Today is Coast Guard Day, and we celebrate its 221st birthday. Our service has a long and distinguished history of serving and protecting the American people, their way of life and the country’s bountiful natural resources.

On August 4, 1790, the Revenue Cutter Service was founded by then-Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton and President George Washington. Congress authorized the construction of ten cutters. These ships were built to to enforce U.S. tariff laws under control of the Treasury Department, the mission, according to then President George Washington, was “That service of a few armed vessels, judiciously stationed at the entrances of our ports, might at a small expense be made useful sentinels of the laws.”

The Coast Guard has been continuously at sea since its inception, although the name Coast Guard didn't come about until 1915 when the Revenue Cutter Service was merged with the Lifesaving Service. The Lighthouse Service joined the Coast Guard in 1939, followed in 1946 by the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection. Finally, in 1967, after 177 years in the Treasury Department, the Coast Guard was transferred to the newly formed Department of Transportation.

Today, the Coast Guard is the smallest of America's Armed Forces with approximately 42,000 active duty Guardians, fewer than officers in the New York City Police Department, yet the service is charged with military roles including combat, border security, drug and migrant interdiction, port security, marine safety, law enforcement, environmental protection, search and rescue, aids to navigation, homeland security and more! Our ranks are bolstered by just under 7,500 reservists supporting all missions of the Coast Guard and bearing the principle load of our emergency responses to hurricanes, flooding, oil spills, etc.

President Obama put it perfectly when he said, "freedom is not free but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share."

Today, on the 60th anniversary of the conflict, the President is marking this Veteran's Day by remembering "The Forgotten War": Korea (1950-1953)

A short summary of the conflict:

North Korea invaded South Korea and the United Nations jumped into the frackus backing the South in the first unified effort on the part of the free world to thwart communist aggression.  President Truman mobilized American forces under the direction of General MacArthur.  The U.S., beneath the UN umbrella, engaged in the first armed conflict of the Cold War as we faced down communism from the intervening forces of China and Russia. 

The 3 year Korean Conflict was chaotic as a new kind of fighting emerged and classical front lines disappeared.  Casualties in the war were heavy: at least 2.5 million persons lost their lives, 85% of the Korean's killed were civilian, U.S. losses are estimated at 37,000.

The Korean Peninsula remains divided today and the U.S. still has over 30,000 troops stationed near the Korean DMZ.  Inter-Korean relations have chilled to their lowest point in years under President Lee, a conservative who opposed providing aid to the North while it was developing nuclear weapons. Lately tension has been high after Washington and Seoul blamed North Korea for this year's March sinking of a South Korean ship, which killed 46 sailors.

Grandpa Kee was a Marine and he served during WWII and Korea, he and Grandma actually met during WWII shortly after she joined the Marine Corps as one of the first Women Marines. Grandpa never spoke of his time during the Korean Conflict.  After watching the above clip, I can see why. 

If you've visited the Korean War Memorial here in DC, you're often struck by your sense of "there-ness".  You can see the emotion on the faces of the statues and look at those enormous packs they're carrying under their ponchos.  But the thing I never imagined was how crazy cold it was in Korea.  Having spent a little time at sea in Alaska, I can appreciate that terrible wet coldness that gets right down in your bones.  At least I could take a hot shower and get warmed up enough to feel my hands and feet after my watch on the flybridge.

So often when we think about our deployed military we only think in the abstract.  When you think about our folks serving in the Middle East you aren't feeling the heat shimmering off the desert floor or the sand stuck to the sweat on the back of your neck, in your ears, in your eyes...  

So while we can't put ourselves in their place, we can remember the sacrifices, we can take a moment to really, really be grateful that they're out there right now paying most of our share, and we can say a little prayer that they come home safely.

Coast Guard Commandant Bob Papp noted in his Veteran's Day message to his Coast Guardsman that less than 1 percent of U.S. citizens choose to join the military.  We are truly blessed in America to have an all volunteer service.

Enjoy your holiday today; men and women fought and died so that we could savor our freedom, to literally bask in it, and to possess it without acrimony.  They also fight today - right this very moment - so that other nations will have the opportunities that we typically take for granted.  So thank a soldier, sailor, or airman - they have chosen a profession that is working hard to retain the liberty that we love.

To steal a slogan from the National Guard: "Sleep Well Tonight Your U.S. Military is Awake!"

This week my mom and her friend came out from California to visit for a couple of days so, of course, we three played tourist for a bit.  The only time I really get out to see the sites is when I have guests in town... otherwise it's just the daily grind and then home again.   It's always fun to get out there and revisit the interesting stuff we have in DC.  I mean, I see the Capitol Building every day on my way into work.... but it still never gets old.  And the memorials are great - the Korean War Memorial is my favorite followed by the FDR Memorial. 

I don’t know if it’s because I’m a patriot or if it’s the newness of living in our nations capitol, but I never tire of seeing the monuments. It brings our country’s birth into perspective for me every time.  Seeing that small seed of our independence  planted by bold, intrepid, and strong willed people building a new life in a new place; watching the historical timeline to see it germinate; and follow our

founding fathers trial and error while they tend its frail leaves with their own brand of hard hewn and hard headed individuality until it grew into the strong and vigorous grove it is today.  It's amazing to me every time to see how we got from there to here.

And the monuments always pull at the heartstrings.  It’s important to remember that they aren’t dedicated to the celebration of war but as a remembrance to those who gave their lives so that we could remain free… or so that other nations could live free in a republic (for which it stands, one nation, under God, with Liberty and Justice for all). 

We saw all the monuments on the Mall but there wasn’t time to take them to Arlington – which isn’t something you breeze through.  We visited a sampling of the 9 Smithsonian’s that DC has on offer, and had a wonderful dinner at the house with my closest friends.  It was a lot of activity to pack into only 2 days but I had a great time.

                                                              Breadline at the FDR Memorial

Mom got to spend some time with the granddogs and Savannah Kitty who she hadn’t seen in a long time.  And she  was finally able to meet the chickens, ducks and geese and see my little operation.  Buffy the Orphington had just hatched out her second brood of the season so I had 10 brand new little baby Silkies, Ameraucana’s, and Naked Neck Turkins to fascinate over.

The ducks were skittish because something scared them pretty good the first day she was here.  I still don’t know for sure what’s terrorizing the birds but the ducks and geese stayed in their duckyard or very close to it for those few days.

Today I was out there catching up on chores all day and after I chased them out into the barnyard for exercise, sunshine and fresh pasture they decided that it was safe as long as I was out there walking around so there were a lot of happy little chortles as they found the tastier bugs.  I reckon we’re back on track and I’m glad to see everyone acting like they should.

The Muscovy have spent the last 3 weeks in “sickbay” after a really horrible hawk attack in early August.  All 5 were terribly maimed and I wasn’t sure 3 of them would even make it through the night.  I did lose Freckles on the second day but everyone else miraculously pulled through and all their wounds have healed up so well!

When I found them after the attack, I got them all cleaned up and then I applied new dressing on their wounds  twice a day and got them on vitamins and probiotics (Rooster Booster is awesome!).  They all stayed in a little corner of the barn sleeping most of the time for the first few days.  Then when they weren’t hanging out in the barn, they were confined to a relatively small yard covered with bird netting and salted with straw to keep them all clean.  Pretty Girl took the longest to come out of the barn and to heal but her wounds were the worst, except for Freckles.  Eventually, I gave them a pool to swim and get themselves cleaned-up in with a good dose of vinegar to keep the bacteria in check.  I was really amazed at how quickly and thoroughly they recovered… you can hardley see any scaring, it's totally amazing.

Today I took down their portable fence and let them free into the barnyard… they were so happy to roam and hunt for bugs and I was happy to see them enjoying that again.  I’ll miss Freckles though.  She was so friendly and would come running up to me when I came out in the barnyard. 

This week I’ll expand the primary duckyard, effectively tripling the space to about 250’ x 250’, then put a bird netting roof over the top of it.  I’ll move the Muscovy into the regular duckbarn with the rest of the flock (since they’ve been sleeping in MY barn for the last 15 weeks) and everyone will stay in the duckyard when I’m not home and only come out to range on the rest of the property when I get home from work and on the weekend.  I’ve lost 20 ducks in the last 15 weeks so it’s far too dangerous for them to be out from under cover when I’m not there.