“READY, RESPONSIVE, AND RESOLUTE” —U.S.C.G
Today, I am going to feature “two in one.” –historic photos of the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Ft Pierce, and ORCA, the Ocean Research and Conservation Association. The now historic U.S.C.G. station building has resided along the Indian River Lagoon since the late 1930s, and today ORCA is housed at the same location.
Thank you to my mother, historian Sandra Henderson Thurlow, and Tim Dring, President of the U. S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association who discovered these photos in the National Archives and recently shared them with my mother.
Last week, my husband Ed and I, as well as my parents, attended the ORCA grand opening at the Elliott Museum on Hutchinson Island, just over the bridge from Sewall’s Point.(http://www.elliottmuseum.org)
That evening, Dr Edie Widder, famous scientist and gifted communicator, was greeted by a full house. If you have not seen the exhibit, “Illuminating the Deep,” you must! It features her science fiction like deep-sea creature photographs, enhanced by fellow scientist Dr Bernstein, as well as write ups about these creatures that will truly blow your mind. The bioluminescent world under sea we do not know….The exhibit also relates the importance of the Indian River Lagoon’s health and its connection to ocean health.
It was a great evening. Ed and I had a great time at the exhibit. I was completely inspired as usual when I heard Dr Widder speak. Really amazing. That night, I thought a lot about how incredible it is that ORCA resides right here along the Treasure Coast in Ft Pierce! I even dreamt about squids.
So I wake up and go to my computer, the general format of my life these days…..And what do I see? Multiple emails from my mother. Her message read:
“Jacqui, Ironically, I am working on Coast Guard images of the ORCA facility. Maybe they will be of interest.”—-Mom
So here are the wonderful photographs my mother shared from the early days. They are priceless. I believe most are from the 1930s and 40s. Life is one big circle indeed! And here we are today—-
—-ORCA and the U.S. Coast Guard at Ft Pierce, both “ready, responsive, and resolute” for our Indian River Lagoon!
History US Coast Guard, Ft Pierce: http://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=070-05-08&category=1334262365
Vero Beach Magazine, ORCA and US Coast Guard Building Ft Pierce: (http://www.verobeachmagazine.com/Vero-Beach-Magazine/January-2008/Saving-The-Oceans-Orca-Style/)
ORCA:(http://www.teamorca.org/orca/index.cfm)
Thank you for sharing !!
Thanks so much to you and your mother for the historical feature. I’ll forward this to my son, who is in the Coast Guard stationed in Norfolk, Va.
Gary
The story was sent to me a reader. Funny.
Jacqui
JACQUI THURLOW-LIPPISCH
772-486-3818
http://www.jacquithurlowlippisch.com
Sent remotely
Begin forwarded message:
From: Anthony Stevens
Date: August 26, 2015 at 3:19:25 PM EDT
To: Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Subject: Coast Guard tale from WWII
Hi there, Jacqui [cheery wave]
I just read your post about ORCA and the old CG station and thought I would share this tale with you. My mother, Emmy, shared this family legend many times. She was a teenager during WWII.
A true story about telephone Operations during WWII.
My mother and her friends, worked as telephone operators during most of the war. In those days, that involved a headphone and a bank of ¼” phone jacks with cables and plugs. There were no automatic dialing systems. Every call was placed manually via party lines with anywhere from four to a dozen phones on each line. Now Emmy and her fellow operators were usually pretty bored and would stay ‘on the line’ when there were military conversations.
One night, a very young and very ‘cool’ fellow that everyone loved for his sense of humor, was stationed at the Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge. A call came into Emmy’s switchboard and she was asked to patch in to the House lookout station. Now all of the watchtowers along Hutchinson Island were on the same party line. When it rang, everybody picked up. The person on the other end asked for the station they wanted and that station would respond. Normally, as soon as you realized it wasn’t for you, you would hang up.
This night, the caller asked for the watch on duty at the House of Refuge. The young man’s reply was loud and clear… “Gilbert’s Bar! Wine, women and song, all night long!”
There was a dead silence on the line for several seconds and the caller asked in a cold voice… “Do you know who this is, son?”
“No sir.”
“This is the Captain of the Coast Guard Base in Fort Piece.”
Without missing a beat… “Do you know who THIS is, Sir?”
“No.”
“THANK GOD!” And he hung up.
The sound of loud laughter flowed from a dozen headsets that were listening and the Captain hung up in fury.
The next day, the Captain passed the word that the person who answered had better confess or the entire post would lose liberty the following weekend. Even though everybody on watch that night knew who it was, NOBODY stepped forward and they all were restricted to barracks that weekend. Needless to say, the young man was a model sailor for the rest of the war… and he owed each of his buddies a great deal.
Stan Field, aka Anthony Stevens
—
Anthony Stevens
Tales for the 21st Century!
http://postorbitallibrary.com/