Coast Guard Foundation Supports Recent Heritage Events
Category: article
Dec 5th, 2019 by Keith Worrall
Modified Dec 5th, 2019 at 4:58 PM
Highlighting the importance of heritage support for Coast Guard families and the service at-large, the Coast Guard Foundation recently took part in three events supporting Coast Guard families and recognizing important milestones. Please continue reading to learn more about this support.
CG-1705 10th Anniversary Memorial
The Coast Guard Foundation lent its support to the memorial service of the 10th Anniversary of the loss of CG-1705 on October 29 at Air Station Sacramento. At the memorial, families of the fallen Coast Guard members gathered to pay respects to the seven Coast Guard members and two Marines who perished in a mid-air collision in 2009. Through the simple act of funding the tribute flowers for the Air Station’s memorial and a wreath for the ceremonial drop over the crash site, the Foundation had the opportunity to honor the crew of CG-1705 and be there for their families.
Coming Home Ceremony for Lieutenant Jimmy Crotty, USCG
Lieutenant Thomas J.E. Crotty, USCG was laid to rest on November 2, in Buffalo, New York. He died in a POW camp in July 1942 after serving aboard the USS Quail in the Philippines as part of the 16th Naval District-in-Shore Patrol Headquarters, in Cavite Navy Yard on the Philippine Islands. Lieutenant Crotty was accounted for on September 10, as part of a scientific and anthropological analysis that included dental records and other material evidence. DNA analysis, with the coordination of his surviving family members, provided additional evidence to identify Lieutenant Crotty positively.
Before his formal, military funeral, his remains returned to Buffalo via stopovers in Hawaii and Sacramento, on a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft. The Coast Guard Foundation supported a reception for more than 100 Coast Guard members and 70 Crotty family members who awaited his arrival in Buffalo.
Coast Guard Cutter Smilax’s 75th Anniversary
Coast Guard Cutter Smilax is the “Queen of the Fleet,” a title held only by the oldest commissioned cutter in the Coast Guard in active service. Smilax is a 100-foot construction tender with an attached 86-foot barge. Commissioned November 1, 1944, five months after Allied forces had landed on the beaches of Normandy, the Smilax has been instrumental in many of the Coast Guard’s missions over the years, including several notable search and rescue cases. Currently, Smilax is responsible for 1,325 fixed and 26 floating aids to navigation. These aids mark the waterways around the shores on the North Carolina outer banks, ensuring that vessel traffic can safely navigate the continually shifting shoals of the areas Smilax maintains. On November 1, the crew and family members joined with representatives from the community in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, the Smilax’s homeport, to recognize this achievement.
