Synopses & Reviews
Since its founding more than two hundred years ago, the United States Coast Guard has rescued over a million people. On any given day, “Coasties” respond to 125 distress calls and save over a dozen lives. Yet despite having more than 50,000 active-duty and reserve members on every ocean and on our nations coasts, great lakes, and rivers, most of us know very little about this often neglected but crucial branch of the military.
In Rescue Warriors, award-winning journalist David Helvarg brings us into the daily lives of Coasties, filled with a salty maritime mix of altruism and adrenaline, as well as dozens of death-defying rescues at sea and on hurricane-ravaged shores.
Helvarg spent two years with the men and women of the Coast Guard, from the halls of their academy in New London, Connecticut, to the frigid, storm-tossed waters of Alaskas Bering Sea, to the northern Persian Gulf, where they currently guard Iraqi oil terminals. The result is a masterpiece of adventure reporting---the definitive book on Americas “forgotten heroes.”
Review
“A must-read for anyone who loves the water or cares about the safety, security, and stewardship of our nation from sea to shining sea.” - Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“This is the first book to give a comprehensive look at Americas premier lifesavers and forgotten Armed Service.” - Anchorage Daily News
“Readers will agree with the author that the Coast Guard is the only American military service that needs more money and publicity.” - Kirkus Reviews
“They say that ‘Im from the government and Im here to help is the ultimate oxymoron. But as this vivid book makes powerfully clear, in the case of the Coast Guard its the simple truth. Stow this volume next to the chart case.” - Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy
Synopsis
The Extraordinary Story Of The U.S. Coast Guard
Since its inception more than 200 years ago, the United States Coast Guard has rescued over 1.1 million people. Yet, despite having more than fifty thousand active and reserve members, most of us know very little about this often neglected but crucial branch of the U.S. military.
Filled with altruism and adrenaline, Rescue Warriors brings us into the daily lives of “Coasties” as well as dozens of death-defying rescues at sea and on hurricane-ravaged shores. A masterpiece of adventure reporting, Rescue Warriors is the definitive book on Americas Coast Guard.
About the Author
DAVID HELVARG is president of the Blue Frontier Campaign and author of Saved by the Sea, The War Against the Greens, Blue Frontier, and 50 Ways to Save the Ocean. He has produced more than forty broadcast documentaries for PBS, The Discovery Channel, and others, and has written for publications including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian, Popular Science, Sierra, and The Nation. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.