Coast Guard Enshrines Fallen Rescue Swimmer’s Legacy at Cape May Training Pool

The Coast Guard has renamed the aquatic training facility at one of its primary training centers to honor a rescue swimmer who died during a rescue operation this year.

The facility at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May in New Jersey now bears the name of AST2 Tyler J. Jaggers.

Coast Guard members, Jaggers’ family, guests and training center personnel gathered for the dedication on Sept. 24, 2026. The ceremony recognized his service, sacrifice and legacy, according to a Coast Guard news release.

The newly named AST2 Tyler Jaggers Aquatic Training Facility plays a central role in preparing Coast Guard recruits for service.

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Every recruit at the Cape May training center uses the pool to learn water survival skills required for work in the maritime environment.

By placing Jaggers’ name on that facility, the Coast Guard tied his memory directly to the training received by incoming members.

Recruits passing through Cape May will encounter his name as they develop skills that could later be needed to save lives.

Image Credit: DoW

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Capt. Amanda Lee, commanding officer of Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, described Jaggers as an example of the qualities instructors seek to develop in recruits.

Her remarks focused on his courage, selflessness and dedication to helping others.

“Tyler Jaggers embodied what we endeavor to instill in every recruit who passes through Training Center Cape May; courage, selflessness and an unwavering commitment to others,” Lee said in the Thursday release.

Jaggers was assigned to an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew that responded to a medical emergency aboard a commercial vessel on Feb. 27. The vessel was located off the coast of Washington when the crew answered the emergency.

Image Credit: DoW

Jaggers suffered injuries during the rescue operation and later died from those injuries.

The dedication at Cape May brought together those who knew him personally and those responsible for training the next generation of Coast Guard members.

The pool’s importance to basic training gives the dedication a clear connection to Jaggers’ work as a rescue swimmer.

Water survival instruction is not a ceremonial exercise at Cape May, but a key component of preparing every recruit for the maritime environment.

Lee said every Coast Guard member begins the journey at the training center and every recruit trains in the pool.

With the facility carrying Jaggers’ name, those recruits will also learn about the sacrifice connected to the place where they build those essential skills.

“Every Coast Guard member begins their journey here, and every recruit trains in this pool. From this day forward, they will learn Tyler’s name, understand his sacrifice, and be reminded that the skills they develop here may one day be called upon to save a life,” Lee said.

The dedication ensures that Jaggers’ name will remain visible to recruits during one of the foundational stages of Coast Guard service.

It also places the story of his final rescue operation inside a facility devoted to preparing members for dangerous maritime duties.

Family members attended alongside Coast Guard personnel and guests as the service formally dedicated the aquatic training facility.

The gathering centered on Jaggers’ record of service and the qualities Lee said the training center seeks to instill.

The facility’s new name connects recruit training with the risks faced by Coast Guard crews responding to emergencies at sea.

Jaggers had been serving aboard the MH-60 Jayhawk crew when it was dispatched to assist with the medical emergency.

At Cape May, recruits will continue learning the water survival skills required by the Coast Guard’s maritime mission.

They will now do so in a pool named for a rescue swimmer who died from injuries sustained while answering a call for help.

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