#MyCoastGuardStory: Collecting Stories from the Ranks

 

The National Coast Guard Museum Association, Inc. has launched a new social media initiative designed to collect and share personal stories of heroism and honor dedicated to the United States Coast Guard. The campaign gets underway as excitement builds for the release of the Disney Motion Picture, The Finest Hours, which hits movie theaters across the country on January 29, 2016. 

 

The #mycoastguardstory initiative is gathering stories from current Coast Guard men and women, veterans, reservists, auxiliary members and civilians who are sharing personal experiences of how the United States Coast Guard has impacted their lives. The tie-in to The Finest Hours is appropriate, as it tells the true story of the daring Coast Guard rescue attempts of crews from two crippled tankers off the coast of Cape Cod in February, 1952.

 

“This effort will help us tell the many stories of the Coast Guard through the eyes of those who served,” said Richard Grahn, President and CEO of the National Coast Guard Museum Association, Inc. 

 

The National Coast Guard Museum, the first and only national museum to be dedicated solely to the U.S. Coast Guard, will be built on the waterfront in downtown New London, Connecticut, home of United States Coast Guard Station New London and the United States Coast Guard Academy. The location was selected by the U.S. Coast Guard and the land conveyed by the City of New London in 2014. 

 

“We are encouraging everyone to go follow us on Facebook and Instagram @uscgmuseum to share their story of what the Coast Guard means to them,” said Wes Pulver, Executive Director of the National Coast Guard Museum and former captain of the Coast Guard Barque EAGLE. “As excitement builds for the release of The Finest Hours, we are gathering stories from young and old, from near and far, to preserve the rich history of our Coast Guard. By using the hashtag “mycoastguardstory,” we will start building an extensive social media library open to everyone.”