A surfman check is passed through the hands of each surfman in attendance as they announce their certification number and station during a ceremony held on the messdeck at Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay in Newport, Ore., Jan. 12, 2017.
The surfman check is an engraved golden badge, with roots tracing back to the U.S. Life-Saving Service.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Johanna Strickland.