Captain W. Russell Webster retired from federal service in 2023 after serving forty-six years with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He received the Department of Homeland Security Secretary's Award for Outstanding Performance in 2021. New England's Lifesaver is his fifth nonfiction maritime history book.

Captain Michael A. Cicalese retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2010 after serving for thirty years. He received the Seven Seal Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve for meritorious leadership in support of the men and women who serve America during his Coast Guard career.