Formerly part of the Department of the Treasury, moved to the Department of Transportation, and now part of the Department of Homeland Security, members of the U.S. Coast Guard have fought and died in every conflict our nation has been engaged in. During time of "declared wars", the Coast Guard - although retaining its own structure and identity, comes under the operational control of the Department of the Navy, giving rise to the old Coastie saying, "The Coast Guard is that hard nucleus about which the Navy forms in time of war."

Members of the Naval Historical Detachment have portrayed Coastguardsmen as part of ceremonial details and at interpretive programs at the Fort McHenry National Historical Site in Baltimore, Maryland. Fort McHenry, an actual USCG training facility during WWII, offers a rare opportunity for detachment members to demonstrate the many and varied roles of the Coast Guard during the war - beach parties and communication centers; horse-mounted beach patrols; port security; and shipboard and port fire fighting.

For more information on the United States Coast Guard during World War II visit: www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/collect.html.