Rows of brass “Surfman Checks,” on display at the Coast Guard’s National Motor Lifeboat School, commemorate all those who have completed the rigorous training required to attain “surfman” certification for heavy-weather boat operations, March 14, 2014. These plates memorialize the historical practice of surfmen in the U.S. Lifesaving Service exchanging brass “checks” with their counterparts from adjoining stations, to prove completion of patrols. Today, Coast Guard surfmen train at the NMLBS, where they learn to operate rescue boats safely in the most challenging and dangerous heavy weather surf conditions.