Established as the Revenue Cutter Service in 1790 by the nation’s first leader, President George Washington, they are the nation’s oldest armed force on the sea. Some could even argue the oldest armed force in the nation, since the Continental Army and Marine Corps were disbanded for years following the Revolutionary War.

Originally created to prevent smuggling, enforce federal tax and trade laws – they’ve come a long way.

As our young nation continued to grow, so did this vital service and its responsibilities. In 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service and received its final new name: the United States Coast Guard. Today it still remains the only maritime service committed to both enforcing the law and life-saving.

The Coast Guard continued to serve and added other roles. In 1939, the Lighthouse Service was transferred – making the Coast Guard the head of maritime navigation. Not long after that in 1946, Maritime Inspection and Navigation was on their to-do list as well. Although her responsibilities are vast, the Coast Guard also has another lesser talked about role that is vital to the security of the country.

The Coast Guard is a military force.

Thousands of coasties have died defending this country. Many who willingly sacrificed their own lives in order to save another. Balancing the roles of federal law enforcer, life-saver, navigation safety facilitator, environmental protector and being an armed force is a lot. But they do it with grace befitting their ever enduring motto, Semper Paratus, which means “always ready.”