Ultimately, it is all a false argument anyway as comparing USCG and USN to each other, absent anecdotal anonmalies, is like comparing the jobs of NYC policemen to that of a Marine or Navy nuke officer. There is little or none. One is in the business of defense, the other in the business of local security. Simply because both might involve boats/ships and aircraft can be camouflaging. I'm from Missouri, show me.
Hey Missouri,
Tell that to the family of USCG Lt. Ritticher who was assigned to the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Da Nang Air Base. Prior to his being killed in action attempting to save the life of a fellow serviceman, he was awarded two AF Distinguished Flying Crosses for heroic rescues.
WP, read this excerpt from a offical report detailing his last mission & tell us if USCG Lt. Ritticher was shipping out for a trip down the Ohio River in a Bark Iggle!:
"On 9 June 1968, a Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk went down 37 miles west of Hue in the A Shau Valley near a North Vietnamese Army staging area. The pilot, First Lieutenant Walter R. Schmidt, Jr., USMC, ejected safely but injured his leg and consequently, once on the ground, was unable to move. He established radio contact with control aircraft in the area and a rescue attempt was quickly coordinated. Rittichier, flying as the aircraft commander of an HH-3E (Serial Number 67-14710), call sign "Jolly Green 23" and another HH-3E, "Jolly Green 22" were scrambled from Da Nang.
Since Schmidt was injured the helicopter crews would need to deploy their pararescue jumper [known as a "PJ"] to rescue him -- a dangerous procedure under any conditions as the helicopter would need to remain in a hover while the PJ deployed -- making a large, stationary target for enemy fire. Adding to the danger was the possibility that enemy forces had captured Schmidt and were using him as bait to bring in the Jolly Green Giants as close to their guns as possible. These rescue missions into hostile territory were some of the most dangerous flights undertaken during the war and it took a special breed of serviceman to volunteer for this type of duty.
Helicopter gunships first fired their ordnance around the area where Schmidt lay to suppress enemy fire. Then Jolly Green 22 made the first attempts to rescue the injured pilot but heavy enemy fire repeatedly drove them off. After trying three times and running low on fuel, Jolly Green 22 flew off to refuel. The gunships and fighter-bombers then once again pummeled the surrounding area with ordnance but the enemy appeared to be well dug in and therefore resistant to suppression. The control officer, orbiting the area while he orchestrated the rescue and ground suppression missions, asked if Jolly Green 23 would make a rescue attempt. Rittichier, as the command pilot in Jolly Green 23, answered in the affirmative.
After heavy enemy fire forced him to pull away during his first attempt to hover over the injured Marine pilot, he came around after the area had been swept by attack aircraft yet again. As he hovered over Schmidt and his PJ began to deploy, enemy bullets riddled the HH-3E Jolly Green Giant just above and aft of the cockpit, causing a fire. Rittichier pulled up and attempted to fly to a nearby clearing to put his helicopter down. As he cleared a line of trees, witnesses saw his rotor slow and the Jolly Green Giant lost altitude. It exploded as it impacted the ground. An official report of the crash noted: "that at an altitude of approximately 50' JG 23's rotor very noticably slowed down and it looked like he was attempting to set the helicopter down on a small knoll. Upon crashing the entire aircraft burst into a fire ball and within 30 seconds the entire structure was nothing but smoking ashes. The aircraft had melted out of sight."
There had been no chance to escape the inferno--all four men on board perished almost instantly. Lieutenant Rittichier and his Air Force crew had given their lives attempting to save the life of a fellow serviceman."
WP- You have to ask yourself, what did I do?