Work Proceeds on CG Enlisted Memorial at Cape May Training Center

CAPE MAY – Placed at the end of the parade field on Coast Guard Training Center Cape May stands a testament to the service’s devotion to duty.
Inside the training center, artifacts of Coast Guard history may be seen throughout, according to a release. Whether it is the memorial to Douglas Munro, the service’s only Medal of Honor winner, or the mast that once belonged onboard the Coast Guard Cutter Spencer, the most decorated cutter in the Coast Guard, the artifacts serve to remind the recruits that they are joining a branch of the military with a long, proud, history with 228 years of service to the nation.
As they train in the shadows of these testaments to the service’s past, they inherently know that they are the service’s future.
The construction of the memorial is like the construction of a recruit and requires both time and care. Each brick placed carefully and with a defined purpose.
The large granite slabs wrapping tightly around the center, each displaying the five predecessor agencies that formed the modern day Coast Guard, as well as the names carved in its granite walls, which are placed in the chronological order of their passing dating back to 1915, pay homage to the service’s history as well as its members.
The idea for the memorial had been approved and was entrusted to the Coast Guard Enlisted Memorial Foundation,  a group of individuals dedicated to ensuring the proper recognition of enlisted Coast Guard members who have died in the line of duty.
The foundation is spearheaded by Tom Dougherty, a former Coast Guard chief petty officer, and current president of the Enlisted Memorial Foundation.
Dougherty spent more than six years in raising money and awareness and personally considers Training Center Cape May to be the perfect site for its placement.
“Training Center Cape May is the perfect place for this memorial,” stated Dougherty. “Officers have a memorial at the academy in New London, Conn., but this is an enlisted memorial and belongs at the birthplace of the Coast Guard’s enlisted corps.”
Dougherty explained how grateful he was for the thousands of donations given to support the creation every step of the way, from single purchases to the largest donation.
“Its taken several years to raise the money, and I want to thank everyone who contributed in making this worthy and long overdue memorial come to fruition,” Dougherty stated.
The memorial is scheduled for completion by May of 2019 and will be publicly viewable during the Coast Guard Community festival. In addition to festival goers, it also has the possibility of being seen by the 45,000 people who visit the training center every year for graduations and other special events.
It will serve as a reminder to every recruit who passes through Cape May that they have a legacy to uphold and a devotion to duty that must be unwavering.