Today’s Star Spangled Salute honors Coast Guard Veteran James Judge.  James spent more than a year aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Adak while it was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom.  However, the historical significance goes much deeper than that.  The Adak, on it’s way to being commissioned was a part of Operation Able Vigil, which was the rescue of thousands of Cuban immigrants who were trying to come over here and escape communism in Cuba. The Adak was also there on September 11th, when hundreds of thousands were desperate to be evacuated from lower Manhattan on September 11th.  That event is now recognized as the largest water rescue in world history, when more than half a million people were evacuated by boat. In less than 2 weeks the Adak is to be sold to Indonesia, James wants to stop that sale and keep the Adak stateside where it can be turned into a floating museum in Tampa.  Thank you James for wanting to preserve history and THANK YOU for your service.

The Star Spangled Salute is presented by