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Ensign Duke and Seizure of Rum Runner Greypoint
—Drawing his pistol, Duke stalked toward the bridge. When one of the crew tried to block his access to the pilothouse, Duke immediately clubbed him to the deck. -
The infamous James Alderman and redemption of CG-249
—Almost all smugglers could be expected to try their hardest to outrun the Coast Guard, though if peaceably apprehended and given a small load and a first offense, smugglers could expect to get off easy, but Alderman was by no means a first-time offender. -
Dauntless and the origins of drug interdiction
—On the evening of March 8, 1973, Coast Guard cutter Dauntless made the Coast Guard’s first-ever seizure of a marijuana smuggler when it stopped the sport fisherman Big L at the western edge of the Bahamas. -
Enforcing the Law at Sea—Drug Interdiction since 1886! Pt. 2: The Rise of Marijuana and Cocaine
—Following a decades-long pause that began soon after the end of Prohibition, the Coast Guard was once again called upon to combat maritime drug smugglers in the early 1970s. -
Enforcing the Law at Sea—Drug Interdiction since 1886! Pt. 1: The First 30 years
—With a seizure of opium near the entrance to San Francisco Bay in November 1886, cutters of the Revenue Marine Service began a fight against maritime drug smuggling that continues to this day. -
Jose Luis “Joe” Rodriguez legendary contributions blazed trails for future service members
—Joe led the tactical law enforcement specialists that comprised his Drug Interdiction Assist Team through the rivers of Central America, resulting in one of the largest drug busts of its time. -
Mariel—Coast Guard Operations during the 1980 Cuban Exodus
—The size of the refugee flotilla was staggering. Trailered boats were lined up 50 to 100 deep in Key West waiting their turn to be launched. This went on for between 36 to 48 hours; residents could hear the activity around the clock. -
Jimmy Crotty—Joint forces hero of the Pacific War
—Mine sweeper, demolitions expert, and hero of Corregidor, Crotty served as a member of the Coast Guard, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. -
Hoyle’s Hell—Coast Guardsman masters the bloody beaches of the Pacific
—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. -
Saving Sunbeam—a deadly human trafficking case over 100 years ago
—After the schooner rolled over and disappeared beneath the surface, the only evidence that the vessel had ever been there were a single lifeboat with two persons aboard, and around half-a-dozen men thrashing in the frigid water