As part of the United States Navy Memorial’s Authors on Deck book lecture series and in celebration of the U.S. Coast Guard’s 222nd Birthday, author Thomas P. Ostrom will present The United States Coast Guard and National Defense (McFarland; October 10, 2011).  Following his presentation, Ostrom will be available for a Q&A session and book signing.

Through his chronicle, Ostrom examines the Coast Guard’s role in port security, ship inspection and safety, law enforcement, search and rescue and national defense at home and abroad through the context of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War and War on Terror.  Among the topics discussed are defense threats, drug trafficking and border security, as well as Coast Guard personnel, training, leadership and assets in their mission to protect the nation’s security.

In addition, the U.S. Navy Memorial will host the United States Coast Guard Dixieland Jazz Band for a special birthday performance during the 2012 Concerts on the Avenue series.  The five-member group was organized in 1970 to perform classic jazz, blues and rags with a “New Orleans” flavor and has since entertained audiences across the globe.

Thomas P. Ostrom, historian and political commentator, has been writing a series of books chronicling the history of the Coast Guard. Ostrom is a retired Rochester Community and Technical College Instructor and a Coast Guard Veteran.  He is currently a member of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association, U.S. Navy Memorial, Foundation for Coast Guard History and the Naval Historical Foundation.