JULY 31, 2026 — The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) is pleased to commemorate the 236th birthday of the U.S. Coast Guard on Aug. 4, 2026.
“The Coast Guard’s history is as unique as the brave men and women who serve in its ranks,” said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Brian J. Morrison, senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director. “Coast Guard families serve in some of the most challenging and isolated environments in the country. We are incredibly proud to deliver the commissary benefit to our Coast Guardsmen as we celebrate their 236th birthday.”
The U.S. Coast Guard traces its history to the Revenue Cutter Service, established by an act of Congress on Aug. 4, 1790. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton authorized 10 cutters to collect revenue, enforce customs laws and combat smuggling. The service safeguarded the nation’s financial interests while also playing a vital role in maritime safety and search and rescue.
From 1790 to 1798, it served as the country’s only naval force between the disbandment of the Continental Navy and the creation of the U.S. Navy. Meanwhile, a separate entity, the Life-Saving Service, was established along the coasts to rescue mariners in distress.
In 1915, Congress merged the two services to form the modern U.S. Coast Guard, solidifying its role as a military force responsible for maritime safety, law enforcement and national defense.
A Unique Commissary History
Unlike the other military branches, the Coast Guard was never part of the Department of Defense (DOD). It started as the Revenue Cutter Service, eventually assimilated other marine agencies — including the Lighthouse Service, Steamboat Inspection Service, Bureau of Navigation and Life-Saving Service — and operated under the Treasury, Commerce or Transportation departments before officially aligning under the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.
Because of this non-DOD lineage, Coast Guard retailers operated differently and had a much smaller commissary footprint. By the 1980s, its exchanges and commissaries were managed by its Non-Appropriated Fund Activity Management Division, which was renamed the Coast Guard Exchange System when DeCA was created in 1991.
Consequently, most Coast Guard grocery sales did not occur in stand-alone commissaries but rather in designated grocery sections inside exchange stores. Over the years, this integrated format operated at many stations, including Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Cape May, New Jersey; Cleveland, Ohio; Elizabeth City, North Carolina; Miami/Opa-locka, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; Port Angeles, Washington; North Bend, Oregon; Portsmouth, Virginia; St. Petersburg, Florida; Traverse City, Michigan; Warrenton, Oregon; and Yorktown, Virginia.
Only two Coast Guard “Comstores” resembled the stand-alone commissaries of their sister services, and both eventually joined DeCA.
The first was at the U.S. Coast Guard Support Center on Governors Island, New York. The Army established Fort Jay there in 1810 and maintained a presence for 155 years before transferring the post to the Coast Guard in 1966. Its commissary remained largely unchanged under Coast Guard management until May 1987, when the Navy Resale Services Support Office took over and doubled the store’s stock from 2,700 to 5,500 line items. The commissary and installation closed in August 1996 due to post-Cold War military drawdowns.
The second is at the U.S. Coast Guard Integrated Support Command Kodiak, Alaska, which remains the only Coast Guard commissary active today. The base originally belonged to the Army and then the Navy, which transferred it to the Coast Guard in 1971. Although the station had a commissary as early as 1960, the Coast Guard opened the present store in 1985. On Oct. 1, 1995, the DOD and the Transportation Department transferred operational control of the Kodiak store to DeCA to streamline regional logistics and economics.
About DeCA
The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees, disabled veterans and other authorized patrons and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which supports the costs of building, modernizing and sustaining commissary facilities. A core military family support element and valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military services and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.
By Tamara Eastman
DeCA Historian