colette wilkinson 
 

Award-winning author Martha LaGuardia Kotite tells extraordinary stories of “courage and survival.” Through her writing, she celebrates the remarkable actions of those she worked alongside during nearly 25 years in the U.S Coast Guard, and donates proceeds of her books to helping veterans. But what began her journey?  (This interview has been edited and condensed from its original length)

 

What made you first join the military?

As a teenager, I lost a family member so I recognized the fragility of life. I realized I wanted to make [my life] meaningful, which to me meant making a difference for others. The Coast Guard fit because its missions were saving lives and helping the environment. Plus, I could get a great education and that was also important to me.

 

And when did you become a writer?

I didn’t want to leave [the Coast Guard] completely.  I landed a job at a Manhattan PR firm and transferred into the reserves. When 9/11 happened, the firm and my client [IBM] were struck by the technology crash… and when I was laid off, I was going to have a child a month later, so [my husband and I] felt I could stay home and focus on my newborn, along with my older son.  During that time I realized I needed something that was going to enrich me professionally and personally, and that was writing. 

 

Your first book, So Others May Live, focuses on helicopter rescue swimmers within the Coast Guard. What (or who) encouraged that?

The hero of Chapter 5! I had come across his story a few years before, and it just really grabbed hold of me. I was surprised to learn of the risks he’d gone through to rescue others, and I thought, “if I didn’t know this—and I’m in the Coast Guard—then many, many people across the nation don’t know.” I wanted to celebrate and recognize what they do, and how they make a difference.

 

Your website, www.marthakotite.com, says it won four awards. Congratulations. It must have been well received?

It has. It’s not ever made the New York Times best-seller list, but it came out in 2006 as a hard cover—the publisher waited a couple of years to release it as paper-back—and it’s still going strong.

 

You’ve written four books now. Do you have a favorite?

They all have a different place in my heart. I try not to get emotional but it always gets me. It means the world to me that the [people] have shared these tender moments of risk and challenge with me, and allowed me to be their storyteller, so each book has an equal amount of heart in them—from me, and from them.

 

You’re currently working towards a Master’s degree in journalism at Harvard. What inspired you to study again?

The real enlightening moment came after I’d completed Changing The Rules Of Engagement, a book about amazing women [published 2012]. I was humbled by all they had done, and I thought “Boy! I haven’t done much.” I realized my bigger dream was to go back to school, get my journalism degree and really work hard to pursue this phase of my life. Plus, I wanted that chance to be taught how to write in a journalistic fashion, versus what I had learned on my own as a PR person and spokeswoman for the Service.

 

Finally, what impact do you feel the military has had on you?

I came through at a time when there were not many women. I picked the right service because when I joined, women could do any of the missions as long as [they’re] qualified for it. Since then, the other services have opened up other missions to women that were restricted when I joined the Coast Guard.  It gave me an equal shot for opportunity. It made me believe more in myself, and my capability. Not everything has been easy in life—I don’t think it’s been easy for anyone—but I truly believe I can do what I set out to do and I can make a difference for others. And I have.