Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf in the Columbia River May 16 headed toward Portland, Ore., for maintenance. Image by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nate Littlejohn

The United States Coast Guard has experienced more visibility in recent weeks than it has in some time due to the Gulf oil spill and Adm. Thad Allen’s almost daily appearances on television describing the government’s strategy to fix the problem. But as the clean-up continues, Coast Guard men and women are still doing what most Americans know them for with little notice: rescuing people from accidents and disasters. Elevated Risk noted last month that prior to the oil spill, President Obama’s proposed budget for the Coast Guard contained tens of millions in cuts despite it being called upon frequently to provide assistance. Missions include plucking boaters from the ocean following mishaps, searching for victims who go missing on the high seas, responding to inland floods and more. Recent updates from the Coast Guard’s Twitter profile tell the story best:

• June 24 – District 17 (Alaska) Coast Guard medevacs man from cruise ship southwest of Juneau

• June 24 – District 7 (Miami): Coast Guard rescues three men, tows recreational vessel

• June 24 – District 8: *Update* Coast Guard continues to search for missing fisherman

• June 24 – Headquarters: Coast Guard conducts search for missing man near Ashtabula, Ohio

• June 23 – District 11: Handheld radio assists Coast Guard in rescue of kite surfer

• June 23 – District 9: Coast Guard rescues three near Saginaw Bay, Mich.

• June 23 – District 8: Coast Guard searches for missing fisherman off the Coast of Freeport, Texas

• June 23 – District 8: Coast Guard rescues five stranded men off Port Mansfield

• June 23 – District 9: Coast Guard rescues boy near Sheboygan, Wis.

• June 23 – District 7 (Miami): Coast Guard rescues, detains man off Belleair Beach

• June 22 – District 7 (Miami): Coast Guard rescues woman, two children in Tampa Bay

• June 22 – District 9: Coast Guard medically evacuates man from Beaver Island

• June 22 – District 14 (Hawaii) U.S. Coast Guard medically evacuates ill fisherman: (VIDEO AVAILABLE)

• June 21 – District 8: UPDATE: Coast Guard suspends search for missing boater on Lake Pontchartrain


Video taken June 20 of Coast Guard personnel evacuating a fisherman from his ship near Hawaii after the man fell ill and needed medical treatment.

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G.W. Schulz is a reporter for Reveal, covering security, privacy, technology and criminal justice. Since joining The Center for Investigative Reporting in 2008, he's reported stories for NPR, KQED, Wired.com, The Dallas Morning News, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, Mother Jones and more. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Francisco Bay Guardian and was an early contributor to The Chauncey Bailey Project, which won a Tom Renner Award from Investigative Reporters and Editors in 2008. Schulz also has won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Society of Professional Journalists’ Northern California Chapter. He graduated from the University of Kansas and is based in Austin, Texas.