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CAPE MAY, N.J. — U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May command, staff, and tenant commands celebrated its 75th anniversary of recruit training with a series of events and honored guests, Thursday.
In attendance was the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien, Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Steven Poulin, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Heath Jones.
“As the 33rd commanding officer of this base, I am humbled beyond words to be celebrating the training center’s 75th anniversary with my staff, their families, our tenant commands and our guests,” said Capt. Warren Judge, commanding officer of Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. “We are the heartbeat of the Coast Guard, 80% of our workforce comes through these gates to begin their Coast Guard career as enlisted personnel, and we work tirelessly to ensure only the nation’s best enters the fleet of the World’s Best Coast Guard. We could not do this without the support of the City of Cape May, Cape May County and all the community members, we are honored to be a part of this community and hope to continue our partnership for years to come.”
Training Center Cape May is the Coast Guard’s only accession point for the enlisted workforce. It was originally built as an airfield by the Navy in 1917 and was used for reconnaissance operations during World War I. When the U.S. entered Prohibition, the Coast Guard began using the base jointly with the Navy to deter and interdict rumrunners in the Delaware Bay. In 1924, the Coast Guard established air facilities on the property and throughout the next 20 years, military operations varied between the Coast Guard and the Navy. In June 1946, the Coast Guard took exclusive ownership of the base.
On May 31, 1948, Coast Guard Receiving Center Cape May officially opened as a recruit training center. Nearly 48 years later in 1982, recruit training was consolidated and Training Center Cape May became the sole enlisted training center for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Training Center Cape May’s mission is to transform the recruits of today into the Coast Guard women and men of tomorrow by leveraging the talent and passion of its staff to produce high-quality, mission-ready recruits, ready to achieve mission success in today’s modern Coast Guard fleet.