Defenders of Our Nation

Mine sweeper, demolitions expert, and hero of Corregidor, Crotty served as a member of the Coast Guard, Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

Not every American amphibious assault in the Pacific was a bloodbath. Some were executed with considerable strategic acumen and tactical guile. Eniwetok would be Hoyle’s finest and toughest hour as a Beachmaster.

On Dec. 25, 1944, after a six-week campaign to liberate the Philippine Island of Leyte, Allied forces under General Douglas Macarthur were mopping up the last vestiges of Japanese resistance.

Despite any fears Chicamacomico station keeper John Allen Midgett had about entering the flames surrounding the tanker, he mustered his crew and initiated rescue operations within minutes of the explosion.

The U.S. Coast Guard was supporting the war effort even before Pearl Harbor, and had proven itself Semper Paratus or “Always Ready” to perform any naval or maritime mission required to defeat the enemy in World War II.

While many are familiar with the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944, few know about the landings that took place several months prior in Italy.

Native Americans have been members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services for well over 200 years.

Over its service of nearly 65 years, Storis set the record for length of service for a White Hull cutter, steaming 1.5 million miles and recording many firsts and setting many records, including some that have endured to this day.

In 1942, Native American Joseph Robert Toahty deployed for Guadalcanal, the Allies’ first amphibious operation of World War II.

The day war was declared on the Empire of Japan, President Franklin Roosevelt referred to Dec. 7, 1941, day of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, as “a date which will live in infamy.” Little did he know the nation would face a similar date nearly 60 years later.