USCG patrolled all beaches in the US in World War Two
Men on Horseback Became the Largest Portion of Coast Guard Beach Patrol
US Coast Guardsmen on horseback during beach patrol during World War Two. The mounted portion soon became the largest segment of the patrol. (official USCG photo in public domain)
US Army Remount Service Provided More than 3,000 Horses to US Coast Guard
According to USCG, “one year after orders were given to use horses, there were 3,222 of the animals assigned to the Coast Guard. All came from the Army. The Army Remount Service provided all the riding gear required, while the Coast Guard provided the uniforms for the riders.” (From USCG Office of Chief Historian)
Mounted Beach Patrol: WWII.
(Official USCG photo in the public domain)
Everyone from Polo Players to Rodeo Riders Volunteered
“A call went out for personnel and a mixed bag of people responded. Polo players, cowboys, former sheriffs, horse trainers, Army Reserve cavalrymen, jockeys, farm boys, rodeo riders and stuntmen applied. Much of the mounted training took place at Elkins Park Training Station and Hilton Head, the sites of the dog training schools.” (From USCG Office of Chief Historian)
Scrambling out of a whaleboat to patrol the beach (Official USCG photo in the public domain)
When I was a stockbroker in the 1980s one of my clients was a retired pilot from Pan American Airways. He told me that during World War Two he was in the Coast Guard. I asked him what he did,
“Patrolled the beaches of Catalina Island and made sure the beautiful girls on the beach weren’t enemy saboteurs.”
“How long did you do this?”
“The entire war. World War Two was good to me.”
