Customer Reviews

Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I never really knew very much about the Coast Guard, but this book opened my eyes to all that they really do. According to the author, The Coast Guard rescues on an average about 14 people a day and respond to 123 distress calls. It is a very dangerous job and many "Coasties" lose their life during a rescue.

This book was not only a good history of the Coast Guard, but a look into the mission and complex structure of the organization. After reading this book, I have great respect for those who serve their country in this way.

After you read this book you know that the Coast Guard mission is incredibly complex, that the Coasties lives are on the line on a daily basis, that their organizational structure means on-the-fly good decisions and leadership on the ground, and that Helvarg has done his best to capture the great adventures, the deep training, and the long history in an entertaining and captivating way.

If you're into reality shows but would rather read - check out this page turner! It's full of real life drama on the sea. You'll gain respect for the heroes of the Coast Guard and how they get the job done with limited resources. It will make you call your Congressman to boost their budget. David Helvard is an awesome investigative journalist and he's a quick study when he gets a brief inside look at an organization. I love how David weaves the story from the eyes of the Coast Guardsmen on the front lines. Order it today!! And I'm a Navy man! CAPT Phil Renaud, USN (ret)

Rescue Warriors is David Helvarg's greatest work to date. His training as private eye, war correspondent and environmental activist comes through in his works along with his always superb conversational voice. I've followed his work since first reading his investigative breakthrough, "The War Against the Greens," 1994, an expose of the corporate-funded anti-public lands advocates who wanted free access to mine and graze public lands.

Helvarg then wrote the single best read on the threats to our oceans, Blue Frontier: Dispatches from America's Ocean Wilderness." From that he launched his own environmental organization, the Blue Frontier Campaign, a large coalition of ocean protection groups, [...].

With Rescue Warriors Helvarg leans on his war reporting skills (having documented some of the Reagan era atrocities in Central America) and his proclivity for people who have the chutzpah to live on the edge, but who are saving people, not killing them. Like so many of my favorite books that tell a broader history through one window: shad; salt; tea; slavery; commerce; Helvarg tells the story of America through the Coast Guard.

From its founding in the 1700s to warn mariners about dangers and to collect taxes from ships importing goods, the Coast Guard moves through key moments in American history like Forrest Gump, the fight against the importation of slaves, fights against pirates, the Civil War and every other major war up and through the War on Terror. Rescue Warriors is a story I didn't know. The Coast Guard claims to have saved more than a million people, even Jerry Falwell didn't claim that many. It was the only government agency that functioned during Hurricane Katrina.

Helvarg takes you through the Coasties academy, aboard the rescue ships and aircraft, from Louisiana to the Mideast and into the saloons with the old-timers for heroic stories that involve saving, not killing. It is a fine story, part travelogue, part insider's guide and a fine alternative for someone considering a stellar form of national service.

I express a bias up front. I have a brother who was a Coast Guard careerist. And, as a journalist, I've known David Helvarg for many years and much admire him, not only for his fearless reporting but his love of water and willingness to defend the great oceans--the inspiring, moody, and dangerous terrain where the United States Coast Guard does its job. It's one of our most underalded branches of the military and yet one of the most consistently heroic. Helvarg captures the drama of the men and women who work by ship, helo and speed boat to rescue people and to keep the country safe. This is a book that will hold up well over time and, as always, is wonderfully written with Helvarg's classic mix of telling a great story and doing it with style.

This book is praise-worthy, and not just because it contained the least errors of any article, book, or media report I have ever seen or read about the Coast Guard. Sure, there are a few little misnomers here and there, but I have never seen a civilian author get so many details right. Cleary, the author did his homework and went the extra mile in terms of accuracy and research.

Explaining any branch of the military, especially the Coast Guard, to someone who is unfamiliar with it in an interesting, comprehensive, and accurate way is a challenge. While not all-encompassing, this book provides is an informative all-around look at the USCG's past and present. It also contains several chapters detailing units and events story's which I have never seen published anywhere before but deserve to be told. One example is detailed accounts of various Coastguardsmens' responses to Hurricane Katrina. Another is the story of the Coast Guard's only combat death in the Iraq War.

This comprehensive and interesting book shines deserved light on America's least-known and appreciated branch of the military.

Anyone who wants to know what the Coast Guard is all about should read this book. Our little known warriors keep us safe and protect much more than is commonly known. They are true heroes!! And always modestly say they're "just doing the job." Great insight into this wonderful branch of the military!

Having served in the US Navy, I found this book most interesting. Helvarg gives a good history of the Coast Guard and explains the ever changing mission with the new demands of Home Land Security. He also explains the management / leadership style that gets the Coast Guard's wide range of jobs done to keep us safe.

Since it's winter in NJ I'm very often more land bound than I'd like to be, but I'm getting my ocean "fix" from reading David Helvarg's, "Rescue Warriors." I don't have many regrets in life, and perhaps it's a good thing that I am where I am, but one thing I wish I had done is enlist in the Coast Guard back when I was contemplating military service. If I had known then what I'm reading now, it would have been a no-brainer. How do you go wrong with helping people on the ocean and playing in the rough stuff? Helvarg's book does a fantastic job describing the grit and guts required to be a Coastie. This book is like candy if you like ocean adventures, or any adventure, for that matter!

David: I'm sure you're reading these reviews. I want to let you know that you did a fantastic job on the 'Diane Rehm Show' interview a week or so ago on WAMU-FM/NPR, Washington, DC. Your thorough analysis of the Coast Guard was evident as you fielded questions from the interviewer and from the phone calls.

The book is fantastic! You did a great job laying out the story of the Coast Guard being America's Forgotten Heroes. Thanks! SEMPER PARATUS!

Vince Patton, MCPOCG, USCG Retired