So Others May Live: Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death [Hardcover]

Martha J. LaGuardia-Kotite (Author), Tom Ridge (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006

So Others May Live is the untold story of the U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer. In startlingly clear and exceptional writing, it tells twelve heroic stories of the greatest maritime rescues attempted since the program was started in 1985. These feats, told through the eyes of the hero, reveal an understanding of how and why the rescuer, with flight crew assistance, risks his or her own life to reach out to save a stranger. The book covers diverse environments: oceans, hurricanes, oil rigs, caves, sinking vessels, floods, and even Niagara Falls. It is truly a can't-put-it-down collection.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Commander LaGuardia more than earns her stripes with an extremely well researched and documented book describing the inside story of how and why the U.S. Coast Guard jumped into the rescue swimmer business. I strongly suggest keeping a towel nearby to wipe off the salt water after each rescue is described.”—PTEROGRAM, journal of the Ancient Order of the Pterodactyl (U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Association)

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

So Others May Live is the untold story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s quiet but resolute rescue swimmers. From deep ocean caves on the Oregon coast to the panicked and chaotic streets of post-Katrina New Orleans, here are their stunningly heroic stories.
These stories are some of the greatest maritime rescues attempted since the program began in 1985. These feats, told through the eyes of the heroes, reveal an understanding of how and why the rescuer, with flight crew assistance, risks his or her own life to reach out to save a stranger. The book covers diverse environments: oceans, hurricanes, oil rigs, caves, sinking vessels, floods, and even Niagara Falls. It is truly a can’t-put-it-down collection.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592289312
• ISBN-13: 978-1592289318
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,051,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She got it right., June 3, 2006

By 

Mario M. Vittone (Hampton Roads - Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: So Others May Live: Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death (Hardcover)

When we first heard about this book, some of the guys in the shop were skeptical about how it would turn out. We have all read articles and stories about the work we do and wondered how the writers got it so wrong. Embellishments, mis-quotes, and cheesy bravado injected into stories about Coast Guard swimmers have often left us cold to the idea of a book about the job. But Laguardia-Kotite got it right.....way right.

Her book is meticulously researched, well-organized, and tells the story of Coast Guard rescues without overstepping the facts in exchange for reactions. She simply put to paper the heart of the program through stories of actual men and women engaged in the unique job of aviation rescue crewmembers. Also refreshing was the way she (better than anyone I have ever read) tells the story of the rescue swimmer as part of a team, giving all due credit to the pilots and flight mechanics that make rescue at sea possible.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coast Guard Aviation Association, June 18, 2006

By 

Ray Copin (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Others May Live: Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death (Hardcover)

Reviewed by Captain George Krietemeyer, USCG (Ret.),
President, U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Association


Commander LaGuardia more than earns her stripes with an extremely well researched and documented book describing the inside story of how and why the U.S. Coast Guard jumped into the rescue swimmer business. I strongly suggest keeping a towel nearby to wipe off the salt water after each rescue is described.
Her research starts in the early 70's with SARWET teams - early pilot programs testing concepts of improved rescue capability using specially trained crewmembers in helicopter operations. She names all the people who put their ideas forward and tested the concepts. Most of them are members of the Coast Guard Aviation Association.
The author then describes the full story behind congressional `guidance' accelerating efforts to get a full fledged Coast Guard rescue swimmer program underway. I happened to be the Commandant's Chief of Training at Coast Guard Headquarters at the time and played a small part in focusing attention on this effort.
Once the reader is introduced to a full understanding of the background, Martha expertly guides the reader through the next 20 years with exciting and well written examples of some of the hairiest rescues our crews have accomplished. Once again, she names the people and describes their heroic efforts on a case-by-case basis. Many of you will know these people!
This is a book which will delight history buffs and adventure seekers. Her writing style is action oriented. A MUST READ for military types and others "with a liking for the sea and its lore."

Cover JPEG attached separately

For source purposes:
Review from PTEROGRAM, journal of the Ancient Order of the Pterodactyl (Coast Guard Aviation Association),
Editor Captain Ray Copin, USCG (Ret.), ([e-mail]).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story, author lacking, April 27, 2007

By 

Brian J. Stover - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So Others May Live: Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death (Hardcover)

While I found the stories interesting, the author's style was lacking. The first two chapters dealt with why the Coast Guard has a rescue swimmer program and what led up to it. However, it gets a bit tedious at times. The author lists every person who ever had anything to do with the ups and downs of the program. Needless to say, the two chapters could have been combined into one smaller chapter. The minutia gets a bit heavy.

As for the stories, once again minutia gets in the way of the heart of the story. I don't think it's necessary to list the aircraft numbers in each story. Unless you are CG and have flown in or worked around these aircraft, it is not necessary for the story. I wold have preferred also that the author list crew positions more than once in each chapter. The constant referring to the crews by name without occasionally referring to them with crew position and name requires you at times to reread the beginning to keep up with who's who.

I applaud the heroism and dedication of the crews involved, however it seems their story gets lost in the author's quest to write a long book by filling it with unnecessary words. At times it was like the student who was told to write a 1,000 word essay and ends up with a 500 word essay and 500 words of filler.