Tom Ostrom, Class of '61, MS '66, will discuss his latest book, "The United States Coast Guard in World War II: A History of Domestic and Overseas Actions," at noon Wednesday, Aug. 4, at the U.S. Naval Heritage Center, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, in Washington, D.C.

The event is free and open to the public as part of the center's Authors on Deck book lecture series. His talk will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a book-signing. More information is available at www.navymemorial.org.

Here's a synopsis of Tom's book from the Naval Heritage Center:

At home and overseas, the United States Coast Guard served a variety of vital functions in World War II, providing service that has been under-recognized in histories of the war. Teaming up with other international forces, the Coast Guard provided crewmembers for Navy and Army vessels, carried troops, food, and military supplies overseas, and landed Marine and Army units on distant and dangerous shores.

This thorough history details these and other important missions, which included combat engagement with submarines and kamikaze planes. On the home front, port security missions involving search and rescue, fire fighting, explosives, espionage and sabotage presented their own unique dangers and challenges.

A member of the United States Coast Guard Reserve from 1961 to 1969, Thomas P. Ostrom taught anthropology, geography, and history at Rochester Community College in Minnesota before retiring. He is currently a member of the Foundation for Coast Guard History, the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association, the U.S. Naval Institute, the National Maritime Historical Society, and the Navy Memorial.