Rep. Courtney Celebrates National Coast Guard Museum “Topping Off”
NORWICH, CT – Today in New London, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) joined President Captain Wes Pulver, Chair of the National Coast Guard Museum Association, Susan Curtin, and many of its board members to celebrate the “topping off” of the future National Coast Guard Museum. The ceremony marks the raising of the final structural beam of the Museum building and recognizes the hard work of the contractors such as A/Z Corporation and Berlin Steel, the Connecticut Building Trades such as the carpenters and operating engineers, who have been working around the clock to complete this building.
"The Coast Guard's motto, Semper Paratus or ‘always ready,’ is demonstrated every day by the people who don the uniform in service to a grateful country,” said Courtney. “This museum represents the best that the Coast Guard has to offer and will ensure that the Coast Guard’s history and critical contributions to the safety of our coasts and rivers will be on display for all to see. The New London community eagerly awaits its completion and looks forward welcoming travelers looking for another great reason to visit eastern Connecticut. At this ceremony and every time I have visited the construction site, the enthusiasm of the dedicated workers is palpable, and this 'topping off' marks the rapid, tangible progress of the museum’s construction. I extend my heartiest congratulations to all involved in the labor and planning to reach this milestone.
“On behalf of the entire National Coast Guard Museum Association team, we are thrilled to celebrate this important milestone in building the National Coast Guard Museum. It marks a significant moment in this historic project that will honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the Coast Guard,” said Wes Pulver, President of the National Coast Guard Museum Association. “We are deeply grateful for Congressman Courtney’s leadership and for the steadfast support of the entire Connecticut federal delegation. Their commitment—along with critical federal investment—has been essential to advancing this national project for our Nation.”
The Coast Guard not only serves to protect U.S. waterways but deploys across the world in partnership with other nations in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. In the best sense of service and partnership, the Coast Guard leads and assists other nations with fishing rights, protecting marine resources, assisting with search and rescue, and enforces maritime safety in the support of free and safe waterways around the world.
Connecticut’s Second District is home to the United States Coast Guard Academy and other Coast Guard facilities that do cutting-edge work developing homeland security protection, maritime safety, and climate resiliency. As a co-chair of the bipartisan House Coast Guard Caucus and a member of the Coast Guard Board of Visitors appointed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Courtney has worked to support this project over the past eighteen years.
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