The Coast Guard will celebrate its 225th birthday in August 2015.

The Coast Guard's story began in 1790. In August of that year, at the urging of Alexander Hamilton, considered to be the founder of the service, President George Washington signed into law an act that provided for a fleet of 10 vessels, known as revenue cutters, to serve as an armed customs enforcement service. At the time, maritime smuggling was rampant and was starving the country of desperately needed tariff revenue. The small fleet eventually came to be known as the Revenue Cutter Service, the forerunner of today's Coast Guard.

Today, the Coast Guard is the nation's first responder on its waterways and oceans. Additionally, the service enforces maritime law, maintains shipping lanes, breaks ice, protects the maritime environment, responds to oil spills and water pollution, ensures port security and combats terrorism.

One of the service's most recognized efforts in recent years was its search-and-rescue response in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast. Around 5,000 members of the Coast Guard and a large percentage of the Coast Guard helicopter fleet responded to the disaster area. In all, Coast Guard personnel rescued more than 30,000 people in Mississippi and Louisiana, according to documents from the service. Today, the Coast Guard has 43,000 active-duty members, 8,000 reservists and over 30,000 volunteer auxiliary personnel, according to its website.