Memorial

An official memorial was held for BM2 David Bosley, MK3 Matthew Schlimme, and SN Clinton Miniken on 19 February 1997. Every year since, Coast Guard Station Quillayute River has gathered people together to remember the sacrifice these men made on a dark night in early 1997.

1997 Ceremony

Official memorial program. Sarah Zurflueh document

Many people joined together immediately after the incident to pay their respects. Anticipating a large turnout, the Quiletute tribe offered the use of their tribal center.

The Coast Guard Commandant, federal officials, state representatives, statewide law enforcement, international search and rescue professionals, national news media, and representatives from every Pacific Northwest Coast Guard station were in attendance. Local Quileute tribal members offered ceremonial blankets to Officer in Charge BMCM George LaForge and survivor SA Benjamin Wingo to ensure they remained safe in life. (1)

La Push, Wash. (Feb. 19) — Members of the Quileute tribe wrap Master Chief Petty Officer G.A. La Forge, officer-in-charge of Station Quillayute and Seaman Apprentice Benjamin Wingo, the only survivor of the accident in a blanket during a traditional Indian ritual. The blanket would bring him safety throughout his life. A memorial service was held in the tiny Indian village of La Push, Wash., for three fallen Coast Guardsmen who lost their lives responding to a distress call from a dismasted sailboat in heavy sea conditions. USCG photo by PA1 Steve M. Aitkins

U.S. Coast Guard photos

During the ceremony, the chaplain read a passage written about the Life-Saving Service in 1885 (1)(2):

These poor plain men, dwellers upon the
lonely shores, took their lives in their hands,
and at the most imminent risk,
crossed the most tumultuous sea…
and all for what?
That others might live to see home and friends.

In October 1997, a memorial plaque inscribed with these words was placed at the base of a memorial in front of the station. The awe-some, six-foot, bronze piece was titled, “The Ready Crew” by artist Kevin Pettelle and rests upon a 7,300-pound piece of granite. It was commissioned with funds raised by the Port Angeles chapter of the U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer’s Association. (1)(3)(4)

That Others Might Live

From 1876 to the present, over 250 boat crew personnel have perished fulfilling their duties on rescue calls and during regular training and operations. Countless others perished in the decades prior. (1)(5)(6)

The Coast Guard memorializes fallen small boat sailors in its Boat Force Memorial, which has been continuously updated with the names of those lost since 1876. (6)

U.S. Coast Guard image

Fair Winds and Following Seas

BM2 David A. Bosley

MK3 Matthew E. Schlimme

SN Clinton P. Miniken

References

(1) Noble, Dennis L. The Rescue of the Gale Runner. University Press of Florida, 2002.

(2) “The U.S. Life-Saving Service.” National Park Service Cape Hatteras National Seashore, 13 Sept. 2021, https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/historyculture/lifesaving-service.htm.

(3) AP. “Statue Honors Coast Guard Rescuers.” Kitsap Sun, 4 Oct. 1997, http://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/1997/10-04/0004_statue_honors_coast_guard_rescuer.html

(4) “Kevin Edwin Pettelle and Soul in Bronze Sculpture Studio.” The Ready Crew 1998, www.soulinbronze.com/the-ready-crew-1998.html

(5) Noble, Dennis L. That Others Might Live: The U.S. Life-Saving Service, 1878-1915. Naval Institute Press, 1994.

(5) U.S. Coast Guard Boat Force Memorial, 2019

cover: U.S. Coast Guard photo