“They Fight Oil Spills”

APRIL 10, 1977

Meet the Coast Guard’s four-year-old National Strike Force, a team of men who at a moment’s notice jumped on ships or planes with their pumps and other equipment to try to contain or clean up oil spills or other environmental disasters.

“We’re like a fire department,” Lt. Cmdr. Barry Chambers, 35, told Parade. “When the alarm sounds, we get moving.” Among them were divers, pumping mechanics and experts in cleaning and rehabilitating waterfowl. It was hard work—60 percent of it spent away from home with some jobs lasting three months. But it was also satisfying, said Lt. John Clay, 26, who had a degree in oceanography.

“I grew up in the environmental revolution. I’m excited about the freedom we have to experiment and get involved.” (The Force is still hard at work in 2022).