Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Warning: this episode contains mentions of suicide.
New reporting has found that the impact of rough sea waves on rescue-boat crews in the Coast Guard can lead to long-term effects, including traumatic brain injury.
Dave Philipps, who reports about veterans for The New York Times, explains the significant blind spot in the Coast Guard and talks about how a teenager helped expose this widespread danger.
Guest: Dave Philipps (nytimes.com/by/dave-philipps) , who reports about war, the military and veterans for The New York Times.
Background reading:
• Rescue-boat crews show signs of brain injuries (nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/coast-guard-rescue-boat-surfmen-brain-injury.html) .
• After an article by The Times, the Coast Guard vowed to protect crews (nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/31nat-coast-guard-brain-injury-boat-waves-surfmen.html) from brain injuries caused by rough seas.
Photo: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
Warning: this episode contains mentions of suicide.
New reporting has found that the impact of rough sea waves on rescue-boat crews in the Coast Guard can lead to long-term effects, including traumatic brain injury.
Dave Philipps, who reports about veterans for The New York Times, explains the significant blind spot in the Coast Guard and talks about how a teenager helped expose this widespread danger.
Guest: Dave Philipps (nytimes.com/by/dave-philipps) , who reports about war, the military and veterans for The New York Times.
Background reading:
• Rescue-boat crews show signs of brain injuries (nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/coast-guard-rescue-boat-surfmen-brain-injury.html) .
• After an article by The Times, the Coast Guard vowed to protect crews (nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/31nat-coast-guard-brain-injury-boat-waves-surfmen.html) from brain injuries caused by rough seas.
Photo: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
