Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chair of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) introduced a Senate resolution to commemorate Coast Guard Ombudsman Appreciation Day and the hundreds of volunteers who support Coast Guard families. The Ombudsman program celebrated 37 years of service on Sunday, March 26, 2023.

“The selfless Coast Guard ombudsmen volunteers are essential to the success of the Coast Guard,” the senators wrote in the resolution. “Military service involves sacrifices and difficulties with separation from family, frequent moves, new schools and long distances from loved ones, Coast Guard ombudsmen respond to ensure military families are not alone by providing vital information to facilitate the transitions of those families to new assignments and to overcome family challenges…By volunteering on the home front, being available for Coast Guard families, and helping Coast Guard families obtain the resources and information necessary for success, Coast Guard ombudsmen help ensure that members of the Coast Guard and their families remain ‘Always Ready’ to meet the needs of the United States.”  

The Coast Guard Ombudsman Program is designed to be a link between Coast Guard commands and families by engaging spouses to volunteer as official liaisons to provide information on resources, like health care and child care, and be an advocate for fellow Coast Guard families, especially during times of moving, deployment and emergencies. The program was established in 1986 by Admiral James S. Gracey, the 17th Commandant of the Coast Guard.

View the Senate Resolution here.