Not Your Father's Coast Guard: The Untold Story of U.S. Coast Guard Special Forces

With a decade in the Special Operations world, I had heard of USCG involvement in Latin America but never knew any details. That has changed after reading Not Your Father's Coast Guard. With NYFCG, author Mitchell raises the bar for future USCG historical work. He also raises the curtain on the the involvement of the USCG in the myriad US-Latin America Counter Drug activities during the 1970s,80s,90s--and up until the abrupt mission elimination in 2004. NYFCG is a historical-political "center-point" description of the biggest USCG Special Operations program of which most have never heard.As such, Mitchell has greatly contributed to the USCG historical narrative and NYFCG will stand the test of time. Indeed, there is no doubt it will become an influential source document enormously assisting any researcher of the USCG Latin American Drug Interdiction-Era efforts. Moreover, when a book is documented this well, the ever-critical references and endnotes become a "second book" in themselves and here Mitchell succeeds as well.With its use of primary sources and operational descriptions, NYFCG shows that despite the increasing danger in that already high threat environment, the Coasties' concern wasn't as much about the thought of coming under fire from their numerous adversaries in the jungle, the larger threat was from the Washington bureaucrat.Indeed, as I read Mitchell's work, I couldn't help but shake my head at the actions of the myopic, careerist, decision makers incapable of understanding the complex and dynamic mission responsibilities and resistant to including recommendations from the field in their decisions despite the USCG success in destroying hundreds of tons of cocaine, hundreds of cocaine labs burned, etc.Certainly, there were exceptions but Mitchell's work shows the Coasties repeatedly faced the consequences generated by bureaucrats who were unable/unwilling to generate the support and enthusiasm of their predecessors for the USCG Special Operation missions. Instead, these political and military members tried to direct the Brown Water operations without eroding congressional support while issuing orders such as "don't hold back" (don't just stand there, do something) and shortly thereafter, orders of precisely the opposite (don't do something, just stand there...) because of the, apparently, more important political considerations in WashingtonThis, of course, placed the Coasties in the middle of deadly firefights and endless turf battles between DEA, other US military agencies, depending on little-to-counterproductive embassy support/personnel and confronting the ever-present reality of local government and military officials of questionable loyalty. Although it isn't shouted to the reader, in NYFCG, Mitchell showcases the personal commitment, dedication and overall strength found in the cadres of USCG professionals who shouldered the obscure, ever-changing mission objectives and enormous problems of poor equipment and support. What powerfully rises in NYFCG is that throughout these dangerous and difficult missions, the only consistent, singular dependable component was the Coasties themselves.This work combines oral histories with documented research and references and also provides any USCG researcher -- or amateur enthusiast -- a spot-on look at these complex missions and the even more complex cultural-historical-criminal-political context in which they take place or as Admiral Yost writes in the Forward, ..." The officers and men who fought these wars in the jungles of South America were heroes who fought an unknown war in an unknown place for the benefit of the nation."Not Your Father's Coast Guard is their story. It moves the entire USCG Special Ops story from the nearly forgotten pile of "history stuff" to the memorable-for-all-the-right-reasons category of "The Stuff of History."

Something like this book was long overdue. i write this as I noticed some reviewers might not have really read the book. It is a compilation of anecdotes, sories coupled w/ real facts and documents. Now, you have to understand the type of iundividual it takes to volunteer for this type of missions, they are not your average day to day missions that the CG is widely known for as 'life savers". And even for CoastGuardsmen that made their entire lives a career in the CG it might be hard to come into terms that all of this happened while they were on active duty and they never even had a clue, (appearently it is for some). Another point is that there is even within the small CG an unspoken difference and bit of division between "M" field and "Legacy OPS" folks,,,yes there are critiquees done in published literature by both sides,,depending on what side the writer is on(this book is no exeption,, by the way I'm and Operator)and even in between legacy OPS there is a distinct Aviation-Surface cultures. I want to reemphasize this comment " This is an excellent contribution to the literature on Coast Guard Special Operations, and, as others have said, a critical "rescue" of a story we almost lost forever. This work is painstakingly researched, well written, and engaging. I first thumbed through it to find the stories and people I knew, and the book delivered. These are the guys who were there--not all of them, but enough to tell the story.Matt Mitchell also clearly illustrates the cultural dissonance--what recent leaders have called "healthy tension"--that periodically flings the Coast Guard from one direction to the other. The contrast between the current Commandant and the most recent nomination for Commandant could be another chapter. Unless DHS proves up to the task, maybe it's time to think about how a Secretary of the Coast Guard and associated civilian staff might introduce a more stable, long-term vision, the way they do with the other Armed Forces."Please read the book for what it is and that it was gesture of love and sacrifice from Matt on his own time and dime,,, as he currently shows up to work to do his CG duties still, to all of my retired friends and mentors (some which are mentioned here...Stay Semper Par