Retired Adm. Mike Day on 9/11: “When things were at their worst, the Coast Guard was at its best”
Rear Admiral Mike Day reflects on the 9/11 boatlift, civilian mariners, and the leadership lessons he carried throughout his career.
Counting down until opening day August 4, 2027
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“Go Be Brilliant”—Leadership When There Is No Playbook: 9/11, Coast Guard Activities New York, and Rear Adm. Richard Bennis
After 9/11, the New York maritime evacuation was only the beginning. Facing months of unprecedented port security demands, Rear Adm. Richard Bennis gave his leaders three words: “Go be brilliant.” Behind that simple charge was a command culture built on trust, preparation, relationships, and the freedom to innovate when no playbook existed.
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“Go to New Orleans and do whatever you can to help!”—A Coast Guard aviator remembers Hurricane Katrina
With no armor, no fixed plan, and reports of gunfire below, Cmdr. Jim O’Keefe flew into flooded New Orleans again and again, lifting survivors from rooftops, hospitals, and ambulances until 214 people were safe.
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From Near Extinction to Rebirth: The Coast Guard’s First Reorganization
A federal efficiency drive nearly erased the Revenue Cutter Service. Instead, Sumner Kimball and Ellsworth Bertholf turned crisis into a merger that joined cutters with lifesaving stations, created the modern Coast Guard in 1915, and forged a military service ready for World War I.
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Serpens—Coast Guard’s worst loss of life
In a flash off Guadalcanal, the Coast Guard-manned USS Serpens vanished while loading depth charges, killing 197 Coast Guardsmen, 51 Army stevedores, and a Public Health Service surgeon. Only two men aboard survived the blast that remains the service’s deadliest disaster.
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U.S. Coast Guard announces one-year countdown to opening the nation’s first National Coast Guard Museum
U.S. Coast Guard announced that the National Coast Guard Museum will open to the public during the week of Aug. 2, 2027, culminating with the Coast Guard’s birthday on Aug. 4.
