ALCOAST 241/18 - JUL 2018 INDEPENDENCE DAY 04 JULY 2018

R 021552 JUL 18
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-092//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N05700//
ALCOAST 241/18
COMDTNOTE 5700
SUBJ: INDEPENDENCE DAY 04 JULY 2018
1. The nation will celebrate its independence on Wednesday, 4 July 2018, when 242 years ago
the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, announcing to the world
that the former 13 British colonies were a free and independent nation.
2. Fourteen years later, at the urging of the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton,
Congress authorized and President George Washington approved the construction of ten revenue
cutters, the forerunners of today’s Coast Guard. The following year the first of those early
sailing vessels began cruising the waters off the United States, protecting the young nation and
its commerce from threats from the sea and securing its borders. Since that time, the Coast
Guard has worked closely with its sister armed services in defending our nation’s freedom.
3. As we celebrate this important national holiday, please remember those who came before us
and risked their lives so far away from home so that we might enjoy the freedoms we hold dear.
Also remember those who are standing the watch today, many on distant shores and far away
from their families, who keep us safe.
4. RDML Melissa Bert, USCG, Director of Governmental and Public Affairs, sends.
5. Internet release authorized.