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Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Keith Blevins, winner of the first and third prizes in our 2026 Coast Guard Essay Contest, talks about Mare Island Shipyard, National Security Cutters, and the Navy’s Future Frigate Program. 

To read Commander Blevins articles, visit: 
Reclaim Mare Island as an NSC Center of Excellence - Coast Guard Essay Contest—First Prize

Build Future Frigate Lethality on Coast Guard Cutters Now - Coast Guard Essay Contest—Third Prize

The Coast Guard Essay Contest is sponsored by Susan Curtin and the Naval Institute. 

On September 11, 2001, as smoke rose from the Pentagon, U.S. Marine Corps Major Daniel P. Creighton and the Marines of HMX-1 were called into action.

Twenty-five years later, Creighton, now a retired lieutenant colonel, shares his firsthand account of flying a CH-53E Super Stallion into the Washington airspace with Emily Abdow, host of the Naval History podcast. He also reflects on HMX-1’s extraordinary response that day, including the Marine One mission that returned President George W. Bush safely to the White House.

In this special 25th-anniversary conversation, the U.S. Naval Institute remembers those lost on 9/11 and preserves the stories of the Marines who answered the call during one of the darkest days in American history.

Go behind the scenes of Mayday with writer-director-producer duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. They join Naval History podcast host Emily Abdow to discuss the Cold War history behind the film, the inspiration for its story, and how they transformed one of history’s most dangerous eras into a Hollywood adventure comedy.

Mayday is now streaming on Apple TV.