Hispanic-Americans and The U.S. Coast Guard

Historical Information on Hispanic Americans in the Coast Guard
 and Its Predecessor Services

Coast Guard Boatswains Mate 3rd Class Carlos Cruz, 25, of Staten Island, N.Y.The history of  Hispanic-Americans in the U.S. Coast Guard may be traced as far back as the early 1800s.  Hispanic-Americans performed duties at light house stations as keepers and assistant keepers, such as Keeper Juan Andreu who served as the Keeper of the St. Augustine Light from 1824-1845 and Keeper José A. Ramirez, who served as the Head Keeper of the Windward Point Light Station in Cuba, prior to World War II.  Others served on board Revenue Service cutters and as surfmen at Life-Saving Service stations along the coast.  Hispanic-Americans have served continuously in the Coast Guard once it was created in 1915, including seeing action in combat during the nation's armed conflicts.  They continue to serve proudly today.

General Information:

Biographies of Notable Hispanic-American Coast Guardsmen:

Download Plug-Ins
Download Plug-Ins: Some of the links on this page require a plug-in to view them. Links to the plug-ins are available below.
Click Here to Download Adobe Acrobat Reader Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF)
Last Modified 3/15/2012