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T HE R E S P ONDE R - N EWS LETTER O F T H E NAT I ONAL R E S P ONS E DI R E C T OR AT E

Twenty Years Later – We Remember

“On 11 September 2001, more than three thousand innocent people died
when terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners for use as weapons against

the people of the United States. The strikes against the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon were calculated, murderous acts unmatched in our nation’s
history. Men and the women of the Coast Guard, including Reservists and

Auxiliarists, reacted swiftly and courageously. As a Service, we met the
immediate challenges put before us with purpose and shifted focus to address

this new terrorist threat to our homeland. The 9/11 disaster revealed to the
Coast Guard, and to the nation as a whole, the new scope of operations that

are necessary to keep us safe.” -- U.S. Coast Guard Historians Office

“…9/11 dramatically elevated the profile of the Auxiliary, as civilian volunteer Auxiliary boats and
aircraft conducted both surface and air patrols and assumed search and rescue
standby postures at many small boat stations…”

“…In the six months after the attacks, the Auxiliary contributed nearly a quarter of a million volunteer
hours to the Coast Guard’s 9/11 surge. Auxiliary surface and air patrols alone
amounted to 10,139 people conducting 7,454 sorties over 53,910 hours…”

“…During 9/11, said the [USCG] Service would not have been able to accomplish what it did
after the attacks without the backstop of the Reserve and Auxiliary…”

 QUOTES: OFFICE OF THE USCG HISTORIAN 

To learn more about the Auxiliary’s role on 9/11, see Rogue Wave, by the Office of the USCG Historian available online.

United States Coast Guard Auxiliary ‘R’ Directorate Fall 2021
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