Semper Paratus

 Happy Coast Guard Day!  On this day in 1790, the precursor service to the US Coast Guard was brought into being, making the Coast Guard the oldest continuous marine service in the country; older than the US Navy.  Of course, the Coast Guard has changed many times over the years and has taken on many roles.  Most familiar may be it's primary role as a search and rescue service, but it also has responsibilities in law enforcement, fisheries management, maritime safety regulation, upkeep of aids to navigation, and several educational roles.  I was, for a very short time, a proud member of the Coast Guard.  In the mid-1980s, I was a cadet at the US Coast Guard Academy and looked forward to a career as a Coast Guard officer.  But after about two years of the four-year program, reality reared its head and I washed out of the academy, and made a life in biomedical research instead.  All these years later, I am proud to have known some very fine fellow cadets, some of whom went on to long careers of service.  Most are now retired, but a few still serve at high levels of the Coast Guard.  Among my classmates have been two Captains of the USCGC Eagle, the academy's tall ship.  One classmate served as the head of the Academy itself.  Others have reached the rank of Admiral and still serve today.  Mine was a small class at the academy, and I was proud to have known all my classmates.  So on this day, I salute them, and wish them all a happy Coast Guard Day.