Larry Levine Shared his Semper Paratus and Why last Tuesday.
In honor of the Coast Guards 230th birthday, our own Larry Levine, gave an informative report on his years with the often-overlooked military operation. A graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy, Larry served several years on North Atlantic weather patrol and a year as Commanding Officer of an isolated electronic transmitting station in the South Pacific. After 5 years of active duty, Larry spent 19 years in active reserve and is a Captain. The Coast Guard is the most grueling boot camp there is. The Coast Guard is harder than the Marines and even BUDS. He continues to recruit new cadets at local 'college fairs.'
Most people are not aware that it is a military organization, and think of the Coast Guard as the folks watching boaters near the shore, until 9/11 when the Coast Guard’s presence was amplified: “The U.S. Coast Guard cobbled together a makeshift fleet that evacuated nearly half a million people from Battery Park and its environs. That’s at the extreme southern tip of Manhattan Island, where sightseers catch tour boats out to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and other scenic spots. Getting people out was a mammoth undertaking.” According to a 2014, James Holmes article in The Diplomat.
“Comprised of nearly 42,000 extraordinary men and women, the Coast Guard is a unique branch of the military responsible for saving lives, protecting the environment, and defending America’s coastlines and waterways. All of this is done through our 11 official missions, which include Port and Waterway Security, Drug Interdiction, Aids to Navigation, Search and Rescue, Living Marine Resources, Marine Safety, Defense Readiness, Migrant Interdiction, Marine Environmental Protection, Ice Operations, and Law Enforcement.”
According to Wikipedia, “The history of the United States Coast Guard goes back to the United States Revenue Cutter Service, which was founded on August 4, 1790 as part of the Department of the Treasury by none other than Alexander Hamilton. The Revenue Cutter Service and the United States Life-Saving Service were merged to become the Coast Guard per 14 U.S.C. § 1 which states: "The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times." In 1939, the United States Lighthouse Service was merged into the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard itself was moved to the Department of Transportation in 1967, and on 25 February 2003 it became part of the Department of Homeland Security. However, under 14 U.S.C. § 3 as amended by section 211 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006, upon the declaration of war and when Congress so directs in the declaration, or when the President directs, the Coast Guard operates as a service in the Department of the Navy.”
According to Larry, “Why the hell am I doing this?” comes to mind when you are spending Christmas at sea, or spend a year in the South Pacific on the tip of a mile long island that is 100 yards wide, or watching 15 feet high waves crashing, or in freezing wind of 60 knots, in the middle of the ocean, with no land in sight. Why? Then you rescue a seaman sinking or pull 40 frightened people escaping from Cuba on a boat made for 12, or rescue a capsized boat. There is the rush of intercepting a drug boat. It is then you know why.
When fellow Rotarians posed questions, Larry responded! Sam Harris: “which medal was most meaningful” Larry could not say (he has so many!) but he never thought about it before. We want him to get back to us on this one.
Then Ned Schechter asked, “What was the classification of the Tall Ship Model he shared?” Larry said it was called a barque, (pronounced bark) it is a type of sailing vessel with “three or more masts.” Barque’s are known having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) rigged fore and aft. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, bearing a square-rigged sail above. The model wasn’t an exact replica but gave an idea of the ships he cruised on. When Dave Masters asked if his cruise (4 times) on that barque were ceremonial, Larry responded, “HELL, no!! that was a working cruise! Semper Paratus means Always Ready and it’s not only the Coast Guards motto, it’s their practice. Larry was always ready.
Interesting Coast Guard factoids: The Coast Guard Reserve was established in 1939. Women have been permitted to serve in the regular Coast Guard since 1973. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy is located in New London, Connecticut. Besides Larry and Ron Bernardi - did you know Lloyd Bridges, Beau Bridges, and Jeff Bridges (The Dude!) all served in the Coast Guard, as did “The King,” Arnold Palmer? The Joker’s shipmates probably got a few laughs in—Cesar Romero was a guardian. Maybe the most famous member of them all, though: Popeye!!
More on Larry: He is a retired President of Onsrud Machine Company, Inc. a manufacturer of precision machine tools and industrial woodworking machinery to the aircraft, submarine, and furniture industries. Current operations consist mostly of supplying custom repair parts manufactured to order by others for customers worldwide.
Larry holds an MBA degree from Northeastern University of Boston, MA, and is married to Beth Levine since 1956. They are parents of three and grandparents to nine. Larry has been a member of Rotary Club of Northbrook since 2002.
This article contains extracts from various sources including: The Diplomat, 2014, James Holmes; Rotary Member bio; britannica.com; Wikipedia; several Coast Guard online sites.
