So Others May Live

Coast Guard’s Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death

By Martha J. LaGuardia-Kotite

With a foreword by Former Secretary of Homeland Security, Governor Tom Ridge

Since the hardcover version originally published in June, 2006, So Others May Live has been featured on the Weather Channel’s "How Weather Changed History” to an audience of over 21 million viewers, awarded best book by the Foundation for Coast Guard History naming it the Heritage Award winner for the year, selected for the Commandant of the Coast Guard's Professional Reading List (2007-08), and was the International Runner-Up in the Boaters Writers International Writing Competition. This award-winning and inspiring title is now available in paperback.

So Others May Live is the untold story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s quiet but resolute rescue swimmers. From deep ocean caves on the Oregon Coast to the panicked and chaotic streets post-Katrina New Orleans, here are the stunningly heroic stories—some of the greatest maritime rescues attempted since the program was started in 1985. These feats, told through the eyes of the heroes, reveal an understanding of how and why the rescuer, with flight crew assistance, risks his or her own life to reach out to save a stranger. Covering diverse environments—oceans, hurricanes, oil rigs, caves, sinking vessels, floods, and even Niagara Falls—this is truly a can’t-put-it-down collection.

PRAISE FOR SO OTHERS MAY LIVE

“So Others May Live by Martha LaGuardia combines compelling stories and factual history into a book so riveting I could not put it down. Mixed with the history of the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Program, the stories of the intrepid early rescue swimmers themselves and some of their most challenging rescues kept me reading late into the night; I just had to keep reading one more gripping story of Coast Guard heroics.”
                        --Jean Wilczynski, Editor, The Bulletin, US Coast Guard Academy Alumni                                            Association

“But LaGuardia-Kotite got it right…..way right. Her book is meticulously researched, well-organized, and tells the story of Coast Guard rescues without overstepping the facts in exchange for reactions. She simply put to paper the heart of the program through stories of actual men and women engaged in the unique job of aviation rescue crewmembers. Also refreshing was the way she (better than anyone I have ever read) tells the story of the rescue swimmer as part of a team, giving all due credit to the pilots and flight mechanics that make rescue at sea possible.”

                        - Mario Vittone, Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer (featured in Chapter 9)

“…besides bravery, the other attributes that comes out loud and clear from this book are that Coast Guard rescue swimmers are exceptionally humble about what they do and that their greatest gratification comes from saving a life - talk about a powerful combination!”

                        --Suffolk News Herald

“Although I am an avid supporter of the Coast Guard, my knowledge of its rescue swimmer program was skimpy. Once again, So Others May Live demonstrated to me why the “Coasties” are so valuable to the United States, in peace and war.”

                        --Colonel Gorgon W. Keiser, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired) in Proceedings Magazine

About the Author

Martha J. LaGuardia-Kotite is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a freelance writer. She lives in Niceville, Florida.

So Others May Live

By Martha J. LaGuardia-Kotite

ISBN 978-1-59921-159-6 • $15.95 • Paperback • 6 x 9 • 272 pages • September, 2008

The Lyons Press is an imprint of The Globe Pequot Press

www.globepequot.com / http://www.mlaguardiakotite.com