You wouldn’t think that Shark Week and the United States Coast Guard could collide in the same sentence but interestingly enough, they can and do.
Did you know that the USCG Saves Sharks from illegal fishing and poaching almost every day? Without the USCG, there would be a lot less sharks around, especially endangered sharks, like the Carcharodon Carcharias or Great White shark!
In its 26th season the most exciting tooth and fin programs to hit the airwaves come at us once again!
Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water?!
SHARK WEEK!
What Is Shark Week?
“Shark Week is an annual week long programming block on Discovery Channel which features both factual and ficticious shark based programming. It originally premiered on July 17, 1988. Held annually, normally in July or August, Shark Week was originally developed to raise awareness and respect for sharks. It is the longest-running cable television programming event in history.” (source: Wikipedia)
Why Is Shark Week So Popular?
What has made Shark Week such a long awaited phenomenon year after year?
People are fascinated by sharks!
People watch show after show, bite after bite and with constant blood in the water there is a still and ever present a shark craze!
12 Foot Hammerheads, the rarely seen Thresher with a tail longer than its body, the Great White, Reef, or possibly a lemon shark is all that is needed to grasp your interest but there has to be more. They fly and they move about your television set breaking all manners of gravity as they engulf all prey in the ocean!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wic5sMmmU6I
They are jawsome! A weekly marathon of flying, non-vegetarian, teeth infested, hulks of fish and sea lion devouring predators. Yeah I can see why this so popular.
“There is no exact formula for why some franchises grab the public consciousness and never let go, but with Shark Week it starts with great storytelling, cutting edge production values, and a fascinating character: the shark!” David Zaslav, CEO of Discovery Communications (source: Huffington Post)
[Tweet “The #USCG saves people from sharks & #SharkWeek almost every day!”]
The USCG Saves People From Sharks
But how does the US Coast Guard factor into Shark week? It’s hard enough rescuing some topsy turvy ship hand from the deck of some future crab bake depository. Or off the Florida Keys where rescuing a few would-be surfers is the order of the day.
Try and do it in shark infested waters! Not quite the same thing now is it? But the US Coast Guard does this and is always present when the call is made to help these men and women who have experienced a shark bite.
Where Are The Deadliest Spots For Shark Attacks?
Sharknado Goes Viral
(But Discovery Channel didn’t buy the rights when they had the chance! ouch!)
And now with Shark Week beginning the talk of the town also turns to Sharknado and the recent release of Sharknado 2: The Second One because New York simply wouldn’t be the same without a Shark attack!
“Sharknado is a 2013 made-for-television disaster B movie about a waterspout that lifts sharks out of the ocean and deposits them in Los Angeles.[3][4] It first aired on the Syfy Channel on July 11, 2013, and stars Ian Ziering, Cassie Scerbo, Tara Reid, and John Heard.
It was also given a one-night only special midnight theatrical screening via Regal Cinemas and NCM Fathom Events, where it took less than $200,000 in the box office across 200 screenings.” (Source: Wikipedia)
So the Shark Week “Perfect Storm” has arrived! Thanks to Shark Week on Discovery Channel, the daily activities of the USCG and the Sharknado 2 arriving back in July… still on the cutting edge of becoming another B-Movie cult classic! Shark Week is pure TV awesomeness!
How The USCG Saves Shark Week
You can’t have shark week with no sharks! Thanks to the USCG and the World Wildlife Federation, something is being done about illegal poaching of sharks and other endangered species in our waters!
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — August 6th, 2014
The poachers intercepted Sunday had 153 separate sharks totaling more than 1,500 pounds.
At approximately 7:30 a.m., an aircrew aboard a Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon surveillance aircraft spotted a Mexican fishing vessel known as a lancha approximately three miles north of the border and 22 miles offshore. It was moving fast toward the border. The aircrew began chasing the lancha south and reported it to watch standers at the Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Command Center.
The Command Center dispatched a 33-foot interceptor boat from Coast Guard Station South Padre Island. The interceptor crew caught the lancha four miles south of the border and 15 miles offshore. The boat and four crewmembers were towed to Station South Padre Island, where the vessel remained in custody while the crew was repatriated back to Mexico.
“These events are always time sensitive due to sighting the lancha in close proximity to the international boundary line,” said Lt. Austin Montanez, a pilot aboard the Falcon. “It takes incredible teamwork among the responding units and every second can mean the difference between an interdiction and one of the many that got away.” (source: Military.com)
Obama Authorizes U.S. Airstrikes Against ISIS in Iraq
Obama Authorizes U.S. Airstrikes Against ISIS in Iraq . Tonight (Thursday, August 7, 2014) the Obama Administration has authorized U.S. Airstrikes Against ISIS in Iraq. An air drop humanitarian mission has also already taken place. ISIS is approaching the strategically important northern city of Erbil, where U.S. personnel are stationed.
Obama Authorizes U.S. Airstrikes Against Islamic Militants in Iraq
Defense Department Confirms USAF Already Activated
The Defense Department confirmed today on Twitter that a humanitarian mission had already been successful earlier today.
“The U.S. has not yet conducted airstrikes”, senior administration officials said, but there were reports earlier in the day of airstrikes in the region, possibly by the Iraqi Air Force still active in the region.
Vision Strike Wear Supports the USAF and the Fight Against ISIS!
An estimated 1.7 million Purple Heart recipients are still alive. Those were the ones who came home. Others didn’t. Americans are still sacrificing the very flesh on their bodies. Honor them.
In months past we have worked to help create awareness for PTSD, donating money to great causes to further mission of expanding the care and treatment of those experiencing post traumatic stress disorder. As it is often states that not all wounds are visible. For many who have experienced the trauma of war and were injured in battle the Purple Heart was created for them. General George Washington saw fit to acknowledge our men and women that experienced battle and were scarred from it. For military merit it reads on the back of the United States Purple Heart medal given to those who sacrificed their bodies. It is important not just on a day like today but all days that we remember our warriors.
On this day August 7th, Purple Heart Day, lets remember those who have sacrificed, who wear a badge of honor, speak a little quieter in their presence and be more understanding and sympathetic to others out of respect.
224 Years of Service and Dedication: Semper Paratus!
The United States Coast Guard celebrates its Birthday today. With more geographical responsibility and the fewest number of personnel this branch of the United States is considered to have more responsibility than just about any other branch of the US military. From drug interdiction, fending off pirates and drug lords, watching for unannounced visitors coming from a foreign land, often a country under Communist rule, protecting our ports and waterways, lakes, watching for any sailors finding themselves in harms way off the East or West coasts and rescuing the sword boat fisherman or Deadliest Catch crabbers in the Bering Sea the USCG has stood the test of time protecting us, saving us and putting themselves into harm’s way to make sure we are taken care of!
The United States Coast Guard is celebrating its 224th birthday in August this year. America’s Coast Guard is one of the five armed forces, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard, with its lineage tracing back to its inception on Aug. 4, 1790, when the 1st Congress authorized the building and construction of 10 vessels to create a force aiding in the enforcement of tariffs and trade laws, prevent smuggling, and the protect and collection of federal revenue. Responsibilities added over the years included humanitarian duties such as aiding mariners in distress which has become more commonly known as Search and Rescue.
The USCG received its current name in 1915 when the Revenue Cutter Service formed with the U.S. Life-Saving Service to create a unified maritime service with the dedication of safety of life at sea and enforcing America’s maritime laws.
[Tweet “Happy Birthday #USCG! 224 Years and Going Strong! #CoastGuard”]
The Coast Guard is a powerful branch with responsibilities spanning from multi-mission, maritime, military service and is the smallest of the five Armed Services. It has many missions and roles from the protection of the public, the environment and U.S. economic interests in the nation’s waterways, ports, along the coast, on international waters, or in any maritime region as required to support national security. It has the unique responsibility with is arresting authority over both civilians as well as military. No other branch has this.
History of Coast Guard Flags
Found at Military.Com ~ “The origins of the Coast Guard standard are very obscure. It may have evolved from an early jack. At least one contemporary painting supports this theory. In an 1840 painting, the Revenue cutter Alexander Hamilton flies a flag very similar to today’s Coast Guard standard as a jack.” Additional information on USCG Flags click here.
What is the USCG Auxiliary?
A great little know secret! The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCG Aux) is the uniformed volunteer part of the United States Coast Guard (“USCG”). On JUne 23rd, 1939 the United State’s Congress created the USCG Aux as America’s Coast Guard Reserve. Just prior to two years later, on Feb 19, 1941, it was re-designated the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.
What does the auxiliary do? The USCG Auxiliary exists to provide support for all USCG missions except ones that require involved and “direct” law enforcement or military engagement. Atypical mission roles include those in which an active USCG Guarsdman can be replaced by an Auxiliarist. This allows the active member to focus in other areas and in one of the two roles that can’t be filled by an Auxiliarist.
Each day, the men and women of the 35,000 plus active duty Coast Guard, 8,000 Reservists, and 32,000 Auxiliarists provide services over 3.4 million square miles of Exclusive Economic Zones.
Conducts 109 Search and Rescue Cases.
Saves 10 lives
Assists 192 people in distress.
Protects $2,791,841 in property.
Seizes 169 pounds of marijuana and 306 pounds of cocaine worth $9,589,000.00.
Processes 238 Seaman licenses and documents.
Investigates 6 vessel casualties involving collisions, allisions, or groundings.
What else happens during an average day?
Small boats are underway for 396 sorties/missions.
Aircraft fly 164 missions, logging 324 hours, of which 19 hours are flown off patrolling cutters.
Law enforcement teams board 144 vessels.
Cutter and small boat crews interdict and rescue 14 illegal immigrants.
Marine Safety personnel open 8 new cases for marine violation of federal statutes.
Marine Inspectors board 100 large vessels for port safety checks.
Vessel examiners conduct 20 commercial fishing vessel safety exams and issue 11 fishing vessel compliance decals.
Pollution investigators respond to 20 oil or hazardous chemical spills totaling 2,800 gallons.
Buoy tenders and Aids to Navigational Teams service 135 aids to navigation.
Vessel Traffic Service controllers assist 2,509 commercial ships entering & leaving U.S. ports.
Auxiliarists conduct 377 vessel safety checks and teach boating safety courses to 550 boaters.
Tell me more!
The U.S. Coast Guard seizes 1 drug smuggling vessel every five days.
Icebreakers and buoy tenders assist 196,938 tons of shipping daily during the Great Lakes ice season.
International Ice Patrol sorties provide ice safety information to facilitate the 163,238 tons of shipping during the North Atlantic ice season.
The Coast Guard is smaller than the New York City Police Department.
The number of Coast Guard personnel for 2001 is the same as it was in 1967.
Missions!
There are 11 and they are identified and carried out by law.
Ports, waterways, and coastal security
Drug interdiction
Aids to navigation
Search and rescue
Living marine resources
USCG Veteran Design by Vision Strike Wear.
Marine safety
Defense readiness
Migrant interdiction
Marine environmental protection
Ice operations
USCG Videos!
Some insight into the missions, roles and a little perspective on the difficulty many of the activities of the United States Coast Guard gets involved with.
Texas National Guard Mobilized to USA – Mexico Border
National Guard Mobilized in 3 US States . We support the Texas Army National Guard 100% and we are sure that they will complete their mission with honor and effectiveness. However, what’s the point of them being there? The children coming across the border are not trying to evade capture, they are trying to be captured.
They know that U.S. law requires that each of them gets evaluated by a court. And with the system as clogged as it already is they know they have a pretty good chance to stay here for a while. So what will the National Guard do beside cost Texas taxpayers money? (source: The Arizona Republic)
Governor Rick Perry is using this wildy popular stance to make a political statement at the cost of $1.3 MILLION per WEEK.
“If the federal government does not do its constitutional duty to secure the Southern border of the United States, the state of Texas will do it.”
Should the Texas National Guard be at the border? If they are stopping illegal immigration, we are all for it, but if all they are doing is being taken away from their homes and families to boost Rick Perry’s political capital, I say send em back home!
Do you think they should be there? Tell us in the comments!
Oregon National Guard and Washington National Guard Mobilized To Fight Forest Fires
Oregon’s Governor John Kitzhaber followed Washington State in declaring an emergency Wednesday night to bring in the National Guard to battle 13 wildfires, many of which are raging through the central part of the state.
More than 400 people were assigned to fight the fires, according to USA Today, including one that had burned through more than 2,000 acres in Mitchell, nearly 200 miles southeast of Portland. Some of the fires were started by lightning strikes on Friday and were expected to expand, assisted by the weather, which was hot and windy, the report added. (source: Business Times)
Air and Army National Guard Battle Rattle Shirts from VSW
Are in the national guard, want to send a guardsman a gift or need shirts for you air or army national guard unit? Check out the awesome VSW National Guard Battle Rattle custom t-Shirt design. Just click here to customize your own. Update the Image in REAL TIME and make it unique to you! We will custom print each shirt and ship them straight out of our print shop in Texas.
[Tweet “National Guard Shirts – #air and #army #nationalguard mobilized in three states. #usa”]
((( Spoiler Alert: Promo for all branches at bottom of this post! )))
America has had its fair share of incredible leaders from the time of its inception, General George Washington, Ulysses S Grant, Winfield Scott, Robert E Lee, Dwight D Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George S Patton, Matthew B Ridgway, H Norman Schwarzkopf and the one remembered today: Black Jack John J Pershing! Now is the time to remember American General and Legend: Black Jack Pershing!
An intellectual, identified as extremely intelligent from an early age, John would teach school for 4 years prior to his appointment at West Point in 1882.
[Tweet “We Remember An #American General and #Legend: Black Jack Pershing!”]
The Indian Wars
As a newly commissioned 2nd Lt with the famous 6th Cavalry Regiment in June of 1886, he was instrumental as an officer during the American Indian Wars. The name “Black Jack”would soon be given to him as a result of his command of the famous Buffalo Soldiers.
The Spanish-and Philippine-American Wars
It was then soon after the Indian Wars that General Pershing served with the tenth cavalry at San Juan Hill. As the leader and commander of troops during the Philippine-American War he again served with amazing leadership from 1899 to 1901. As an experienced officer and battle tested he sought a battle and after a short period of time found himself in San Francisco in 1914 where he took command of the 8th Infantry Brigade.
World War 1
The year is 1917 and after a shirt interview with President Woodrow Wilson, the decision was reached that Pershing would become the commander of the the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in Europe. With is arrival coming in France on June 23 thus began the buildup of American forces in Europe and preparation of war. French then demanded that US forces fight under French commanders and immediately Pershing refused. This was simply not going to happen. During his time in France, Pershing maintained the AEF as an independent fighting force and commanded three major offensives in 1918 consisting of Aisne-Marne from July 25 to August 2, Saint-Mihiel from September 12 to 19, and the final Meuse-Argonne offensive on September 26 to November 11.
A historian and commander that had clearly studied his fellow generals, Pershing was quickly adopted tactics learned from General Lee he operated by taking advantage of the enemies flanks to lodge them from their trench tactics. Up to then trench warfare was costly, resulting in too many casualties. Pershing use of flanking maneuvers resulted in success in effective routing of the enemy.
The first to use air power he was able to reduce concentrations of enemy forces and used airplanes verses artillery to bring the fight tot he enemy. French and British leaders claimed the war would conclude in 1919 or 1920 but Pershing stated the AEF would end it by by 1918 and through his brilliant tactics and leadership it did end.
As the first ever appointment as General of the Armies of the United States in July 1919 thus making him the first and only general to receive the rank in his own lifetime created a significant historical event in the history of the US Army. Not often remembered due to the fact that the AEF did not participate in the earlier European campaigns it nevertheless provides a glimpse into this most effective of American Generals.
VSW PROMO!
Get the same discount we give to active duty units!
