236 years of standing watch: Honoring the Coast Guard’s past and investing in their future
Congressman Mike Ezell visits United States Coast Guard Station in Pascagoula, May 2025 (Photo from Ezell's Facebook Page)
On August 4, 1790, Alexander Hamilton established a fleet of vessels to enforce America’s trade laws, laying the foundation for what would become the U.S. Coast Guard. For 236 years, the Coast Guardsmen have stood watch over our nation’s maritime borders, protected American lives, and adapted to meet every new threat.
The Coast Guard in Mississippi has long been a proud part of that legacy.
During World War II, the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Biloxi played a pivotal role in defending the Mississippi Coast. As German U-boats launched Operation Drumbeat against American shipping in the Gulf of Mexico, sinking 58 Allied ships and damaging another 19, the Coast Guard station in Biloxi shifted from peacetime operations to anti-submarine patrols and medical evacuation missions that helped safeguard the region.
Decades later, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Miss…