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Joseph Andrew Walag

Joseph Andrew Walag was born on February 5, 1922 in Brooklyn, New York. He excelled in electronics while in high school, so much that when he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard at 18 in 1940, he received the distinction of immediately teaching electronics and...

SPAR Mabel Johnson

In 1943 at the age of 28, Mabel Johnson decided to enlist in the armed forces to serve her country. “I lived in New York at the time, and I walked up Broadway to see which one I should join, and it happened to be the Coast Guard,” said WWII veteran Mabel Johnson....

CAPT Jean Butler

Jean Butler was the first woman to graduate from the Coast Guard Academy; 13 other women also graduated as part of the Academy’s class of 1980. We honor you, Jean Butler. (#Repost @Celebrating Women in US Coast Guard History)

LT Colleen Cain

Lt. Colleen Cain did not serve in the Coast Guard for very long, but she made an impression that many will never forget. Cain was the first female Coast Guard pilot, earning her wings in 1978. She flew many important, lifesaving missions as a helicopter pilot,...

Pharmacist’s Mate 2nd Class Irwin “Rocky” Robinson

“But it’s a smaller service, so you got a better chance to advance—and the line is shorter.” (Video Interview, 3:17) War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Coast Guard Unit: USCGC Bibb (WPG 31) Service Location: New York; Sandy Hook, Connecticut; New London, Connecticut;...

CAPT Margaret R. Riley

On 8 June 1973, OCS Class 2-73 graduated from their training at Yorktown, Virginia. The entire class was twenty-nine strong. In their ranks at graduation for the first time were five women. One of those women graduates was Margaret R. Riley. During her thirty-year...