I did two tours on patrol boats in Miami doing the “drug war” thing, and to my knowledge, the casualty rate is zero. At least it’s zero for deaths or serious injury as a result of hostilities by drug smugglers. We’re a very small service, so if anyone dies on AD, everyone is well aware of it. I’m sure there are some injuries relating to minor scuffles and slips/trips/falls, etc. In the last 12 years, I only know of one Petty Officer who was killed during a boarding. It was a small freighter at anchor outside Miami 1993.
He fell into cargo hold as a result of poor lighting, and died as a result of his injuries.
Far more dangerous to CG Boarding Officers are drunk pleasure boaters and commercial fisherman. Even then, things go well the majority of the time.
Drug smuggling/counter drug smuggling is a game of cat and mouse, not force. Smugglers rely on two factors that work well for them, stealth or secrecy (hidden compartments, etc) and all out speed (go fasts).
There’s no sense in trying to shoot your way past the CG because we have far greater fire power and now the helos are armed as well. You wont be able to outrun the radios and helos.
The CG did have some casualties during the “Rum Wars” during prohibition. IIRC, the last execution of a man on CG property was a rum smuggler who shot to death at least 1 perhaps 2 or 3 CG officers.
According to this memoir, the Coast Guard “suffered the highest percentage of casualties of the any of the services” in WW1. I can’t find any more detailed source.
In WW2 the USCG manned landing craft and antisub craft, so it was still a dangerous line of work.
Now, actually, I suspect the safest uniform to wear in the US during a conflict would be… The US Public Health Service! Yes, they have commissioned officers and uniforms, including, of course, the Surgeon General.
Not sure how you’d even compare that. We don’t lose too many “in the line of duty” per se. When you look at incidents like the Cole, or the barracks bombings in Beirut or Khandahar, do those count as “peacetime”? The last incident where the CG lost more than a few at once, was the sinking of the CGC Blackthorn in 1980, 23 were killed. The only mortality issue I’ve heard of where the CG leads the armed services is in suicides, and that I can believe; I know of 2 personally. I do know that suicide in the CG is the 2nd leading cause of death of active duty personnel, with auto accidents being number 1.