Lt. John Edward Midgett was born March 24, 1915 in the fishing village of Hatteras on the Outer Banks of NC. To avoid the life of a commercial fisherman, John enlisted in the Coast Guard on January 17, 1935 and reported directly to the USCGC Galatia, one of nine "Thetis Class" 165 foot patrol boats commissioned in 1932 to cope with rum runners. From May, 1937 until August, 1941, John served in various positions in the New York Division mostly on AB class harbor cutters. He served on the Antietem as Chief Bosun’s Mate when she was berthed at Staten Island from August 1941 until June 1942 and was involved in the rescue of the crew of the Gulftrade after it was torpedoed by U-588. Following his tour of duty aboard the Antietem, John received his commission and served as operations officer of the New York harbor patrol fleet until the end of the war. In 1946, he began his career in aids-to-navigation by serving as the executive officer or commanding officer of the buoy tenders Arbutus, Mariposa and Lilac. Beginning in 1958 until 1960, John served as the commanding officer of Sullivan’s Island, SC Lifeboat Station. From 1960 until June, 1961 he commanded the Coast Guard Buoy Depot in Curtis Bay, MD. John retired in 1964 as group commander of Cape Hatteras Group after serving in the U.S. Coast Guard for almost 30 years. John passed on in 1980 at the relatively young age of 64, but enjoyed retirement in his native Hatteras Village while piddling with boats, riding the beach and making daily trips to the docks to check out the catch of the charter fishing fleet.