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The Story of the U.S. Coast Guard and OSS in World War II
Guardian Spies
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About Us
Project Director - Michael Bennett
Lieutenant Commander Michael Bennett is currently Director and Assistant Professor
of Strategic Intelligence Studies at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New
London, CT where he teaches courses in Strategic Intelligence, National Security
Policy, Terrorism, and Analysis. He enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1991 and received a
Direct Commission in 1998. He is a 1998 graduate of Webster University in St. Louis,
MO where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Environmental
Science, and a 2003 graduate of the Joint Military Intelligence College where he was
awarded the Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence (MSSI). His previous
assignment was at the Maritime Intelligence Fusion Center Pacific (MIFCPAC) in
Alameda, CA where he was Senior Intelligence Analyst and Senior Intelligence Watch
Officer overseeing the day to day tactical and operational intelligence support to
Coast Guard operational commanders, DHS, DOD, and international partners in the
Pacific Theatre spanning over seventy-three million square miles. His professional
interests are Strategic Intelligence Studies & Theory; Human Intelligence; Signals
Intelligence; Covert, Counter-Intelligence and Clandestine Operations; Transnational
and Asymmetric threat including the nexus between terrorism, illegal immigration and
narco-trafficking; and the evolving role of Homeland Security Intelligence (HSINT).

He is a member of the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) and
the Association for Intelligence Officers (AFIO).

Disclaimer: This research does not reflect the opinions of and is not affiliated with the United
States Coast Guard or Coast Guard Academy. All opinions and research are those of the project
director and author.
Research Team - Britton R. Henderson, Sandra Hasser Bennett, Dr. Gary Donato

Britton R. Henderson - Chief Warrant Officer Britton Henderson enlisted in the Coast
Guard in 1991 and is presently assigned as a Marine Inspector at Coast Guard Sector
Delaware Bay in Philadelphia, PA. He is a 2004 graduate of the Coast Guard Chief
Petty Officer Acadey, 2005 graduate of the Command Master Chief Academy, and a
2006 graduate of the Warrant Officer Academy in New London, CT. His previous
assignment before accepting his Commission was as Command Chief and Senior
Enlisted Advisor for the Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team (AST). The AST is one of 3
elite Coast Guard teams attached to the National Strike Force (NSF). As vital
component of the National Response System and homeland security mission, the NSF
minimizes the adverse impact to the public and environment from oil discharges,
hazardous materials releases, and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) incidents.
Chief Warrant Officer Henderson has distinguished himself during numerous high
visibility responses to include: the Coast Guard's response to Hurricane's Katrina and
Isabel in 2005; the Capitol Hill Ricin Incident in 2004; as a member of the planning and
ready response team prepositioned for the Democratic and Republican National
Convention's in 2004; SUPERBOWL XL; and the 2005 MLB All-Star Game. Britton is
widely recognized and called upon for his response expertise and knowledge of
WMD/HAZMAT and has served as a NIMS Incident Command System Program Manager
and Instructor for the Coast Guard, and all 16 federal agency members of the National
Response Team. His previous tours of duty include Houston, TX; Oklahoma City, OK;
Ketchikan, AK; Fort Dix, NJ; and most recently Philadelphia, PA.


Sandra Hasser Bennett was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and received a B. A. in
Management from Webster College. She became interested in historical research and
oral history through genealogy, and it has become a life-long interest taking her in
many directions.

Sandra has written book reviews for the International Migration Review, a scholarly
journal tracking mass immigrations, past and present. An article she wrote describing
Lebanese/Syrian immigration to the United States and genealogical research in this
area was published in "The Genealogical Helper" and on-line at genealogytoday.com.
Some years ago, the Missouri Committee for the Humanities funded her oral history of
the Lebanese and Syrians in St. Louis, and also a public event she developed for that
community. The oral history tapes and transcriptions are in repositories at the St.
Louis Public Library and the Smithsonian Institution. She has also taught genealogy in
a community school in St. Louis.

Sandra worked in Monsanto Company's Government Affairs Department, was
Administrative Director of the Chemical Council of Missouri, and was Vice President for
Operations of the St. Louis Storm. She has been an active member of many community
boards and in the past has been Chairman of the Botanical Garden Subdistrict
Commission and Vice Chairman of St. Louis' Planned Industrial Expansion Authority.
She also served on the St. Louis City/County Board of Freeholders in 1987-88. Sandra
has an extensive history of involvement in the political arena and ran several citywide
election campaigns before joining the staff of Congressman Dick Gephardt in 1992.
She retired in 2003.

Sandra currently has several writing projects in the works. She and her husband
Harry have been married forty-five years, and have 3 grown sons and 4 grandchildren.


Dr. Gary Donato earned his PhD in Political Science and Diplomatic History from the
University of Connecticut in 2005. He also has a Master's degree in Social Science from
Syracuse University and a Master's equivalent in Strategy and Policy from the Naval
War College. He has a Bachelor of Science specializing in Mechanical Engineering from
the University of the State of New York and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Florida
Southern College. His professional interests are the presidency, the relationship
between the presidency and congress; the nexus of religion and politics; and
American diplomatic history, specifically during the Cold War. Dr. Donato is a retired
naval officer who served on submarines from 1972-1994. Dr. Donato is also a
graduate of several in-service intelligence programs and served as Intelligence Officer
on his last three submarine assignments as well as the Force Strategic Navigator and
assistant Intelligence Officer for Submarine Forces Pacific Fleet. He also serves as the
Vice President of the Norwich Historical Development Corporation and is the Oral
Historian for the Norwich Historical Society and for the last 15 years has been an
adjunct professor of history and government on the faculty list of several colleges in
eastern Connecticut, western Rhode Island and south eastern Massachusetts. He is a
firm believer in recording the voices of those who made history, in elevating the
standards of excellence in today's students and in the ideals of mentorship.
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