From the NFRW Armed Services Committee

By Mary Smart, Hawaii

The U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Birthday is celebrated on February 19th every year.  When originally formed on June 23, 1939, the Congressional mandate was to use volunteer unpaid civilians using their personal boats and yachts to staff the organization with a mission to promote safety in our oceans and national navigable waters. Congress amended the original Act when they passed the Auxiliary and Reserve Act of 1941 which designated the Reserve as a military branch and civilians forming the Auxiliary. Currently the authorized manpower for the Reserves is 7,000 personnel. 

The Coast Guard Reserve:

Vision:  The Coast Guard’s only dedicated surge force, the Reserve, is a contingency-based workforce, trained locally and deployed globally to meet Coast Guard mission requirements.

Mission: To provide operationally capable and ready personnel to support Coast Guard surge and mobilization requirements in the Homeland and abroad.

Values:  As an integrated workforce, the Coast Guard Reserve shares the core values of the Coast Guard: “The Honor, Respect and Devotion to Duty.” In addition, the Coast Guard Reserve’s tenets are “Professionalism, Preparedness, and Patriotism.”

Official Motto:  Semper Paratus (Always Ready)

Happy Birthday, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve!