S. Reve- nue Cutter Service. The act formally designated the new “Coast Guard” as a military service.

On April 6, 1917, the day Rescue the U.S. formally entered (photo by U.S. Coast Guard) Page 3 fulfill its defense mission. Regardless of the maritime threats and challenges con- fronting America today and tomorrow — whether it’s rescuing mariners in dis- tress, protecting our nation from illegal drugs, prevent- ing and responding to oil spills, or safeguarding the nation against military threats – the Coast Guard Multi-Service Color Guard continues to protect the Spectators Along the Parade Route (photo by Russ Beaver) nation from threats to its (photo by Skip Nunweiler) maritime interests at home and abroad and will always were three Flotillas from 01 U.S. Coast Guard repre- be , or -03, 01-07 and 01-10 repre- sented in the parade. The Always Ready , whenever senting Division 1. Bob and announcement of the Auxil- and wherever needed. Dee Hendrickson towed iary passing the reviewing the beautifully decorated stand was read as published trailer. Many spectators by Skip Nunweiler, FSO-PA Veterans Day Parade were pleased to see the from Flotilla 01-07 as sent with the applica- tion to participate in the parade.

This is a great activity to pro- “… flyover of mote the U.S. Coast Guard A-10s in along with partici- pation in the Indi- formation ... ” anapolis Boat Sport and Travel Show in February and activity with the Indianapolis 500 during Armed U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Trailer in Parade Forces weekend in (photo by Skip Nunweiler) May. This year, Veterans Day (11 November) fell on a Friday. A pleasant and comfortable day to have a parade in downtown Indianapolis. They begin with a memorial service at the Indiana War Memorial at the 11th hour of the 11th day. At the conclusion of the service, there was a flyover of A-10s in formation from the Indi- ana Air National Guard, then the parade began and this year there were about Honor Guard at Veterans Day Service 100 units marching. There (photo by John Crosby) Division 1 Combined Meeting/Party 8TH EASTERN On 13 December Division 1 REGION had a party at the White DIVISION ONE River Yacht Club in Indianap- olis. Members of three Flo- FLAGSHIP OF THE tillas (01-03, 01-07 and 01- HEARTLAND 09) attended. The location is ideal for everyone. The night was very cold and that day Indianapolis had a snow Skip Nunweiler SO-PB storm with about 3” of 7560 B Ivywood Drive snow. That did not keep Indianapolis, IN 46250-5110 members and spouses from Phone: 317-841-7683 attending. By the time of the Cell: 317-445-3106 party, roads had been pretty Email: [email protected] well cleared. The food and service were great. Ted Herring, Rich Sandler with his daughter and son-in-law (photo by Skip Nunweiler) goes. Some of the gifts in- cluded LED flashlight, lottery tickets, samples of Maple Syrup, etc. It was a great and entertaining evening. A great function for friendship and We’re on the web fellowship. They hope to wow.uscgaux.info/content.php? unit=082-01 have more in the future, es- pecially at holiday season time. There were also poin- settias and a center live cen- terpiece to distribute.

John and Cindy Hulen, Tom Foreman, Donna and Dave Miller (photo by Skip Nunweiler)

After our dinner, Donna another wrapped gift to Miller ran a white elephant open or can steal from an- gift exchange. Each partici- Jeff Vail and Dan Gillahan (photo by Skip Nunweiler) pant supplies one wrapped gift. The gifts are placed in a central location, and partici- pants determine in which order they will take turns selecting them. The first person opens a wrapped gift, and the turn ends. On sub- sequent turns, each person can open a new present or gets the choice to "steal" another person's gift. One gift can only be stolen two times, after it is stolen for the second time the gift is "dead", meaning no one else Centerpiece Won By Skip Nunweiler can steal that gift. When a (photo by Skip Nunweiler) person's gift is stolen, that other player. The game is person can either choose over when the last person Semper Paratus