So Others May Live: Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers and Aircrews

Martha LaGuardia-Kotite was born in New Orleans and grew up in Destin, Florida. In 1989, she graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Government.

Immediately following graduation and her commissioning as Ensign, she was assigned to a 210’ cutter, RESOLUTE, operating in the Pacific. During one of her first patrols, Martha served as the cutter’s Public Affairs Officer during the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. A year and a half later, she served as an Executive Officer and boarding officer aboard a 110' patrol boat, PADRE, patrolling the Caribbean and southern Atlantic Ocean. This assignment was followed by a tour as the Assistant Operations Officer for Coast Guard Group Key West where she helped coordinate a massive response of Coast Guard ships, aircraft and personnel to rescue thousands of Cubans and Haitians fleeing their countries on anything that could float. Later, in 1994, Martha was selected to be the District 13 Public Affairs in Seattle. Here she dealt with a myriad of issues of public, media and congressional interest including the Coast Guard’s first loss of life aboard a 44-foot motor lifeboat, oil spills, tribal whaling, law enforcement and rescue cases of regional and international concern. It was during this assignment that she learned of and was inspired by a rescue swimmer who risked his life to save a stranger in an Oregon cave. The swimmer, Tristan Heaton, was an unsung American hero.

In 2001, Martha began what would be a four year journey researching and writing about the Coast Guard rescue swimmers, flight mechanics, pilots, families and survivors. She began by contacting Tristan. "Here was a person who went farther than I could have ever imagined to save a stranger's life. Why would he bring his own life so close to death's door for someone he did not know and would probably never hear from again?"

Tristan and many others including Master Chief Butch Flythe, Bob Watson who would later appear on screen in the Touchstone/Disney movie, The Guardian, shared their soulful stories with her to help inspire others and promote the extraordinary efforts of the pilots and aircrews. For Martha it has been a tremendous honor.

Before leaving active duty and accepting a commission in the reserves, Martha was awarded numerous medals for her leadership and performance. For her direction and production of the suicide prevention training video used by the Coast Guard and subsequently the Department of Defense she received her second Commendation Medal.

After hours, Martha interned as a reporter for NBC's KING-TV in Seattle and completed the University of Washington Film and Video Program. She provided edits for feature film scripts featuring the Coast Guard and acted as field producer and editor for many television segments and documentaries, which featured the Coast Guard including Dateline NBC and Discovery Channel.

In 1999, Martha became a Public Relations Director a technology public relations firm in Manhattan. She was recognized for leading her IBM team to develop one of IBM’s "top five news stories in its history" and successfully landed client’s placements in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and numerous trade and business magazines.

Recently, she was promoted to Commander in the reserves.

Martha lives in the Northeast with her husband Peter and their sons Aaron and John.