A Bit of Inspiration for USCG First District

[Webstral]

I've been trying to devise a name for the Coast Guard infantry of First District for years. I didn't want to go with "Marines" because there is a USMC already. The Coast Guard folks of First District may be on poor terms with the Joint Chiefs, but First District is still a US military organization. The USMC is the only group of Marines in the United States military, and only a member of the USMC has earned the right to call himself (or herself) a Marine. (The United Brotherhood of Fishermen is an NGA--a Non-Governmental Agency. They can call their maritime infantry whatever they want. They'll get theirs in the end, anyway.)

"Guardsmen" just has never sounded right to me. "Coast Guardsmen" is too long and too imprecise. The crew aboard a cutter is called Coast Guardsmen. The maritime infantry of First District needs a separate moniker, to my way of thinking. After reading some suggestions here, I tried to make "hammerhead" fit, but the name has too many syllables. "Hammer" has the right number of syllables, but it doesn't sound quite right to me.

Searching for inspiration, I scanned the Port Security Unit badges and insignia. The answer jumped right out from between a pair of seahorses: trident. I'm a bit embarrassed that such an obvious name for the US Coast Guard's First District maritime infantry didn't occur to me at the beginning. Having a name for the maritime infantry of First District somehow makes writing about them a good deal easier. I can write about tridents conducting riverine insertions for long-range patrols in northeastern Massachusetts or northern Maine.

Thanks for your indulgence, gentlemen.

Webstral