Richard Etheridge, 1842-1900

Richard Etheridge, 1842-1900. “In Behalf of Humanity”. , As the last man assigned to Pea Island, Herbert Collins, locked the empty station on March 18, 1947, doors began to open elsewhere. Exactly four weeks later, Jackie Robinson crossed the Major League Baseball "color line." In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education ended Jim Crow in public schools. As the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1965 helped improve conditions in the civilian world, remaining barriers to full integration of the military started to crumble., The modern Coast Guard is no longer a shallow-water service. It spans the globe on a growing list of challenging missions: search-and-rescue, law enforcement, marine inspection, environmental protection, humanitarian relief, and national defense. The Coast Guard Academy bases admissions solely on achievement, not political nominations or state quotas. Opportunity for all who wear the uniform is limited only by ability., Some things have not changed. The new Guard still requires skill, commitment, and courage. Serving in its ranks remains a proud tradition on the Outer Banks. The African-American Berry/Collins family, for example, has more than 400 years of combined service to its credit, beginning with Joseph Hall Berry's enlistment as a substitute surfman at Pea Island under Richard Etheridge in 1897. Seventy-seven years later, Berry's grandson, Lt. Commander Maxie Berry, Jr., became the first head of the Military Equal Opportunity Division in the Coast Guard Office of Civil Rights., By persevering through adversity, pioneers such as Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island lifesavers helped change the armed forces and the country for the better. Nothing illustrates their enduring legacy more memorably than the Sentinel-class Cutter Richard Etheridge (WPC-1102). Bearing the motto "In behalf of humanity," it plies national and international waters with technology that its namesake could not have imagined and a crew whose diversity he could hardly have dreamed of. It serves as a tangible reminder of the best in our institutions and in ourselves., What would you sacrifice to help others?, (captions) , Chief Warrant Officer Herbert Collins. Photograph courtesy of the Herbert Collins family, Five active-duty Coast Guardsmen from the Berry family, circa 1942. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard., The challenge coin struck for the Cutter Richard Etheridge. A challenge coin is an emblem of an armed-services unit traditionally used to identify members, build esprit de corps, or recognize special achievement., The Cutter Richard Etheridge is the Coast Guard's second 154-foot Sentinel class fast-response patrol boat. Its size, speed, range, armament, and interoperability with other vessels and aircraft make it suitable for a wide range of duties. Its coat of arms (above) includes a shield adapted from a beach patrol exchange token, hurricane warning flags, the pike and oar from the U.S. Lifesaving Service seal, and a sword and musket symbolizing Etheridge's Civil War service. Photograph and coat of arms courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard., First crew of the Cutter Richard Etheridge in 2012 with U.S.C.G. Commandant Admiral Robert Papp (center). Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard.