Recognizing the Contributions of Diverse U.S. Coast Guard Service Members on the U.S. Coast Guard's 229th Birthday

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORREA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the U.S. Coast Guard on its upcoming 229th birthday on August 4, 2019. In honor of this significant occasion, I would like to particularly recognize the contributions of Coast Guard men and women from diverse and underrepresented communities. They have fought for our country in times of war and rescued thousands in time of peace. ``Semper Paratus'' is the U.S. Coast Guard motto, and regardless of the day, time, or crisis, they have always been ready.

Such U.S. Coast Guard members include James Leftwich, a member of the Chickasaw nation. In 1943, Mr. Leftwich enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. He was 14 years of age and the youngest enlistee. Two years later, he was wounded at the Battle of Eniwetok. Mr. Letwich recovered and continued to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard until 1964.

Master Chief Melvin Kealoha Bell, a native Hawaiian, joined the Coast Guard in 1938. Stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Mr. Bell transmitted the first radio message warning vessels and military institutions of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He then served as a member of the Navy's Fleet Radio Unit Pacific and helped break the secret Japanese Imperial Navy code that led to U.S. Navy victories in the Pacific.

Myrtle Rae Holthaus Hazard Gambrill was the first woman to serve on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. She joined on January 7, 1918, before women could vote. Ms. Gambrill served as an electrician at Coast Guard headquarters and was honorably discharged in November 1919.

Olivia Hooker, Dorothy Winifred Byrd, Julia Watson Mosley Shields, Aileen Anita Cooke Moore, and Yvonne Cumberbatch were the first five African-American women to serve as Coast Guard service members during World War II, as part of the ``Semper Paratus, Always Ready'' (SPARs) program. Dr. Hooker was the first one in this group to enlist in the U.S. Guard in February 1945, and she was one of the last known survivors of the Tulsa race riots of 1921 .

Their sister SPARs included other trailblazers: Cuban-American Mary Rivero and Filipina-American Florence Finch Smith. Ms. Smith joined the SPARs after surviving torture and incarceration at the hands of the Japanese during the occupation of the Philippines.

Admiral Vivian Crea, former Vice Commandant, is the highest-ranking woman in Coast Guard history. Admiral Crea joined the service in 1973, and in 2000, she became the first female Admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard. Admiral Crea was selected as Vice Commandant in 2006.

Master Chief Vince Patton became the highest ranking African-American Coast Guard enlisted member when he was selected in 1998 to be the Eighth Master Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard. He was the senior enlisted advisor on workforce and personnel issues.

Henry Garcia, born in Puerto Rico, became the first underrepresented minority to receive an officer's commission in 1928. Ten years later in 1938, he took command of the Coast Guard Cutter Morris and became the first Hispanic-American to command a Coast Guard cutter.

In 1991, Katherine Faverey took command of Coast Guard Cutter Bainbridge Island, becoming the first Hispanic-American woman to command a cutter.

Happy birthday, U.S. Coast Guard. You consist of a diverse group of men and women, and your diversity has been essential to your success.

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