Joseph Etienne, who during his 30-year Coast Guard career served on Prohibition enforcement aboard CGC Champlain, as a surfman at a lifeboat station, participated in the invasion of Guadalcanal (he was a shipmate of Douglas Munro aboard the USS Hunter Liggett), and post war assignments in aids to navigation where he got to know Arnold Palmer.

Pat Latorra a gunners’ mate who served aboard cutters on escort-of-convoy operations on the Greenland Patrol aboard CGC Algonquin and later in the Caribbean aboard CGC Active.

The oral history of Chief Damage Controlman Clyde Allen USCG (Ret.). Chief Allen served during World War II and retired from active duty in 1965.  He had a variety of duty posts during his Coast Guard career, including the service with the Beach Patrol, the troop transports USSGeneral Hugh L. Scott and the USS General H. F. Hodges, ocean station duty aboard theMinnetonka, LORAN construction duty aboard the Kukui, a tour aboard the buoy tenderSweetbrier in Alaska, and patrol duty aboard the Morris.  He is the father of the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Thad Allen, USCG.

Kelly Clifton joined the Coast Guard at the end of World War II and, after attending radar school, was assigned to the tender Walnut where he trained as a QM striker.  He saw ATON duty and supplied Loran stations, and was injured during one beaching.  He also survived a tsunami in Hawaii in 1946 and helped recover bodies.

The memoir of Chief Warrant Officer Fred Mann, USCG (Ret.). Mr. Mann enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1939 and retired in 1971 after 32 years of continuous service.  During his career, which began aboard the old cutter Saranac, he served aboard Navy transports, where he saw considerable action at Guadalcanal, earning a Silver Star for heroism in combat in that early amphibious assault.  After the war he served on a ocean station weather patrol, commanded patrol craft, saw service aboard numerous buoy tenders (and commanding one).  He also had duty at many shore stations around the country.

Robert Resnick tells of the Coast Guard’s role in the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima.

Captain David W. Sinclair’s memoir has provided us with his memoir of his Coast Guard career that stretched from 1935 through his retirement in 1969.  He describes life as a cadet in the Coast Guard Academy’s Class of 1939, life aboard a Treasury Class cutter just prior to the U.S. entering World War II, his service in World War II, including the Greenland Patrol, flight training, and aerial patrol duties.  He then goes on to describe his post-war Coast Guard career.

Illustrated memoir of Signalman Third Class William L. Sprague who describes his World War II experiences, including  Basic Training at Curtis Bay, Maryland, service in the Captain of the Port Office and on a patrol boat in Newport, Rhode Island, travel across the U.S. by train and plane, Signalman School in California, and service on board the USS Corpus Christi in the Pacific Theatre.

My Life in the Coast Guard:” Captain David Oliver, USCG (Ret.): who describes his experience with World War II convoy operations, aviation activities, helicopter development, and operations in Alaska.

“The Story of a World War II Frigate: The USS Sandusky PF-54, a first-hand narrative written by former Vice-Commandant Vice Admiral Thomas Sargent, who commanded Sanduskyduring World War II.

A Letter Home – An uncensored letter written by a Coast Guard veteran describing Coast Guard-manned LCI(L) Flotilla 4/10’s operations prior to D-Day.

Captain Paul A. Lutz commanding USCGC Sherman, describes his cutter’s 1970 Vietnam cruise.

Seaman 2/c John Cullen was the Coast Guardsman on beach patrol on Long Island who came across a team of Nazi saboteurs who had just landed from a U-boat.

One Among Many: The Memoirs of BM2 Douglas M. Pierpont, BM2 Pierpont’s exciting illustrated memoir of his service in the Coast Guard through World War II and after.  He enlisted prior to Pearl Harbor and saw action as a coxswain assigned to the Boat Division aboard USS Leonard Wood–he participated in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily and then landings throughout the Pacific Theatre.  After the war he served in Alaska aboard USCGC Bittersweet and Unalga.

“Tales of an Old Sea Dog” A series of fascinating and informative autobiographical articles written by Captain C. William “Bill” Bailey about his distinguished 30-year career in the Coast Guard, from World War II through 1973!  He commanded a total of nine cutters, including 5 buoy tenders and the Eastwind, Coos Bay and Chase.

Radioman First Class George C. Larsen’s memoir of service & surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Larsen lived through the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while serving at a radio monitoring station.  He had served on the Taney, and shortly after the attack was transferred to the Kukui, and while aboard he took part in the “liberation” of Niihau Island which had been “taken” by a downed Japanese pilot.  He then saw service aboard the Tiger.

Radarman Second Class Collingwood Harris. served aboard the Coast Guard-manned destroyer escort USS Peterson during World War II and saw action in the convoy battles of the North Atlantic, including the loss of the Coast Guard-manned USSLeopold and the sinking of the U-550!

Invasion of Iwo Jima diary: Coast Guard veteran Gunner’s Mate First Class Robert Mullins wrote a detailed diary during the bloody assault on Iwo Jima in 1945.  GM1 Mullins served aboard a Coast Guard-manned LST

An illustrated first-hand account of the Magic Carpet operation written by Seaman First Class Wilbur Selbrede in 1945.  He served aboard the Joseph T. Dickman as a member of a special amphibious beach party and saw action at Okinawa and then participated in the “Operation Magic Carpet” voyages that returned former Allied Prisoners of War, some who were the survivors of the Bataan Death March in the Philippines in 1942 as well as those who had been captured on Wake Island in December, 1941, back home from Japanese P.O.W. camps.

The oral history of World War II Coast Guard veteran Marvin Perrett who was a coxswain of a landing craft assigned to the USS Bayfield; he participated in the invasions of Normandy (D-Day!), Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

The oral history of World War II Coast Guard aviator Bernard A. Bailey.

“The First Year in the Life of a Patrol Craft: USS PC-469 a first-hand narrative written by former Vice-Commandant VADM Thomas Sargent, who commanded PC-469 during World War II.

Death of a Wooden Shoe: Life on the Coast Guard’s Greenland Patrol in World War II.

Quartermaster First Class Hank Roger USCG (Ret.) tells the story of the Coast Guard-manned Army FS-184 in action in the Pacific.

Nathan Bruckenthal – The Coast Guard and Operation Iraqi Freedom