Archived Feature Stories

A Guardian conviction

2009-12-22T19:07:39Z

		Eleventh Coast Guard District
FEATURE STORY	DATE: CONTACT:	December 22, 2009 Public Affairs (510) 437-3375
A Guardian conviction
Honor, respect and devotion to duty, these are the core values of the United States Coast Guard. The basic principles instilled in every recruit who goes through boot camp and every cadet who graduates from the Coast Guard Academy. In the face of every challenge, every adverse circumstance and in every day life, these are the qualities that every Guardian strives to live by. On October 29, 2009, a Coast Guard HC-130, stationed at Air Station Sacramento, was involved in a mid-air collision off the coast of San Diego and the lives of the seven crewmembers aboard were lost. In the days that followed Coast Guard aviation crews from all around the country demonstrated their commitment to these core values. Aircrews from U.S. Coast Guard Air Stations Kodiak, Alaska, Barbers Point, Hawaii and Clearwater, Fla., flew to Sacramento to provide aid and support. Their efforts ensured the Coast Guard’s service to the public continued uninterrupted, gave their shipmates time to recover from the tragic accident and provided mission support. “We flew from Barbers Point and brought two full flight crews and a 15-member maintenance crew. After we got there we assumed responsibility for search and rescue for the west coast for the next 10 days,” said Lt. j.g. Rich Stickley, a C-130 aircraft commander stationed at Air Station Barbers Point. The crews from Barbers Point and the other Air Stations ensured service to the public continued un-interrupted, showing integrity and honoring the Coast Guard’s commitment to serve. Aircrews also volunteered to take over the maintenance and day-to-day jobs of the air station, offering relief to their shipmates stationed in Sacramento. “We all wanted to help even if it was just by doing little things or by standing duty so they could focus on coming to grips with the loss,” said Petty Officer 2^nd Class Jonathan Tenpenny, an aviation maintenance technician stationed at Air Station Barbers Point. “A lot of us know these people and it was really important to help our shipmates,” he said. The compassion shown by the volunteers highlighted the respect they had for their fellow Guardians. Their efforts gave the crewmembers stationed in Sacramento some time to deal with the loss of the C-130 crew and seek help for themselves and for each other. The volunteers also ensured that everything necessary to the continued support of the missions of Air Station Sacramento was taken care of. “When we got there we went to our respective shops, figured out what needed to be done and we went to work,” said Petty Officer 1^st Class Jody Sullens, an aviation electronics technician stationed at Air Station Kodiak “We were glad to help out anyway we could, whether it was washing planes or repairing fuel tanks,” he said. Honor, respect and devotion to duty. These are the tools a Guardian uses to rebuild him or herself, they are the measure of how far a Guardian has come, and they are the ideals by which a Guardian is defined. In their efforts to maintain the uninterrupted service to the public, to offer relief to their shipmates in a time of need, and ensuring unfailing mission support, every member of the volunteer aircrews demonstrated the qualities of a true Guardian. “In aviation we have a saying, we fly together, we die together,” said Tenpenny. “We are Coast Guard, we can’t just shut down when bad things happen. This isn’t just a job, it’s a conviction,” he said. ###

The ice breaking polar bear study

2009-10-26T23:01:04Z

		Eleventh Coast Guard District
FEATURE STORY	DATE: CONTACT:	October 26, 2009 PA3 Pamela Manns (510) 437-3375
The ice breaking polar bear study
by Petty Officer 3rd Class Pamela Manns U.S. Coast Guard District 11 Public Affairs A man holding a rifle leans out of the flying helicopter and takes aim at a running polar bear. His tranquillizer dart hits the bear in the muscle between her shoulder blades. The bear slows her run, staggers, and collapses on the ground. Two more well placed shots sedate her cubs. The helicopter lands and Eric Regehr, a biologist from U.S. Fish and Wildlife, accompanied by scientists from the U.S Geological Survey and University of Wyoming rush onto the slushy pack ice to begin research on the sleeping bear. They take vitals on the sleeping bear and her cubs and position them to begin their research. “Scientists are going to use the data collected from the recaptured bears to analyze how ice loss is affecting these arctic creatures,” said Dr. Merav Ben David, professor of Zoology at the University of Wyoming and lead scientist in charge of the mission. The scientists needed a vessel capable of operating in the harsh and unforgiving Arctic and one that could break through the heavy ice to reach the bears. The National Science Foundation, which funded the trip, commissioned the Seattle-based U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea, the most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker in the world, to conduct the first ever at sea polar bear study. “Icebreaking is one of our core missions, and we perform the icebreaking to allow the researchers to perform the science,” said Cmdr. Jason Hamilton, executive officer in charge of the Polar Sea. “Scientists are going to use the data collected from the recaptured bears to analyze how ice loss is affecting these arctic creatures,” said Ben David, While the earth as a whole is getting warmer, this trend is more pronounced in Arctic regions, causing polar bears to lose their icy hunting grounds over the continental shelf. When spring temperatures melt the ice, the polar bears must choose to stay near shore, and search for food on land or follow the receding pack ice north to hunt for seals. “The bears we are trying to recapture were originally captured in the Southern Beaufort Sea in April and May of this year. This is the second year of a two-part study,” said Regehr. The cutter’s crew picked up the scientists in Barrow, Alaska on Sept. 26, and polar bear mission sparked much excitement among the crew. “I am ecstatic to be apart of the science mission, it’s the reason I joined the Coast Guard,” said Seaman Berthena Meno, a Barrigada, Guam native. Meno enlisted in the Coast Guard less than six months ago. This is her first mission aboard the ship, as well as, her first experience with harsh winter weather. “I feel good knowing that I play a role in the conservation effort,” said Meno. The scientists and crew spent more than a week transiting through the Arctic Ocean seeking a bear on thick enough ice to land a helicopter and work on them. “You need a pan of ice about the size of a football field to safely sedate a bear, and safely work on it,” said Regehr. On Oct. 3 scientists found the first target bear of the trip. They sedated and processed the bear, yielding the first measurements of core-body temperatures of a free-ranging polar bear. They collected weight information, took a sample of bear breath, extracted a tooth, and tattooed a number on its lip. They also conducted two field surgeries on the bear. The first was collecting a sample of muscle tissue and the second removed a temperature logger placed in the abdomen when the bear was previously captured in the spring. “This is so exciting! For the first time we were be able to see if polar bears conserve energy by lowering body temperature during the ice free period,” said John Whiteman who is working on his PhD at the University of Wyoming. “In 2008, we captured and recaptured bears at the beginning and end of summer, but those bears stayed on land. This year we are doing the same thing but for bears that spent the summer on the multi-year pack ice as they retreated northwards toward the pole basin, and that is why we are on the Polar Sea,” said Dr. Hank Harlow from the University of Wyoming and the second lead investigator on the project. “A second team of U.S.G.S. and University of Wyoming biologists is again capturing those bears that remained on shore this summer,” said George Durner, lead polar bear biologist from the U.S.G.S. Because several bears have swum from shore to ice or from ice to shore, the two teams coordinate their efforts via satellite communications. Nineteen bears were collared in the spring. Of those bears, four shook off their collars and two remained on shore, leaving13 bears for scientists to track, tranquilize, study, and release. The scientists prefer tagging female bears because they retain their collars better than males, who can easily shake them off because they have necks bigger than their heads. In addition to those bears, the scientists will also collect samples from non-collared bears they come upon. Those bears also receive collars for later retrieval as well. The scientists are working against time and must recapture the collard polar bears before Nov. 1, when a self-release mechanism will disconnect the transmitters. When the scientists finish their field research on the bear, they collect their equipment and board the helicopter. The chopper flies back to the Polar Sea, where the scientists will conduct some tests on the samples they have collected. With the bears help, the scientists will gain a better understanding on how polar bears are adapting to the changing Arctic, and potentially understand how to protect future polar bears. This bear and her cubs will provide important data that will help the conservation effort to protect the polar bear. But right now the bear’s main concern is the quest for food. ###

Coast Guard Petaluma center dedicates four-acre solar array project

2009-10-25T08:11:08Z

		Eleventh Coast Guard District
FEATURE STORY	DATE: CONTACT:	October 24, 2009 Petty Officer Erik Swanson (510) 772-8865
TRACEN Petaluma Honors Coast Guard Blue by Going Green
Video of solar array field commissioning ceremony and interview with Capt. Chris Hall, commanding officer of Training Center Petaluma. Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Caleb Critchfield PETALUMA, Calif. -- Nestled among the rolling green hills of the Petaluma countryside, in northern California, Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma serves as the training hub for many of the Coast Guard's jobs and specialty schools. According to Captain Chris Hall, Commanding Officer of Training Center Petaluma, the Coast Guard base is more than a training center, it is a community of individuals who share a commitment to mission, respect and innovation. That shared commitment will now extend to include a greener, environmentally compatible Coast Guard base. On Saturday, Oct. 24, Rear Adm. Timothy Sullivan, commander Force Readiness Command, and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, 6th Congressional District, joined Hall and other Coast Guard personnel, including training center students, in dedicating a four-acre array of solar panels recently completed at the Training Center. Earlier this year, the Coast Guard awarded the first Power Purchase Agreement in its history to SilRay Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif. The PPA is an agreement between the Coast Guard and the contractor, SilRay, in which the contractor will pay for the expense of building, operating and maintaining a solar photovoltaic system on Coast Guard property. In exchange, the contractor is awarded tax credits and discounts, making the construction more affordable. The Coast Guard benefits from the installation of the renewable energy resource facility with no up-front costs, and is able to purchase the energy produced by the system at a contracted rate for the next 25 years. "This project cost the Coast Guard $6 million to complete," said Tony vanWinden, Energy Manager at TRACEN Petaluma, "but by awarding the PPA the Coast Guard pays none of the up-front cost and the contractor receives tax credits and incentives which make the construction more affordable. It's a win-win situation," he said. The agreement helps the Coast Guard save money, have less of an impact on the environment and decreases the demand for energy on the local community power grid, said vanWinden. He went on to explain that this will be especially noticeable in the summer months during peak demand when energy consumption is at its highest and the energy production of the on-base solar array will also be at its peak. The PPA also helps the Coast Guard meet the standards set forth by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 by increasing its use of renewable energy. The agreement is in line with several provisions built into the Act, including establishing a photovoltaic energy commercialization program in federal buildings and, producing renewable energy on site or on federally owned land, said vanWinden. "The agreement benefits the Coast Guard, it benefits our neighbors, it benefits California and, with rising energy costs, it's a step in the right direction," said Commander Jeff Good, TRACEN Petaluma's Facilities Engineering Officer. The PPA also falls in line with the Petaluma green initiative, a multiple branch program designed to make the Coast Guard base more environmentally compatible through a combined effort to decrease energy consumption and improve water conservation. “One of the things we need to be as coast guardsmen, is good model citizens. Projects like this, working with the community, help us fulfill some of that creed,” said Sullivan. "You just have to know how proud we all are that this community was the first to start something of this caliber," said Congresswoman Woosley. Woosley said that the Coast Guard is a valued member of the community and that they should be proud in their achievement today. She then added that she values the Coast Guard not only because of their military service, but because they are such amazing members of the community. The PPA comes on the heels of TRACEN Petaluma's other successful solar panel installations upon the roofs of two of the training center's buildings. When combined with TRACEN's existing 125 kilowatt solar panel array, the scheduled four-acre array is expected to provide TRACEN with up to one megawatt of renewable power, which will meet a majority of TRACEN's daily electrical demand and up to 60 percent of its peak demand needs, said vanWinden. "We want to be a good neighbor and a good steward, said Hall. "This is an area that is incredibly environmentally sensitive. It's important to our neighbors, it's important to our Congresswoman, and to be a good steward in the Coast Guard is important to us." ###

Typical farm girl turns remarkable coastie girl

2009-09-24T16:21:40Z

		Eleventh Coast Guard District
FEATURE STORY	DATE: CONTACT:	Sept 24, 2009 Petty Officer Erik Swanson (510) 289-5794
Typical farm girl turns remarkable coastie girl By Petty Officer 3rd Class Erik Swanson
Patricia Stolle was a 1970s farm girl from Petaluma, Calif. She slopped the hogs and fed the chickens alongside her four brothers and three sisters. Waking at 3 a.m. to begin the chores, there was no separation between men and women’s work on the farm. As a young woman she worked long hours, got dirty and often heaved heavy bales of hay and bags of feed. The early mornings and long hours prepared her for the Coast Guard where at least she enjoyed sleeping in until 5 a.m. When she joined, she couldn’t have known the profound positive affect a farm girl from Petaluma could have on the entire Coast Guard workforce. “I joined the Coast Guard to run away from the farm!” Master Chief Petty Officer Patricia Stolle laughed. Serving in the Coast Guard for more than 35 years, Stolle overcame many struggles, and left a legacy of historical achievements and contributions to the service. Stolle enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1974. A year earlier, legislation was passed to begin integrating women into active duty and reserve forces. She experienced the Coast Guard’s transition from an all-male service to the equal opportunity organization it is today. Her boot camp drill instructors were not accustomed to incorporating women into the training program and went out of their way to avoid favoritism and treat everybody equally, said Stolle. "The women were actually given men’s names. I was Sam! We were treated like the guys - 50 pushups and 50 sit-ups for everybody,” said Stolle. Many of the drill instructors assumed that female recruits would be physically inferior to the male recruits, and believed they would require assistance to accomplish the 12-week program, Stolle explains. “Frankly, there were quite a few women, including myself, that didn’t need any help,” Stolle insists. “I was a farm kid – I could definitely out wrestle some of the male recruits!” Despite their differences, the men and women in her company jived. The women would iron uniforms and shine boots for the men, while the men cleaned the women’s rifles. "After eight or nine weeks, we were one big family," said Stolle. After boot camp, Stolle was sent to Training Center Petaluma to attend yeoman school, one of four available schools offered to women at that time.Yeomen are administrative specialists, managing payroll certification and delivery, preparing military travel orders and arranging transportation, and maintaining files and administrative records. While she attended Training Center Petaluma, many women excelled at yeoman school, typically offering good typing and organization skills. For that reason, the Coast Guard’s workforce welcomed them into their ranks and many excelled in their careers, said Stolle. “A female yeoman wasn’t under the same pressure or discrimination as a female serving in an operational assignment,” Stolle reminds. After graduating from yeoman school, Stolle was sent to her first unit at Governors Island, N.Y., to work at the Coast Guard Third District. Although succeeding at school and feeling welcomed into her career, she soon felt discriminated for being a woman while participating in the Ceremonial Honor Guard. After seven months of marching and spinning a rifle in the honor guard, Stolle was finally good enough to participate in a large parade. Just days before the parade, her honor guard company was practicing on the golf course where the Coast Guard Third District commander happened to be playing golf. He noticed Stolle wielding her ceremonial rifle, and the next day she was notified that she would not participate in the parade and was pulled from the team altogether. In 1976, the law stated women were not permitted to bear arms, which the commander interpreted accordingly. “The military taught us how to shoot a rifle and now we can’t bear arms?” Stolle said confusingly. “It was the first time I felt discriminated because I was a girl.” While stationed at her first unit, Stolle advanced to petty officer 1^st class in three years and two months. Subsequent assignments included instructor duty at yeoman school at Training Center Petaluma where she advanced to chief petty officer in 1983. Soon thereafter, she received orders to report to the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon making her the first female chief petty officer to serve at sea. “After eight years of skirts and panty hose while serving at Coast Guard administrative offices, I was convinced I would never experience sea duty, said Stolle. “I was petrified of the thought of leaving my husband in charge of the kids and finances!” Stolle managed her full-time career, attended college and took care of her two young boys and finances. She wanted to show her husband, Doug, she was capable of doing it all but soon recognized that he was capable of doing a great job of staying home to care for the boys and manage the finances, said Stolle. “If it wasn’t for him, I would have done 20 years and got out,” said Stolle thankfully, “he made being in the Coast Guard a lot easier.” When times got tough, Doug decided to quit his job for a while to stay home with the kids. Throughout the years, he would sacrifice his career to stay home or endure low starting wages or layoffs as an auto mechanic whenever being forced to transfer jobs as the spouse of a military member, said Stolle. “Without the love and support from Doug and her two sons, Stolle’s many contributions would not have been possible,” said Rear Adm. Jody Breckenridge, commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area. She spent more than 16 years as a master chief petty officer, more than 40 percent of her entire career, and there are very few people who can claim that.” Senior Chief Petty Officer Toby Vice, the command chief of the Mellon, helped Stolle adjust to being the first woman to serve as a chief aboard a cutter and become a valuable member of the male dominated Chief’s Mess, the place where chief petty officers discuss and decide upon important issues that affect the enlisted workforce of the cutter. She was proud to serve as a role model and lead the junior women aboard the cutter, said Stolle. Although the Mellon was a challenging assignment, her most difficult unit was not until she attained the rank of master chief petty officer in 1993 and returned to Petaluma to teach at the Chief Petty Officer Academy. Her promotion to master chief marked the first time an active duty woman had advanced to that rank. She was chosen to teach at the academy because one of her qualifications was a step aerobic instructor. Part of the academy curriculum required three step aerobic classes to promote cross training. Stolle, with less than 20 years in the Coast Guard now, would teach 32 chiefs with large egos. Some chiefs would complain, “Do I really have to do this? I’d much rather go running.” Stolle would then calmly remark, “No chief, you do not have to do step aerobics – you can go right up to the barracks, pack your bags and go home.” A chief who singled himself out would normally get called to the front of the class and all 32 would soon learn how difficult step aerobics really was. When Stolle was not enforcing step aerobics, she could also be found teaching chiefs how to attain a degree through distance learning. She soon noticed that those who were stationed at units with good educational service officers were further along in their degrees. Her opportunity to help change this inconsistenc y came later in her career while stationed at Maintenance and Logistics Command Pacific as the command master chief. “Stolle positively impacted so many people by serving as a coach and mentor to countless young guardians and ensuring they were well trained and inspired to meet the Coast Guard challenges of tomorrow,” Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard, wrote in a letter for her retirement ceremony. Vice Adm. Harvey Johnson, the commander then of Coast Guard Pacific Area, initially challenged Stolle and two other members of leadership to improve Coast Guard Pacific Area’s educational service program. She loved the idea and requested permission to run with it. “As a leader, Stolle has embodied our guardian ethos, to protect, defend and save,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Charles W. Bowen, the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard. She employed full-time civilian educational service officers because they didn’t transfer every three years like their military counterparts. “Everyone should have equal access to educational information,” said Stolle. “The opportunities to make changes as a command master chief are amazing. To take something from nothing, get it started and to watch it grow Coast Guard wide is awesome!” said Stolle. Stolle’s proudest achievement was developing Learning Centers at all the sectors in Coast Guard’s Pacific Area and equipping them with full-time civilian educational service officers. She added that since this implementation, Coast Guard Atlantic Area has begun to follow these practices to have a strong educational assistance program. “By spearheading such initiatives as staffing learning centers with full-time educational service officers, Stolle made remarkable contributions to the professional development of Coast Guard members,” said Allen. Stolle’s successes and many contributions to the Coast Guard during her 35 years active duty were possible because she recognized the need to set specific rules to continue being happy and successful in her career. Rule number 1-Job must be fun. “If you want to be happy in your career and take control of your future, then you must decide early on what your rules are,” demanded Stolle. “Don’t do this job for the money. If you’re not having fun, then go find something else.” Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft, the former commander of the Coast Guard Eleventh District who worked alongside Stolle, calls her a keeper. He compares her with the Coast Guard’s first lighthouse keeper Ida Lewis who maintained the Lime Rock Lighthouse, R.I., for more than 39 years and saved 18 people. “Stolle has been a keeper, she has been a keeper in the Chief's Mess and she has really raised the bar for future chiefs who may be seaman today,” said Zukunft. “If aspiring chiefs should set one goal, it should be to emulate Stolle’s career.” The lasting contributions achieved by Stolle, once a gritty farm girl, positively impacted the entire Coast Guard workforce. She set the example that neither male or female, college student or farm girl, are limited in their potential to succeed. As Stolle would say after receiving a “job well done” from her superiors, “I’m just doing my job, boss." ### For full quality photographs, please contact Petty Officer Erik Swanson at (510) 289-5794.

Airborne marksmen, percision necessary to save our coast

2009-06-15T16:28:13Z

		Eleventh Coast Guard District
FEATURE STORY	DATE: CONTACT:	June 15, 2009 Petty Officer Pamela J. Manns Public Affairs (510) 437-3335
Airborne marksmen, precision necessary to save our coast
Coast Guard marksmen became airborne in order to prevent a terrorist attack on the San Francisco Bay area. In early February, Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco implemented its ports, waterways and coastal security program. It marked the beginning of using armed helicopters, in addition to armed Coast Guard surface assets, to stop terrorist on the bay. "Imagine a U.S.S. Cole like attack on a cruise ship, on the San Francisco Bay ferry system, on our bridges," said Cmdr. Samuel Creech, commanding officer of Air Station San Francisco. "We want the opportunity to do more than shake our heads and shake our fist in the event there is a terrorist attack," he said. Air Station San Francisco’s crews now have the ability to outfit the MH-65 “Dolphin” helicopters with M-14T rifles and machine guns. They will also have eight highly-trained gunners ready to defend the bay area in the event of an imminent terrorist attack. Gunners were carefully selected from the Coast Guard’s aviation field to fill the role of marksmen. The candidates were selected based on their physical and mental fitness, maturity, professionalism, and an approval from their commanding officer. “The gunners volunteer and then are screened to ensure that we have the right candidate for the job,” said Paul A. Werries, Precision Marksman Program Manager at the Office of Counter Terrorism and Special Missions at Coast Guard Headquarters. A gunner candidate spends three to four days in a classroom learning the fundamentals of marksmanship and the rules of engagement, said Werries. The program then extends for three more weeks of intensive range and precision marksmanship training. “The range revolves around shooting and we teach our students that it pays to be the best,” said Werries. After the range, the marksmen go airborne and hone their skills from a helicopter. The gunners practice shooting blank rounds, the round casings are collected in a container inside the helicopter and do not enter the environment, in the San Pablo Bay at Coast Guard boats acting as the terrorist. The helicopter is supported by armed Coast Guard surface assets practicing hostile-boat intercept maneuvers. The Coast Guard issues a broadcast notice to civilian mariners and aviators to ensure the safety of the public during the evolution. "The training makes precise marksmen, and proficiency comes with practice. Even after the marksmen are qualified they continue to practice," said Petty Officer 1st Class Michael S. Conrad, an avionics electrical technician at Air Training Center Mobile, Ala. Conrad has been a precision marksman since 2005, and is now serving as an instructor. In addition to training potential marksmen, Conrad also has to ensure that each candidate has the right mindset for the job. “An instructor must be able pick out which student is mentally ready and physically fit,” said Conrad. Conrad added that there are certain characteristics that make for accurate and capable marksmen. “A good gunner has sound judgment. They are responsible and dedicated,” said Conrad. The training makes precise marksmen, and proficiency comes with practice. Even after the marksmen are qualified they continue to practice, said Conrad. Once the training is complete, the eight San Francisco-based marksmen stand duty, remain flight crew qualified, and are ready to respond to a terrorist threat. The PWCS precision marksmanship program is dedicated to making accurate gunners. Marksmen, if engaged, can protect our country and save our citizens. “Hopefully we will never have to use the PWCS capabilities, but I know that the right people are in place if we ever have to employ it,” said Conrad. Airborne weaponry is not a new concept to the Coast Guard. The Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron has been a part of the service’s counter-drug mission for more than 10 years. HITRON operates off the coast of Florida and the marksmen assigned to those units fire at the engines of drug-running boats. However, the marksmen assigned to Air Station San Francisco will fight terrorist, and will not be used for routine law enforcement. The Coast Guard has always played a major role in keeping our homeland secure, and Air Station San Francisco’s ports, waterways, and coastal security program greatly enhances the Coast Guard’s ability to protect the bay. An aerial gunner trained in precision marksmanship is another asset the Coast Guard can utilize to save lives. photo 1 photo 2 photo 3 ###

JROTC students on track for success

2009-05-20T15:39:40Z

		Eleventh Coast Guard District
FEATURE STORY	DATE: CONTACT:	May 20, 2009 Petty Officer Levi Read (510) 437-3325 or (510) 316-4586
JROTC students on track for success By Petty Officer 3rd Class Levi Read
There is an unwritten rule known among Coast Guard recruiters – it’s not the first 10 to walk in our door, but the best 10. “We try to find the best fit for the Coast Guard and the individual,” said Chief Michael Dioquino, Recruiter in Charge, San Francisco Office. “With the times that we are in, interest in joining the Coast Guard is at an all-time high,” said Dioquino. “The potential recruits that walk into a recruiters office need to know that it has become more and more like a job interview.” A group of students who may have a leg up on the competition for a future job interview pulled through the gates at Coast Guard Sector San Francisco on Yerba Buena Island in a yellow school bus. A short time later, a group dressed in pressed Navy-issued khaki uniforms stepped off the bus in an orderly fashion that is unexpected for a group of teenagers. These students, from the Churchill County High School in Fallon, Nev., are cadets in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. They included 22 of the 65 students currently enrolled in the NJROTC at Churchill County High. The JROTC program is sponsored by the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, and its mission is to instill the values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment to those high school and college students who participate. Although sponsored by the individual military units, the JROTC program is not designed as a recruiting tool. Only 40 percent of students who have at least one year of JROTC actually go on to join a military organization. “I want all my students to go to college and to become good citizens,” said Command Master Chief Donn Sheldon, a 30-year veteran in the United States Navy and a NJROTC instructor at Churchill County High School. “I want to see these kids blossom, to start doing things, to come out of their shell, gain confidence, build self-esteem and help them remember their environment,” said Sheldon. There are approximately 500 JROTC units for each military service worldwide, serving hundreds of thousands of students ages 14 to 18. The 22 JROTC cadets were on a week-long field trip visiting military installations and educational institutions in Northern California. During this stop on Yerba Buena Island, the students toured the Coast Guard Cutter Aspen, a 225-foot sea-going buoy tender, and the smallboats at Station San Francisco. As they boarded the Aspen, each of the sharply dressed students turned and snapped to attention. With their eyes straight ahead, their head held high and their shoulders pinned back, they proudly saluted the stars and stripes as the American flag glimmered in the afternoon sun at the stern of the ship. Then they pivoted 45 degrees to the right, saluted the Coast Guard petty officer standing watch aboard the Aspen, and requested permission to come aboard. This is a military custom for all members boarding a ship. “These students have been taught life skills like honor, respect and finishing a job before they play,” said Lt. Col. John Theisen, a 25-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps and an NJROTC instructor for 18 years. “I don’t care if they remember me or my service. All I want them to remember is the life lessons they learned.” “You see a metamorphic change in each of these students,” said Theisen. “It starts with their expression, then it shows in their attitude and then it displays itself in their performance.” JROTC offers developmental skills in academics, athletics, marksmanship, color guard, drill and much more. Fifty percent of students that enroll in JROTC drop out after the first year and 10 percent more drop out in each additional year of JROTC. Kids can potentially be part of a JROTC program for four years. But only 10 percent of freshmen in high school make it through all four years in the JROTC. “The drop out rate is partially by design, but some of these kids just break our hearts because we see their potential,” said Theisen. Instructors involved in JROTC often work 12-hour days and give up many of their weekends to instill discipline, honor, respect and other life skills in these students. “I see my instructors not as regular high school teachers, but more as mentors,” said Taylor Cayro, NJROTC Cadet and unit public affairs officer. “We are a family, built as a unit by strict but fair instructors.” “Some kids join the JROTC program because they come from a military background; others join to get out of the two year physical education requirement at the high school. Every kid has a different reason for joining JROTC, but for whatever reason they join, the ones who stick it out for at least one year become better human beings and more courteous citizens,” said Theisen. “Going in, I knew I would learn courtesy, customs and leadership, but I didn’t expect it to teach me everything that it has,” said Jon Ansotegui, one of only seven senior cadets at Churchill County High School. “It may sound cliché, but I truly believe my life would be completely different and I probably would’ve made some bad choices had I not been part of NJROTC.” “I come from a military background with both my uncle and grandpa being 20-year veterans in the Navy and Air Force respectively,” said Kyle Voelkers, NJROTC Cadet. “As a freshman I was out of shape, weighed 280 pounds and was not a very productive human. Now as a senior, I have lost 80 pounds and have plans of being a lawyer in the United States Marine Corps.” “There is a mixed brand of students involved in this NJROTC group, said Theisen. I have musicians, athletes, special education students and Future Farmers of America. Where else are you going to find this much diversity in a group of teenagers? They don’t all like each other but they respect and honor each other.” This particular group from Fallon, Nev., will receive the Distinguished Unit Award. The Distinguished Unit Award recognizes the personal growth and accomplishments of the cadets, the contributions of the instructors as mentors of the cadets and the support of the school and community. The award is presented by Area 13 NJROTC headquarters in Washington. The City of Fallon is planning a banquet in honor of these students, who have done them proud by doing countless hours of community service. “I could tell former JROTC cadets were in my company by the way they held themselves, by how they sounded off and their pre-self discipline,” said Petty Officer 1^st Class Adam Larson, Production Recruiter San Francisco Office, and former company commander at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. “They were the first recruits to volunteer for a task and they were always to help a fallen shipmate.” “The quality of applicants for all military services would decrease if the JROTC program did not exist,” said Dioquino. “JROTC-trained individuals come in pre-disciplined, they know the uniform regulations and they are already familiar with the rank structure for both enlisted and officers in the military.” “Extracurricular activities like JROTC are what the Coast Guard is looking for because it shows a determination to do more than what is required,” said Dioquino. “One of the first questions I ask as a Coast Guard recruiter during the pre-screening process is ‘What kinds of programs were you involved in?’” “Any kid who has been exposed to discipline, whether it comes from JROTC, athletic teams, boy scouts or girl scouts is better prepared for life in the military or college,” said Dioquino. Although Theisen, Sheldon, Dioquino and Larson all represent different units of the military, they all agree that without a JROTC program in high school, it would be a great disservice to the high schools, the surrounding community and especially the students who are looking for a leg up on the competition for their next job interview. Click on links below for photos http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549431 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549434 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549437 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549440 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549443 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549446 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549449 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549452 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549455 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549458 http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=549461 ###

U.S. Coast Guard Establishes Regional Dive Lockers

2008-11-07T15:55:57Z

FEATURE STORY

Date:

Contact:

Nov. 6, 2008

PA3 Melissa Hauck (510)437-3375

U.S. Coast Guard Establishes Regional Dive Lockers

Story and photos by: Petty Officer 3rd Class Melissa Hauck

On Aug. 17, 2006, two active duty military members' lives were cut short during a cold water familiarization diving accident in the Arctic aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy.

The Coast Guard initiated an immediate administrative and safety investigation into the circumstances which contributed and ultimately led up to the regrettable deaths.

In a statement included in the investigation report, Adm. Thad Allen, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, said, "We cannot prevent every Coast Guard casualty. Despite the professionalism, bravery and dedication of our workforce, in rare cases we suffer serious injury or death in the line of duty. As Coast Guard men and women we accept this risk, but we will not accept preventable loss or injury.

The investigation into this accident revealed failures in oversight at every level aboard Healy, as well as numerous departures from standard Coast Guard policy. This mishap further highlighted the need to improve diving expertise at units with dive capabilities and missions, address shortfalls in training and experience, and elevate program managements and oversight on par with other high-risk, training-intensive Coast Guard operations such as aviation."

Another goal of the Coast Guard's study was to initiate several new policies and procedures to prevent future diving mishaps while finding a cost-effective method for increasing the safe execution and reducing the risks of such a dangerous operation.

Consequently, the Coast Guard established regional dive lockers on the East and West coasts of the USA, staffed with highly-trained, professional divers capable of responding to apportioned or emergent operations.

"After tragically losing two of our shipmates and fellow divers, it was important to set up the regional dive lockers to provide the management, oversight and inspection process needed to meet all Coast Guard diving missions in the safest manner possible," said Lt.j.g. Andrew Younkle, deployable operations group(DOG) diving force manager in Arlington, Va.

Not only will the regional dive lockers help the Coast Guard execute vital diving missions more safely, but the missions are also expected to assist in the war on terrorism.

"The dive lockers are going to make America safer by deterring terrorists and smugglers who look at sub-surface operations as a means to hurt our country," emphasized Younkle.

Younkle also said the dive lockers and teams will be supporting the Coast Guard's Polar Class Icebreaker missions, District 14 buoy tender missions, maritime security missions and provide needed services to the captains of the ports in all major U.S. cities.

"During ice breaking missions, divers can provide pitch calibrations and emergency services to assist in keeping the polar class icebreakers at peak performance. When the cutter is performing well, it opens key shipping lanes thus improving our economy. Also, when requested by Coast Guard Buoy Tenders, the dive lockers can augment the collateral-duty divers currently serving aboard the buoy tenders. The Dive Locker personnel can help with in-water inspections and maintenance of aids to navigation in District 14," he said referring to the Coast Guard's operational area in Hawaii and surrounding Pacific Islands.

The dive lockers, which became fully operational Oct. 1, 2008, are staffed with a dive officer supervisor who is responsible for three primary-duty, six-person dive teams that focus solely on dive operations.

"Prior to the dive lockers, we were running minimally manned dive teams," said Lt. Trevor Hare, command diving officer stationed at regional dive locker west in San Diego.

Hare said the old diving units had the collateral-duty divers doing so many things at different times that when it was time to execute a dive the divers were too tired from other missions and not focused on the dive.

"Another safety concern was that the collateral duty divers weren't staying current on their qualifications, and even if they did, they weren't really used to diving. Now, with the lockers, we have enough personnel to man the dive site optimally instead of minimally," said Hare, who has been diving for three years.

Aside from the safety aspect the dive lockers bring to the Coast Guard, dive teams will be able to focus on the mission and complete a dive in a timelier manner.

"Having more personnel on site is going to enable us to knock out a mission much quicker than before. These are guys who dive all the time - the focus on diving every day - and that's all they do for the Coast Guard, so you know they do it professionally, efficiently and safely," Hare said.

The dive teams are comprised of Coast Guard members from all rates whose minimum qualification is the 88-day Second Class Diver Course at the Naval Diving Salvage Training Center (NDSTC).

"We have about every rate you can imagine, and they are coming from every single unit via maritime safety and security units, polar divers and buoy tender divers. It gives us such a wide range of experience, and it's good diversity for our unit," said Hare, referring to the dive team in San Diego.

Hare also said divers must maintain diver currency by completing 13 annual and 13 semi-annual training tasks, complete at least four re-qualification dives and pass two physical fitness tests annually.

"The training tasks and re-qualification dives were determined by the Coast Guard to be the minimum necessary items to maintain proficiency and certification in the Coast Guard diving community. We dive to serve America, and we train and PT to serve as safely and effectively as possible," he said.

Hare said the training is crucial because the classroom, dive side and physical training tasks keep divers sharp with respect to dive side protocol, diving medicine, diving physics, practical diving performance, in-water proficiency and physical conditioning pertinent to military diving.

The Coast Guard is creating a process for selecting potential candidates for the regional dive lockers. Until that process is established, a Coast Guard member can compete for diver selection by sending his or her dive package to NDSTC after obtaining command approval.

"The dive billets are typically three years," said Younkle. "However, many of our divers seek follow-on assignments to buoy tenders, NDSTC or the DOG to continue diving for the Coast Guard."

According to the final action memo from the Coast Guard cutter Healy's mishap investigation, Allen identified areas of the dive program management that needed improvement and reevaluation.

The establishment of the regional dive lockers improves the Coast Guard dive program and enables the mission to be accomplished.

For photos related to this story please click on the following links:

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Visit www.uscgboating.org for information on safe boating.

Coast Guardsman Carries Olympic Flame In San Francisco

2008-04-11T03:52:55Z

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Mallory Elizabeth Schafer, a 23-year-old U.S. Coast Guard seaman stationed at Integrated Support Command Alameda

on Coast Guard Island here, sat in the grand ballroom of the San Francisco Hilton listening attentively to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom as he addressed the men and women selected to bear the Olympic Torch during the relay in San Francisco Wednesday.

At the conference the bearers were paired up, with the exception of special needs bearers who were accompanied by escorts. They were informed of the route they were to run and given a schedule of events, including the opening and closing ceremonies. After the conference, Schafer said she and the other torch bearers were loaded onto buses that would transport them to the relay points.

Schafer, who is assigned to the industrial carpentry shop in the engineering division at ISC, said she first heard of the essay contest to select torch bearers on a news broadcast and applied online, submitting a short essay, but did not think she would actually be selected for the honor.

"I never get picked for anything," she said.

She was informed via e-mail by A Sustainable Journey, the San Francisco Olympic relay committee, that she would be a torch bearer pending approval from the Beijing Olympic Committee, she said.

Schafer said she had mixed emotions about her selection.

"I was a little nervous about being in the limelight," she said, "but more than anything I was really excited."

She wasn't the only one. Her parents, Mary Scullion and Dave Tucker, both Virginia residents, were also elated to hear about her selection.

"My dad was so excited he told everybody at work and he asked where I was going to be running and how he could see it."

Schafer said she didn't really change her fitness regimen in preparation for the run.

"I try to run two miles a day, three days a week, and I knew it wasn't going to be a marathon run so I didn't change up my routine."

Schafer said that she and the other bearers were informed of the last-minute route change soon after.

"I was a little nervous when they changed the route, but then I realized that it was nothing to worry about," she said of the mayor's decision to change the route of the relay. She said she knew there would be protestors, but never felt unsafe during the event.

Carrying the torch was a surreal experience, she said.

"It was like time stood still. Usually exciting events pass really fast, but this moved really slowly. I felt like I had a chance to soak it in and really enjoy the experience," Schafer said.

She said she was also affected by her fellow torch bearers, many of whom had to overcome difficult personal challenges. One runner was born with a crippling disease and he had to fight to overcome it and is now a high school track runner, she said.

"There were so many people with amazing stories. The challenges that people had to overcome really made me feel honored and humbled to be with them," she said.

Schafer said she was proud to be able to represent her country and take part in the traditional event.

"It's all still so surreal. All the attention is a little weird, (but) it was an awesome opportunity to take part in and I know I will never forget it."

Coast Guardsman Carries Olympic Flame in San Francisco

U.S. Coast Guard Seaman Mallory Schafer holds an olympic torch, a replica given to her after she helped carry the Olympic Torch through the streets of San Francisco April 9, 2008. Schafer, stationed at Integrated Support Command Alameda, was selected to carry the torch after submitting an essay, in a contest she learned about on a news broadcast. "It was an awesome opportunity and I know I will never forget it," said Shafer. "I was proud that I was able to represent not only the Coast Guard, but other military members." Schafer, a native of Hampton Roads, Va., has served in the Coast Guard seven months. U.S. Coast Guard Photo by Seaman Caleb Critchfield.

The Teacher

2006-10-11T15:28:55Z

The Teacher
Story and photos by PA2 Brian Leshak

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Thor Wentz spent two hours preparing his Coast Guard Tropical Blue Long uniform. He starched his light blue shirt evenly, adjusting the sleeves so he wouldn't create any unwanted wrinkles when he pressed it. Then on to his low quarter shoes, waxing and buffing until his fingertips hurt. He walked up to the mirror and took a big sigh before departing his office to greet his final class. Once outside, he saw his soon to be students arrive. Wentz gave the nod to a fellow Aviation Survival Technician instructor to open the hatches and blast the students with the fire hose welcoming them to their first day of class.

SAN FRANCISCO - Coast Guard Chief Aviation Survival Technician Thor Wentz stands in a Coast Guard HH-65 helicopter hangar where his swimmer shop is located. Wentz is a 22-year veteran Coast Guard rescue swimmer. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian N. Leshak)

Wentz is a chief aviation survival technician and has been for more than 22 years. A two-time instructor, he's been training, conditioning and educating rescue swimmers for most of his career.

"My first time instructing at swimmer school was between 93 and 97 when we still put our guys through the Navy school in Pensacola and then more recently from 2003 to 2006," said Wentz. "I've been involved in instruction for roughly half my career."

Wentz is not known for any dramatic saves and he doesn't have a huge number of rescues to brag about. What he does have is a reputation of being consistent, reliable and someone to turn to for the right answers. During his career he's taught rescue swimmers how to survive in the harshest environments, how to perform CPR and even how to sew.

Wentz hasn't become a well known instructor by accident; he comes from a family where teaching comes naturally.

"I'm the product of educator parents," said Wentz. "My father retired as a Navy captain with 26 years. He obtained his PHD and taught at the University level as a second career, and my mother has a Master's and taught at the grade school level for many years."

Wentz explained most people are uncomfortable speaking in front of crowds even when they're the subject matter expert, but he has little problem with it, which is why he's naturally been drawn to the instruction side of his rate.

"I've had excellent training and mentoring early in my career," he said. "I've learned to do things thoroughly and to have a high regard for the seriousness of our jobs."

Wentz's reputation typically precedes him wherever he goes. His strict work ethic is what makes people either love him or hate him.

"Chief Wentz has positively influenced the rate in the multiple instructor roles he has been in," said Aviation Survival Technician 1^st Class Miles Beardsley. "I had him as an instructor over 10 years ago where he taught me how to sew."

Twelve students make their way to Elizabeth City at a time to try and become one of roughly 270 ASTs. History shows that six or more students from each class will not make it to the end of the 16-week class.

"We have to be tough, because it's easy to quit in a controlled environment such as a pool that has a bottom and four sides, we can't have our guys giving up in the middle of an actual rescue," said Wentz.

SAN FRANCISCO - Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technician Thor Wentz (right) stands with his fellow crewmembers in a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter hangar. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian N. Leshak)

"The swimmer school I ran in Elizabeth City is less combative than the Navy school, we have a different enemy than the Navy does, ours is the environment and that's what I taught the students there how to handle," said Wentz. "The training we provide is still intense, we don't train for the easy stuff, we train for the worst possible scenario every time."

Wentz is currently stationed at Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco where he's in charge of a preparation process for aspiring ASTs. Students must go through the four-month airmen program at an air station where they will go through an extensive interview process before being shipped off to school.

"Everyone shows up in outstanding physical shape, but it's not the physical strength that will get you through school, it's the mental toughness," said Wentz. "That's my philosophy."

Rescue swimmers are accountable for more than being physically tough. Wentz explained that a student will spend more than four weeks alone in class studying a 137-page manual that teaches students ways to approach and carry a survivor, release equipment for Navy and Air Force flyers, detangle different parachutes and backpacks and numerous deployment procedures. Swimmers are also expert sewers. Wentz teaches aspiring ASTs an extremely important part of their job, how to sew parachutes, flight suits and gear storage bags.

"During class, sewing is taught as a prerequisite to the paraloft phase of instruction," said Wentz. "Often, items are so specialized that there are none commercially available so we are able to custom make them to fit our individual needs."

After the 16-week training is over, it's mandatory that all ASTs attend a four-week Emergency Medical Technician school at the Coast Guard Training Center in Petaluma, Calif., which Wentz has taught during his career.

"Our guys have to be completely and thoroughly ready for anything, brand new swimmers can pop out of school and almost immediately by chance be thrown into a horrible search and rescue case demanding everything of them," he said.

Wentz was the 17^th operational rescue swimmer since the Coast Guard first implemented the AST rate in 1984. He's nearing the end of his career and is thinking of the people who will replace him.

"I'm getting to that point where I have to start thinking of who will fill my shoes when I'm gone, I'm training my own relief, the Coast Guard needs to be left in good hands and I want to make sure of that when I retire," said Wentz.

Aviation Survival Technician 3^rd Class Lake Downham is one of Chief Wentz's reliefs. Downham was in the last class Wentz taught and coincidentally they both transferred to Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco.

"I heard war stories about Chief Wentz and his workouts before I actually met him," said Downham. "Once I got to school I learned quick not to make any mistakes in front of him, and to get ready when I saw him enter the pool building."

Once students arrive to school, senior ASTs give the newbies a run down of what they're in store for. But the reality doesn't sink in until the students hit the water. Swimmers are trained to handle many situations; one of them is how to handle a frantic victim that may hinder the rescue.

"Most new classes are worried about all the physical training involved in school, which is definitely something to think about, but all the push-ups and pull-ups are nothing compared to sitting on the tower looking down at some of the best rescue swimmers in the Coast Guard waiting to attack you the moment you break the surface of the water," said Downham.

Wentz admits he really hasn't thought much about what he wants to do after life as a swimmer.

"In one form or another I've instructed every swimmer in the Coast Guard," said Wentz. "I feel pretty accomplished. San Francisco will likely be my last air station as an AST and after that I'll probably retire and be a greeter at Wal-Mart," he said jokingly.

After 16-weeks, seven of the 12 made it through Wentz's class. He proudly shakes each of their hands before returning to his room. He lays his combo cover down on his rack for the last time as an instructor. His teaching days may be over at "A" school, but he still has a few years to work with the up and coming swimmers at hi air station.

"It's personally very gratifying to produce the next generation of a rate, my relief," said Wentz. "Their success is my success."

The Perfect Present on the Coast Guard's Birthday

2006-10-10T17:39:41Z

The Perfect Present on the Coast Guard's Birthday
Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jetta Disco and Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin Neff

When humans take to the sea, they have traditionally brought along animals for various reasons, from rodent control to companionship to help pass the long days.

The Coast Guard has had animals serve in various capacities, from working dogs used to aid in maritime law enforcement, to mascots on ships and stations that help improve morale.

The most recent member to join the crew at Coast Guard Station Golden Gate, Sausalito, Calif., arrived July 21, 2006. Sierra "Crissy" Field, a nine-week-old black Labrador puppy began her trip from Astoria, Ore., flew to Sacramento and continued by car to her new home in the shadows of the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Petty Officer 1^st Class Jessica Shafer had recently transferred from Cape Disappointment where she had worked with Chief Warrant Officer Joel Abstetar. Mr. Abstetar, the Executive Officer of Station Cape "D," was also a dog breeder.

"I had wanted to get a puppy from Mr. Abstetar, but when I was transferring down here I didn't get one because of being in the city," said Shafer. "When I got to Station Golden Gate they were talking about getting a station dog so I connected them with Mr. Abstetar."

It was nice, I got still got my dog, she said cheerfully.

Chief Petty Officer Stephen Allen, Executive Petty Officer of Station Golden Gate, contacted Mr. Abstetar about getting one of his puppies.

To the delight of the Station Golden Gate crew, Mr. Abstetar donated one his puppies to the station. Arrangements were then made for Sierra to get a seat aboard a C-130 aircraft that happened to be making a scheduled law enforcement flight from Air Station Astoria to Air Station Sacramento.

When Sierra arrived in Sacramento, Petty Officer 2^nd Class Joseph Jinks and Petty Officer 3^rd Class Scott Mackey were there to meet her. From there, the three made the two-hour trip by car to Station Golden Gate. Exhausted from her long day of traveling, Sierra curled up and quickly fell asleep in the female locker room.

"I'm so excited. I've always wanted to have a dog at the station," said Petty Officer 3^rd Class Amy Wallin.

The next morning Sierra was introduced to the busy routine of a search and rescue station. She anxiously jumped into her first mission, assisting in locating a partially submerged vessel that had washed ashore. She scoured the beaches and met with local residents, all of whom were delighted to welcome the newest station team member.

Over the next two weeks Sierra made her transition from her life in Oregon to her new home at the station. She quickly adapted to having free rein of the station and a large fenced-in backyard.

Now, Sierra wakes each morning to the reveille pipe then follows the crew down to the docks for daily boat checks, where she is becoming accustomed to climbing aboard the stations' boats. Sierra helps the crew with boat maintenance or sleeps in the communications center, curled up at the watchstander's feet. She no longer seems startled by the search and rescue alarms.

Sierra has proven to be a warm and welcome addition to the crew at Station Golden Gate. Her shipmates enjoy her company and look forward to many years of serving with her.