The word "hero" doesn't automatically conjure the image of a member of a U.S. Coast Guard. Yet since its founding, the Coast Guard has rescued over 1 million people. The 50,000 member-strong Coast Guard is about to celebrate its 220th anniversary. Author David Helvarg writes about their accomplishments in his new book "Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America’s Forgotten Heroes." Helvarg spent two years riding along with the men and women of the Coast Guard, from rescue missions after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans to rescues along the shores of Alaska.
David Helvarg, author "Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America’s Forgotten Heroes," and founder and president of the Blue Frontier Campaign