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The Coast Guard Enlisted Memorial is located at Training Center Cape May, New Jersey; the current birthplace of the Coast Guard’s enlisted corps. This is the only memorial in the country that collectively honors over 1,700 enlisted men and women who died in the performance of Coast Guard missions. Included with their name engraved on granite walls are the rating, unit and date of death.
The names on the wall begin in 1915; the year Congress merged the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life Saving Service to form the United States Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard’s heritage as a multi-mission service dates back to 1790 with the establishment of the Revenue Cutter Service. The center monument of the memorial honors the fallen from each of our predecessor services; Revenue Cutter Service, Life Saving Service, Lighthouse Service, Bureau of Navigation, Steamboat Inspection Service.
The bell was cast in 1938 for the Lighthouse Service. The following year, 1939, the Lighthouse Service merged with the U.S. Coast Guard. The bell will be rung at appropriate ceremonies.
The memorial walls, predecessor monument, and bell structure are all made of granite and are illuminated at night by in-ground lighting.
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