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Tag: POW

A painting by Peter Rindlisbacher of the Cutter James Madison capturing the British merchantman Shamrock. (Coast Guard Collection)

May 24, 2024

Rogue cutter Madison — remembering our first POWs 210 years ago

Filth, disease, vermin, overcrowding and lack of fresh air and water made life on hulks a battle for survival.

At the Academy, Lt. Thomas James”Jimmy” Eugene Crotty excelled in leadership and athletics. During his senior year, he served as class president, company commander, and captain of the football team. Graduation in 1934 proved to be the last time many of his classmates and friends would see him. (Coast Guard Academy Tide Rips, 1934)

Sept. 16, 2022

The Long Blue Line: LT Crotty and the Battle for Corregidor

Sep. 16 we remember all POWs, here is the story of the Coast Guard's first POW since the War of 1812

Lt. Thomas “Jimmy” Crotty was inurned at the Academy’s Columbarium, Oct. 15. A 1934 graduate from the Academy, Crotty went on to lead a prestigious military career including bravely aided in the defense of Corregidor amidst a Japanese bombardment of the island. For weeks U.S. troops, including some who were under Crotty’s command, persevered against the odds, though eventually the Japanese offensive overpowered the American troops and Corregidor fell. Crotty was taken prisoner by the Japanese and sent to Cabanatuan Prisoner of War Camp where he passed away on July 19, 1942. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew Abban)

Oct. 27, 2021

Jimmy: A look into the man behind the uniform 

The story of Lt. Thomas J.E. “Jimmy” Crotty is one that continues to reverberate through the Coast Guard ranks today. Crotty, a 1934 graduate of the Academy, spent his first seven years in the fleet domestically, patrolling off the coasts of Seattle, New York City, and San Diego. As U.S. war efforts mounted prior to World War II, Crotty began