The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard found and rescued three men Tuesday from a tiny atoll in the South Pacific near Guam thanks in part to the mariners spelling out “HELP” on the beach using palm leaves.

This is the 21st year the USO has honored Service Members of the Year, nominated by their command leadership “for performing extraordinary acts of bravery that exemplify the values of the Armed Forces and the USO,” according to the organization.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R- Texas, accused the U.S. Coast Guard of illegally prohibiting sexual assault victims from sharing information with Congress about their assaults and investigations.

Melvin Kealoha Bell, who served as the first person of color to achieve the rank of Master Chief in the combined sea services, was honored at the Coast Guard Academy at the ship’s commissioning on March 28.

The Coast Guard will shift rescue operations from Station Merrimack River to Station Gloucester as part of a nationwide reorganization due to declining staff levels, according to the Newburyport, Mass., harbormaster.

Service members and their families at 14 military installations can now move to their next duty stations using a new streamlined system for shipping their belongings designed to overcome longstanding problems with military moves.

The search for Marine Cpl. Samuel Wanjiru, 26, who was swept away by strong currents while vacationing in Puerto Rico, has been suspended, the Coast Guard announced.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton returned to its homeport in Charleston, S.C., last week after four months at sea during which the crew stopped ships trafficking illicit narcotics, apprehended drug smugglers, and rescued migrants and sailors in distress.

The search for a 26-year-old Worcester marine who was swept away by strong currents while vacationing in Puerto Rico has entered a “passive” phase, Puerto Rican authorities said.

A ship losing power is rare. A bridge being that vulnerable to collapse is rare. A ship minutes into a monthlong journey to Sri Lanka apparently losing the ability to navigate at the exact, split-second wrong moment is especially rare.