This year marks the 70th anniversary of Cheboygan’s dynamic partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard.

During World War II much of the munitions, supplies and food for the wars in Europe and Asia were produced in the Midwest and shipped through Great Lakes ports.

The Lakes’ shipping season was limited by the cold winters and thick ice which shut down operations for three or four months each winter.

The war effort required year-round shipping through the Great Lakes. The solution was to build the heavy-duty USGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83). It was launched in 1944 and went to work in the Great Lakes immediately. Several cities politicked to be its home port. Because of its central location in the Straits of Mackinac, Cheboygan was selected. A great partnership began.

In 2006, WAGB-83 was decommissioned and replaced by a new heavy-duty cutter, the WLBB-30 Mackinaw. WAGB-83 was repurposed into a maritime museum in Mackinaw City.

Again, several larger cities lobbied for the cutter. Once again, federal authorities decided it was best to keep it in Cheboygan.

We have been fortunate to be the home port for two amazing Coast Guard cutters and their sailors for 70 years!

Over the years, we have welcomed several thousand sailors to Cheboygan (and thousands of family members). The sailors come from all over the United States, from our largest cities to our smallest. Some of these families have never seen ice, snow or so many inland lakes.

Led by the Cheboygan Chamber of Commerce, the Cheboygan County Veteran Service Office, and other local organizations, residents strive to help the sailors (men and women) and their families make the adjustment to Cheboygan easy and comfortable.

We all want them to feel we are their “home away-from-home.”

Each summer about one-third of the sailors leave for new assignments and new families come in. The Chamber welcomes the new arrivals with a picnic. In addition to getting to know them, Chamber members also give them information about area businesses and the many fun and historical activities that make us a four-season wonderland. Cheboygan boosters have also created a group called “Coast Guard Connections” to help build stronger relationships with our sailors. The committee hosts quarterly potluck dinners to meet with sailors and their families. The dinners also feature informational booths hosted by the county and city, including local veteran organizations, police, and fire departments.

The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard are woven deeply into the fabric of our beautiful town.

Many sailors have loved Cheboygan so much they’ve chosen to retire here, where they continue to make contributions to our progress.

In the 90s, I was also writing columns for the Tribune. I was blessed by a visit from a Coast Guard veteran. Arden Boileau, who had volunteered for Coast Guard service during World War II, invited me to visit his home on Black Lake to hear his stories and see his collection of war memorabilia.

The Coast Guard has always had an important role guarding our nation’s coasts and waterways. During WWII they also served in combat. Coast Guard ships protected supply convoys to ensure our fighting men and women received the supplies they needed to win the war. Many Coast Guard ships also supported combat in the European and Pacific Theatres.

I found him fascinating. A patriotic man, Arden was born December 4, 1902 to William and Anna (Anderson) Boileau in Cheboygan. When he was 38-years-old and far beyond draft age, he enlisted in the Coast Guard December 5, 1940, almost a year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. According to the 1940 Census, he was a first officer assigned to the Coast Guard station in Detroit. In 1943, he was serving in Duluth, Minnesota before heading to war in the Pacific.

Arden served on the Coast Guard Cutter Woodbind (WLB-289), launched July 3, 1942. The Woodbine served as a buoy tender until January 1944 when it was retrofitted as a ship of war. WLB-289 was then sent to the Pacific Theatre of Operations, where it saw action in Saipan, Tinian, the Mariannas, Guam and Okinawa. Arden saw action in Saipan and Tinian. Our Coast Guard ships were often targeted for destruction by the Germans and Japanese.

Arden served from 1940 to 1951. He donated his sea chest and tools to the Cheboygan County History Center. He died in Cheboygan in 1996.

The men and women who have served–and still serve—to keep our country safe deserve great honor and respect for their sacrifices.