Florida Veteran Health Heroes

The Coast Guard was founded on August 4, 1790, after Congress commissioned the construction of ten ships to help enforce federal tariffs and prevent smuggling. Alex Haley, who wrote the acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Roots, was the Coast Guard’s first journalist. Bruce Melnick, a 1972 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, rose to the rank of commander in his 20-year career in the service. In 1987, he was selected by NASA to be an astronaut, making him the first Coast Guard aviator to participate in the program. Daniel Burbank, a captain in the Coast Guard, became the second when he was selected in 1996. He went on to spend 188 days in space over the course of four missions. The U.S. Coast Guard is the only military branch that is not a part of the Department of Defense. Since 2003, the Coast Guard has been a part of the Department of Homeland Security.⁵ Coast Guard On Aug. 1, 1907, the U.S. Army Signal Corps formed the Aeronautical Division, which later evolved into the U.S. Army Air Force. The National Defense Act of 1947 created an independent Air Force. In 1947, then-Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in his Bell X-1 rocket-powered aircraft, kicking off a race of pilots who competed to do the next big thing, eventually leading to outer space and a man on the moon. An “ace” is a pilot who has shot down five or more enemy aircraft. The top jet ace in U.S. Air Force history is Joseph C. McConnell, a “Triple ace” who shot down 16 MiG fighters during the Korean War over a four-month period, bagging three on his last combat mission of the war. His record still stands. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush served as airmen. Reagan served in WWII when the branch was still the Army Air Forces. Bush served in the Texas Air National Guard before transferring to the Air Force Reserve during the Vietnam era.³ Air Force Captain Samuel Nichols was commissioned as the first Marine officer by the Second Con- tinental Congress on November 5th, 1775, but he wasn’t confirmed in writing until No- vember 28th, 1775. Soon after, Nicholas took office setting up a recruiting station at Tun Tavern, the birthplace of the Corps. A lesser known fact is the Marine Corps was disbanded in 1783 after the Revolutionary War and didn’t exist for 15 years. It would make its return on July 11th, 1798 and brand itself as the Corps we’ve come to know today. While the Marine Corps is its own branch of the U.S. military, it falls under the adminis- tration of the Department of the Navy. With roughly 185,000 active-duty personnel and 38,5000 reserves, the Marines are the small- est branch of the armed forces. To put that number into perspective, the Army currently has more 541,000 personnel, while the Navy has more than 317,000 personnel, and the Air Force has 333,000. The term “semper fi” is used by many Marines in conversation. “Semper fi” is a direct refer- ence to the Marines’ motto, Semper Fidelis. Latin for “always faithful” or “always loyal.”⁴ Marine Corps 2019 Florida Veteran Health Heroes 4 1. Szoldra, P. (2017, June 14). 7 surprising facts you probably don’t know about the US Army. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/7-surprising-facts you-probably-dont-know-about-the-us-army-2015-8 2. Greenspan, J. (2015, September 30). 7 Things You May Not Know About the U.S. Navy. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-may-not know-about-the-u-s-navy 3. Stilwell, B. (2018, September 18). 17 things you didn’t know about the US Air Force. Retrieved from https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/air-force-facts 4. H. E. (2009, November 13). Birth of the U.S. Marine Corps. Retrieved from www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ birth-of-the-u-s-marine-corps 5. uscg.mil. (2015, August 3). 25 Coast Guard Facts for 225 Years: Celebrating the Coast Guard’s Birthday. Retrieved from www.uso.org/stories/1656-25-facts-for- 5 225-years-celebrating-the-coast-guard-s- 225th-birthday