SPARS' First Salute Costs a Buck
ca. 1943
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This item consists of a photograph of two new SPAR ensigns giving a dollar to the first enlisted man that salutes them. This is an old Coast Guard tradition after attaining a gold stripe on uniform sleeves.
The original caption states: "Following an old Coast Guard custom, two SPAR ensigns at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn., give a dollar to the first enlisted man that salutes them after they've attained a gold stripe on their sleeves. The girls have just completed their indoctrination course and have been sworn in as ensigns by Rear Admiral James Pine, Coast Guard Academy, superintendent. From left to right, they are: Robert D. Caskey, Jamaica, Long Island; Catherine E. Varlese, Kearney, N.J. and Ray Fraser, Brooklyn, N.Y. "
The original caption states: "Following an old Coast Guard custom, two SPAR ensigns at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn., give a dollar to the first enlisted man that salutes them after they've attained a gold stripe on their sleeves. The girls have just completed their indoctrination course and have been sworn in as ensigns by Rear Admiral James Pine, Coast Guard Academy, superintendent. From left to right, they are: Robert D. Caskey, Jamaica, Long Island; Catherine E. Varlese, Kearney, N.J. and Ray Fraser, Brooklyn, N.Y. "
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Coast Guard.
National Archives Identifier: 205572892
Full Citation: 26-G-1707; SPARS' First Salute Costs a Buck; ca. 1943; Academy; Photographs of Activities, Facilities, and Personalities, 1939–1967; Records of the U.S. Coast Guard, Record Group 26; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/spars-first-salute-costs-buck, April 22, 2025]Activities that use this document
- Women at Work: World War II
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