HSV Rotary hears about Coast Guard
Clara Nicolosi, a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, addressed the Nov. 21 meeting of the Hot Springs Village Rotary Club.
Nicolosi, a Hot Springs Village resident, was introduced by Rotarian of the Day Harv Shelton and presented a “fascinating program” about the Coast Guard, which he said is “often not recognized for the many ways it serves our country,” a news release said.
Nicolosi gave the background for the nation’s fifth armed service, saying it was organized in 1790 by Alexander Hamilton as a means to combat smuggling. The Coast Guard served as the nation’s only armed force on the sea until Congress launched the Navy Department eight years later, the release said.
“With a motto of ‘Semper Paratus,’ meaning ‘Always Ready,’ the Coast Guard has protected the United States throughout its history and served proudly in all of our nation’s conflicts,” it said.
Nicolosi said that the Coast Guard was the first organization that lost a man in battle during the Vietnam War.
Today, the Coast Guard oversees 11 roles and missions, including Aids to Navigation, Defense Readiness, Drug Interdiction, Ice Operations, Living Marine Resources, Marine Environmental Protection, Marine Safety, Migrant Interdiction, Security of Ports and Waterways, and Search and Rescue as well as Other Law Enforcement as needed.
More than 40,000 men and women are actively serving in the Coast Guard to defend America’s borders and protect the maritime environment.
“The U.S. Coast Guard is the world’s seventh-largest navy, although it has fewer personnel than the New York City Police Department,” Nicolosi said.
The Hot Springs Village club meets in the Fireside Dining Room at Good Sam’s, 121 Cortez Road, Thursdays at 6:30 a.m.