Television personality Chris Matthews loves to end his weekly syndicated show by asking his panel of journalists to "Tell me something I don't know [about a specific topic, usually from the world of politics]." To complement the 2008 Proceedings Coast Guard edition, we present a wide range of highlights and factoids that would not normally make it into a traditional service "year-in-review" article (see the May 2008 issue). Following are some things you may not know about America's smallest armed service:
• Lieutenant Commander Chris Kluckhuhn, the innovations and process improvement officer at the First Coast Guard District in Boston, was awarded the American Red Cross Adult Good Samaritan Hero Award on 7 March for pulling two people from a burning car and then extinguishing the fire. Kluckhuhn climbed through the back door of the vehicle and, with the help of another Good Samaritan, carried the two unconscious victims to safety.
• Within the past year the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Coast Guard conducted a pilot law enforcement project known as Shiprider. According to an RCMP press release, the program is designed "to prevent cross-border criminal activity and to further strengthen both countries' response capability in the St. Lawrence Seaway. Shiprider represents a truly integrated approach to conducting joint maritime law enforcement operations in shared waterways." This program involves the cross-designation of peace officer status and powers to both participants, allowing the RCMP and Coast Guard to conduct seamless law enforcement operations against cross-border smuggling. Command authority for all law enforcement operations is based on jurisdiction.
• The U.S. Coast Guard Academy made history in multiple ways this past year. Two graduates, Ensigns Kristen Ambors and Patrick Penella, were selected as Fulbright Scholars. Both intend to study in subject areas that will directly benefit the service. Pennella will explore maritime intelligence cooperation between the United States and Canada, while Ambors will compare the way the Coast Guard conducts search and rescue with tools used by Sweden's coast guard and navy. The 2008 valedictorian, now-Ensign DeCarol Davis, was the first African-American female Coast Guard cadet to graduate at the top of her class. And finally, the men's basketball team reached the NCAA Division III Elite 8 for the first time in the school's history.
• According to a Coast Guard Pacific Area press release, "an Arctic awareness deployment involving several Coast Guard commands is planned for Barrow [Alaska] from 27 July to 11 August in anticipation of the Coast Guard's increasing role in the Arctic." Rear Admiral Gene Brooks, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, said, "My first year in Alaska proved the Arctic is not an issue 10 to 20 years into the future. The Arctic is upon us now."