On the recordJuly 27, 2010
I call our Coast Guard our thin blue line at sea, and I think when we saw the oil spill situation, we realized that they are indeed our coast guard, they are guarding our coast. And Mr. Mica was absolutely right. I think that sometimes those that are performing some of the most important tasks are occasionally unseen, unnoticed, unappreciated and unapplauded, in the words of a Greek theologian, but they do the most important things. And this is a wake-up call, I think, to our Nation, when we see something like our oil spill, of how important the Coast Guard Academy is in training young folks to go out there and be leaders. But it is also a lesson to our Nation to give the United States Coast Guard the priority status that it gives the other armed service entities. It is very, very important. I know that as I travel around the country, every time I go into a port where the Coast Guard is stationed, I try to spend some time with them to let them know what a grateful Nation we are for what they do every day.
