Honoring Coast Guard Legacy Veteran of the Year Bill Estes
The United States Coast Guard, one of the country's five armed services, is a unique agency of the federal government. We trace our history back to 4 August 1790, when the first Congress authorized the construction of ten vessels to enforce tariff and trade laws and to prevent smuggling. Known through 19 th and early 20th centuries as the Revenue Marine and the Revenue Cutter Service, we expanded in size and responsibilities as the nation grew.

The service received its present name in 1915 under an act of Congress when the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the Life-Saving Service. The nation then had a single maritime service dedicated to saving life at sea and enforcing the nation's maritime laws. The Coast Guard began to maintain the country's aids to maritime navigation, including operating the nation 39;s lighthouses, when President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the transfer of the Lighthouse Service to the Coast Guard in 1939.

In 1946 Congress permanently transferred the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation to the Coast Guard, thereby placing merchant marine licensing and
merchant vessel safety under our purview.

The U. S. Coast Guard has seen combat in virtually every conflict fought by the United States since 1790.  World War II saw the Coast Guard come to grips with the empire of
Japan as well as the armed might of Nazi Germany The Merchant Marines is operated by either the government or the private sector. They are engaged in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States.

Mr. Bill Estes entered into service at age 17 and served during WWII in the Merchant Marines. He completed four missions in tankers and cargo ships across the Pacific Ocean delivering much needed vehicles, fuel, goods and services to those serving during the war. The tankers, sometimes traveling unprotected, were essential to the continued mission of all of the service branches often traveling through the “Hot Zones" in the marine waters. By age 18, he was a quarter master, in charge of steering the ship.

Facing storms with waves of up to 50 ft. Bill kept the ship on course and delivered his cargo wet, but intact. $3.1 million dollars of merchant ships were lost in World War II, mariners dying at a rate of 1 in 24, which was the highest percentage of casualties of any service. All told, 733 American cargo ships were lost and 8,651 of the 215,000 who served perished on troubled waters on and off enemy shores.

Mr. Estes returned to Oklahoma following the war to become a telegraph operator and served over 42 years with the Sante Fe Railroad.