ALCOAST 204/17 - JUN 2017 INDEPENDENCE DAY 04 JULY 2017

R 300913 JUN 17
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-092//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N05700//
ALCOAST 204/17
COMDNOTE 5700
SUBJ: INDEPENDENCE DAY 04 JULY 2017
1. On Tuesday, 4 July 2017, the nation will celebrate its Independence Day.  241 years ago, the
nations founders announced to the world that the colonies were now a free and independent
nation.  Independence Day is a time of pride and celebration for all Americans.  Coast Guard
men and women have played a critical role in supporting and defending our nations freedom.
Thank you to the  41,700 men and women on active duty, 7,800 reserves, 8,300 civilians and
31,000 volunteer Auxiliarists for continuing that proud tradition.  We also share our gratitude
with the thousands of veterans who preceded us in service and sacrifice.  We remember them
especially on this day.
2. That tradition of defending our nation saw its arguably greatest challenge during World War
II, when the democratic nations of the world fought a world-wide conflict against the forces of
evil and oppression.  The first offensive assault on those enemy forces, an assault code-named
Operation Watchtower, began 75 years ago next month at Guadalcanal and Tulagi, small islands
in the South Pacific that had been captured by forces of the Japanese Empire.  The campaign was
bloody and was noted for its ferocity, brutality and sacrifice.
3.  Landing troops on the beaches of those far-away and little-known islands were coxswains and
small boat crews, many made up of Coast Guardsmen, who drove their landing craft through
enemy fire to land our troops directly on enemy-held beaches.  Young men like Douglas Munro
and Raymond Evans, and Frederick Mann, who were barely out of high school and yet were
expert boat drivers and crewmen, and volunteered to go in harms way in the service of their
country. 
4. Other Coast Guardsmen, not known as well as these three, also expertly piloted their landing
craft filled with their Marine Corps brethren through the surf to land them on hostile shores.
Coast Guardsmen such as Glen Harris, Harold Miller, William Sparling, and Daniel Tarr, whom
all earned Silver Stars for gallantry on 7 August 1942, landed Marines on Tulagi Island in the
hotly-contested first assault wave.  They continued to operate their small landing craft to bring
reinforcements and supplies to Tulagi and Guadalcanal islands in the days and weeks that
followed. 
5. Coast Guardsman LCDR Dwight Dexter commanded the boat pool that operated from Naval
Operating Base Cactus, overseeing all small boat operations during the liberation of Guadalcanal
and Tulagi.  The men under his command, including Douglas Munro, conducted themselves
valiantly and earned a number of prestigious decorations, including the Medal of Honor, two
Navy Crosses, five Silver Stars, and a number of Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts.  All of these
Coast Guardsmen were honored with the Presidential Unit Citation when it was awarded to the
First Marine Division-Reinforced, demonstrating yet again the close ties between our two
services.
6. As we celebrate our nations independence, please reflect on the bravery and sacrifices these
Coast Guardsmen made to ensure we remain a free and independent nation. Remember too those
who stand the watch around the world today, many far away from their families and friends, who
ensure that the sacrifices of our forebears do not go in vain.
7. Mrs. Ellen Engleman Conners, USCG, Acting Director of Governmental and Public Affairs,
sends.
8. Internet release authorized.