The Guardian comes out on DVD today. I know everybody up here is going crazy about it, just thought that given the emphasis on SAR and whatnot, that you guys and gals might have liked the movie too. I know that Doug gave it a good review on his blog.

Matt

Before this the classic Coast Guard movie was Onionhead with Andy Griffith. There was an old 1930s serial involving a Coastie and his adventures, countless cameos in various T. V. series and the boarding of a 210' cutter by Pirates who wiped out the crew after a heroic fight demanded by the then P.R. office. I think the pirates were played by Navy recruits one day out of bootcamp myself. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Got it at Wallyworld a couple of hours ago. It better be good, we usually buy DVD's from the $5 bin, this one was $17...

Does kevin show his buttocks in this one? I have a CG buttocks story, can't post it though <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Charles Grodin? <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

TMI <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

"old 1930s serial involving a Coastie and his adventures"

I believe it is called Coast Guard SOS. I have several parts of the serial on DVD.

Pete

I think it was a very good movie and also picked up a copy of the movie. It sort of reminded me a little like the movie “Officer and a Gentlemen”. I have nothing but total and unreserved respect for the Rescue Swimmers.

My Coastie Son-in-Law is not a big fan of “A” school graduates, but since he himself has not attended one, I take what he says with a grain of salt.

Interestingly, here in the state of Maryland, I have been actively participating in the development of a statewide plan for swift/flood water response. We have looked into the use of the MD National Guard helicopters for the possible implementation of a Rescue Swimmers Program, similar to North Carolina’s. I looked at the perquisites and there is no way I can swim 500yards in 8 minutes. I talked to my daughters, who are competitive swimmers and they said that is fairly quick pace.

Right now our team is one of 6 regional Maryland State Police Helicopter Emergency Aerial Tactics Teams (HEAT Team) and while qualified members (Swiftwater Technicians) may be deployed for swift/flood water operation arenas, we are not planning on any actual “live bait” rescues, in which the rescuer actually deploys into the water from the aircraft.

Pete

This is a tad off topic, but since we have at least two Coasties here I thought I would go ahead and throw it out. This morning I was happily raking leaves in a couple of campsites, surrounded by that wonderful Pacific Ocean fog. Shortly after the fog lifted a CG chopper flew over, and I started wondering. Given the CG mission, do they have any exemption from the FAA rules governing VFR and IFR flight in lousy weather? Can they go anytime they want, ceiling and vsby be damned???

My dad was enlisted in the Coast Guard for 20 years. The feeling I got from him was the Coast Guard was given the world in terms of law enforcement power. However, they always try to interact with everyone in everyones best interest. I think yes, they can do whatever they please. However, there is policy, and from what I remember of my dad's stories, that is what got most coasties in trouble. Not violating a law, but violating policy.

That reminds me, I had the "pleasure" of seeing Coasties training on Blackhawk helicopters for their new Jayhawks. Nothing like seeing 2 Blackhawk helicopters at about 100 feet coming across your neighborhood. You heard them, looked, saw, didn't see, didn't hear. Very fast, very low, and very cool.

A 'hawk in CG colors would be pretty, much more so than OD or battleship grey...

Along with Semper Paratus, sometimes mumbled Semper per dingalings by my bootcamp chief we used to say " You have to go out, but you don't have to come back in." This was great bravado until we lost some people on the Great Lakes in a small utility boat totally overwhelmed by conditions. Rules of course get bent during SAR missions. I was responding to a capsizing on the Tillamook Bar and just clearing our MLB shed with siren going, strobe light on and telling the crowded summer docks by loudspeaker to clear the way. From nowhere this very expensive italian racing shell crosses my bow, the owner yelling " manpowered and sailing vessels have right away over pow......" crunch and I took off @ 3' of hand laminated bow. I saw the captain of this fine vesssel was still afloat, well he was climbing out of chest high water and cursing. I returned from the SAR and my CO has this guy in the office. Chief asks what I was going to do about his boat. I cited him for failing to yield to an emergency vessel and failure to display registration stickers on his , um, bow.

"I returned from the SAR and my CO has this guy in the office. Chief asks what I was going to do about his boat. I cited him for failing to yield to an emergency vessel and failure to display registration stickers on his , um, bow."

Chris-
If that does not sound like something my Son-in-Law would do, I'll eat my hat <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. I guess great minds think alike <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />.

Pete

"...I cited him for failing to yield to an emergency vessel..."

Attaboy!!! It used to fry me when I was running code 3 someplace and idiot after idiot would fail to yield to me, and there was nothing I could do about it. I used to love to trail along behind an ambulance or fire rig running code to something I wasn't going to be involved in. Almost always got to pick off someone not yielding to them...

Just watched it, good movie, entertained me from start to finish. I still don't understand how those guys can swim hauling all that brass around...

Hope you don't mind my bumping this thread...

*** Spoiler Warning ***

I just watched the movie – not bad. But it bugs me when they take what appears to be a fairly accurate portrayal (for Hollywood) and then force the plot to a climax by doing something stupid.

Ok, the crew chief reports that the hoist cable is damaged and in danger of failing. Step one: briskly lower swimmers back into the water (they spent the whole movie treading water, another five minutes is gonna kill them?). Access the situation, form a plan and act accordingly.

In no particular order:
Possible plan A: Hoist both swimmers at once, always maintaining an altitude that is a survivable falling distance above the water.
Possible plan B: Hoist one swimmer at a time, again at a safe altitude.
Possible plan C: Disregard hoist cable as unsafe, toss the swimmers one end of a rope and secure the other to the helicopter using an approved anchor point. Perform a “fixed-line fly away”.
Possible plan D: Kick a life raft out the door, assume that they have read ETS and know that they should erect the canopy, and rescue them later. This time use a hoist equipped with aircraft grade stainless steel cable rather than bailing wire.

Yeah, you make a great point. But of course that would not be nearly as dramatic and as poignant. Who then would be "the Guardian" that "won't ever let go" that wraps up the movie so well?

But you are right. I am not sure of the exact contingency plan in that event, gives me something to look up... but I would at least figure that the pilot would drop some altitude once the crew chief figured the cable might break.

I don't know, doing a fixed line drag through a storm is pretty hollywood heroic.