Political Quotes

“Mr. President, on August 4, the U.S. Coast Guard will celebrate its 227th anniversary. On this special occasion, I want to commend the men and women of the Coast Guard for their valiant service on, under, and over our Nation's high seas and waters. They have a proud history. Most Americans know the Coast Guard for its orange and white helicopters, fast small boats, cutters, and rescue swimmers, but they probably don't know that the Coast Guard is one of our country's oldest institutions of the U.S. Government. On August 4, 1790, President George Washington signed the Tariff Act, authorizing construction of the first 10 cutters of what would eventually become the Coast Guard. They were known as the revenue cutters, and their original mission was to enforce tariffs and trade laws and to prevent smuggling. For more than a hundred years, the cutters and their crew operated under the names Revenue Marine Service and the Revenue Cutter Service. Not until 1915, when Congress merged the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life-Saving Service, did the Coast Guard gets its name. Over time, the Coast Guard has become synonymous with saving those in peril on the sea. Their wide red bar and narrow blue bar, canted at 64 degrees, will always be a sign of assistance to mariners in danger. Today, in times of peace, the Coast Guard operates as a part of the Department of Homeland Security, performing its 11 critical, statutory missions.…”