The Long Blue Line blog series has been publishing Coast Guard history essays for over 15 years. To access hundreds of these service stories, visit the Coast Guard Historian’s Office’s Long Blue Line online archive. THE LONG BLUE LINE (uscg.mil)
Asians began serving in the U.S. Coast Guard 175 years ago and played an important role in the history of the Coast Guard’s predecessor agency, the U.S. Bureau of Revenue Collection. Conscription of foreigners in the Pacific began in 1849. That’s when 17 Hawaiian sailors signed on to sail aboard the Revenue Cutter CW Lawrence, the first cutter to sail the Pacific Ocean.
The Cutter Master Roll tells the history of Native Asian participation in military service, with Asian names appearing on the master roll after the Civil War. For example, in 1866, Asians joined the Revenue Cutters Lincoln, based in Port Townsend, Washington Territory. These men included ward office manager Mr. Duyin Trung, flight attendant Mr. Ah Lin, ship’s cook Mr. Sam Chong, and navigator’s cook Mr. Kim Joy.
The acquisition of Alaska in 1867 expanded revenue cutter operations in the Pacific, increasing opportunities for Chinese and Japanese to join the revenue cutters. For example, the 1878 general list lists 10 Chinese and 3 Japanese aboard the San Francisco-based revenue cutter Corwin. These men served in a variety of food service and domestic positions in ratings such as steward and “boy.” In the late 1800s, virtually all West Coast-based cutters employed military personnel of this type.
After the Spanish-American War in 1898, the United States annexed the Philippines, a former Spanish colony. Two years later, President William McKinley signed an executive order allowing U.S. maritime services, including the U.S. Navy and the Internal Revenue Service, to hire Filipinos for domestic and food service positions. As a result, hundreds of Filipinos volunteered for the positions of stewards, cooks, and boys in the Revenue Cutter Bureau, and from 1915 onwards served in the modern Coast Guard.
In the early 20th century, the number of military personnel in Asia continued to grow. For example, in San Francisco-based cutter McCulloch’s 1917 electoral roll, more than half of the boy positions were held by Filipinos. Mr. McCulloch’s food service cook and steward positions were filled by Japanese nationals, including cook Yone Kamiyama, wardroom steward K. Matsumori, and cabin steward Yomitani Minatani. Born in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, Minatoya began working for the Revenue Cutter Service in 1903 as a steward aboard revenue cutters such as the Tetis. He served on the McCulloch in 1917, when the cutter suffered a collision and sank off the coast of California. Minatoya survived the sinking and remained with the Coast Guard until 1930, after more than 25 years of service.
During the interwar period, Filipino military personnel ranked highly in national military evaluations. According to a 1937 U.S. Public Health Service report, 364 unnaturalized Filipinos served in the Cutter Military Branch’s Executive Division, out of a total of 757 people. During this period, Unaluga’s Filipino officer, Butler 3rd Class Ramon Jasalim, was fatally wounded, becoming the first known Asian soldier to die in the line of duty. Meanwhile, Modesto Magbanoa, a native of the Philippines, served in the Coast Guard in World War I and World War II, retiring as a captain and mate.
Japanese military personnel suffered more than those of other Asian groups. Born in Yokohama in 1867, Matsunoski Ono began working as a cutter shipmaster in 1905, then worked at the Japan Coast Guard Academy until his death in 1937 at the age of 69. He was the first known Asian military officer to be promoted to chief. Commissary Steward. They are given the salary of a director, but are not given any rank or authority beyond that of a steward. He applied for U.S. citizenship, but only received it two months after his death. Seshu Heddo, a native of Japan, enlisted in Port Townsend, Washington, where he served as an officer’s butler until his death in 1928. The Coast Guard Station in Port Townsend paid for his funeral and burial costs.
When the Philippines fell to Japan in the spring of 1942, President Manuel Quesano’s government in exile moved to the United States. In a ceremony attended by President Franklin Roosevelt, Prime Minister Quezon officially handed over the 68-foot former yacht Bataan and its Filipino crew to the U.S. Coast Guard, saying:
“The Filipino officers and crew aboard this ship are now full members of the Coast Guard Reserve. , represents the desire of all 17 million Filipinos to take action once again in the fight for freedom.”
Bataan was formally accepted for commission by Coast Guard Commander Russell Washe and designated CG-68009. After being equipped with guns and depth charge racks, the cutter sailed south toward District 7 and San Juan, Puerto Rico, to serve as an offshore patrol vessel and submarine.
CG-68009 was probably assigned to Puerto Rico for two reasons. First, Coast Guard patrol vessels and subchasers were in high demand in the Caribbean to escort interisland convoys and evade U-boats navigating the area. The second reason was language. The crew of CG-68009 were all experienced sailors as well as fluent in multiple languages. In fact, each crew member spoke English and one or two Filipino dialects. More importantly, they spoke Spanish fluently. Being fluent in Spanish was important, given the Coast Guard’s responsibility to protect shipping in the Caribbean, where many local sailors do not speak English.
After two years of service on CG-68009, the officers and crew sailed to the Pacific. They will be assigned to other Coast Guard manned vessels, including the Navy cargo ship USS Albireo (AK-90). CG-68009’s noncommissioned crew member and executive officer, Lieutenant Conrado Aguado, were assigned to Albireo. The cargo ship, under the command of Commander Carmelo Manzano, another Coast Guard officer from the Philippines, traveled across the Pacific to supply supplies to various island bases. CG-68009’s commanding officer, Lt. Juan “John” Lacson, became the commanding officer of Coast Guard Manned Army Ship FS-171. The FS-171 is a 177-foot coastal and interisland cargo ship designed for small ports and confined waters. Found in the Philippine Islands.
Asian nationals have chosen different paths after serving in the Coast Guard. Some sought American citizenship and a new life in the United States. Some, including the crew of CG-68009, returned to their home countries after serving in the Coast Guard. Some chose a third option: obtaining U.S. citizenship and returning to their homeland. For example, CG-68009’s former commander, Juan Lacson, became a U.S. citizen and served in the Coast Guard for several years after the war, retiring as a major. During his postwar career in the Philippines, he founded the John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime College. The university is currently an accredited academic institution offering undergraduate and graduate education.
In 1946, the United States granted full independence to the Philippines and ended the practice of hiring Filipinos for domestic labor in U.S. maritime operations. However, in 1947, the United States and the Republic of the Philippines signed an agreement allowing the United States to once again recruit Filipino citizens as volunteers for the U.S. military. The conscription of Filipino nationals into domestic service on Coast Guard cutters continued for another 20 years, but after obtaining citizenship, these men had to change their non-commissioned officer rating to non-food service positions or their commission as officers. was allowed to work. Finally, in 1971, this practice was abolished and all non-commissioned officer evaluations were opened to Filipino Americans who were qualified by education, experience, and security qualifications.
The unique system of hiring foreign nationals, primarily Asian men, to fill domestic and food service positions in the Coast Guard remained in place for 130 years. Despite their country of origin and unequal treatment in military service, these men served honorably with the same loyalty and dedication to duty as American sailors.
-USCG-
