RESERVE NEWS
Heitner,
Apperson win EPOY for 2000
|
WASHINGTON, D.C. — BM2
Lee P. Heitner and MK1 Rawlins D. Apperson have been named 2000 Coast
Guard Enlisted Persons of the Year (EPOY).
Both were selected for this national award due to their exemplary
military bearing, leadership ability and work performance.
BM2 Heitner, 34, this
year’s active duty EPOY, is currently assigned to the Pacific Tactical
Law Enforcement Team (PACTACLET) in San Diego.
He is an exceptional boarding officer with quals as an ionscan
operator, flight observer, ops petty officer, Spanish linguist, and
weapons petty officer. When
deployed to other nations, he is often called upon to use his many skills
to provide technical training and give insightful briefs to personnel from
foreign nations.
Heitner, a resident of
Ocean Beach, Calif., has made superior contributions to his unit and the
surrounding community. He
volunteers for a local soup kitchen, and the Drug Awareness Resistance and
Education (DARE) program, including a jamboree with over 1,200 students
from local schools.
“I’m deeply honored to be recognized as
the Coast Guard EPOY,” said Heitner.
“None of this would have been possible without the unending
teamwork and support of the crew and command at Pacific Tactical Law
Enforcement Team. In the past year, I have been fortunate enough to be able to
travel completely around the world in support of Coast Guard missions. In
my travels, I worked closely with the navies and coast guards of many
different countries. The best
part of it was the respect and admiration they held for the USCG.
I think I’m the luckiest person in the world when I’m underway
in Coast Guard Blue.” |
BM2
Lee P. Heitner |
|
MK1
Rawlins D. Apperson |
Heitner, who enlisted in the
Coast Guard in April 1995, was born in New York City.
He attended Humboldt State University, Arcata, Calif. from 1995-1997.
This year’s Reserve EPOY, MK1
Apperson, 47, is assigned to CGC Mustang in Seward, Alaska.
His personal commitment to reducing the burden of isolated rural Alaska
has greatly minimized the acclimation period of new personnel and their
families. He has personally
assisted with plowing driveways, removing heavy snow from roof tops and provided
emergency repairs to members’ homes while the unit was underway.
He has been vital in troubleshooting countless systems, tracing grounds
and fixing parts. Part of his daily
routine is to inspect both the unaccompanied housing and mooring facility.
He has applied his maintenance expertise on many occasions.
Apperson is active in the local community as an assistant Cub Scout
master and has participated in several weekend camping activities.
He is also an avid sponsor of Seward High School’s ski team.
“I was surprised and honored
to be named Reserve EPOY,” said Apperson.
“This award would not have been possible without the support and trust
of the CGC Mustang crew, Commanding Officer LT S. Pearson, Executive Officer
LTJG J. Dubay, MKC R. Dunno, my employer, and especially my very supportive wife
and family.”
Born in Greenville, Texas,
Apperson enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1973 and has served eight years active
duty and 19 years in the Reserve. In
addition to extensive training he received in the Coast Guard, he holds a
two-year certificate in plumbing and heating from the University of Alaska in
Palmer. Apperson is employed as a
maintenance mechanic by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Marine
Science, Seward Marine Center. He
is married to Bonnie Apperson and they reside in Seward with their two children,
Heather, 15, and David, 13.
Both Heitner and Apperson were
selected from a competitive field of Coast Guard active and reserve personnel
(see lists on this page). They were
recognized during ceremonies in Washington, D.C. the week of June 18. ALCOAST 186/01 announced their selections.
Active
Duty Nominees
Name
Unit
BM2 Todd M.
Behney
D1, CG Station
Point Allerton
ET2 Chris M.
Wagner
D5, CGC Elm (WLB 204)
BM2 David N.
Lewis
D7, Group Key West
MST3 Michael
L. Watts
D8, MSO Morgan City
MK1 Brian S.
Hall
D9, CGC Mackinaw (WAGB83)
BM3 Jay S.
Fair
D11, Activities San Diego
SK1 Clark T.
Jelley
D13, MSO Puget Sound
TC2 Kien M.
Pham
D14, Command Center
DC1 John W.
Holtzinger D17,
Air Station Sitka
TC1 Brett R.
Rouzer
LANTAREA
BM2 Lee P.
Heitner
PACAREA TACLET
YN3 Dustin
M. Joseph
MLCLANT, ISC Cleveland
EM1 John W.
Alexander
MLCPAC, ISC Ketchikan
HS2 Maria A.
Cintron
HQ,
CINTRON of MEPS LA
YN1 Diane E.
Copper
CG Academy, New London
Reserve
Nominees
MST3 Jack D.
La Torre
D1, Activities New York
YN1
Christine M. Ostrom
D5, MSO Wilmington
PS1 Raymond
L. Spann
D8, MSO Louisville
MST1 James
Rachwal
D9, MSO Detroit
BM3 Benjamin
J. Bridwell
D11, Group San Francisco
MK2
Christopher W. Stadiem D13,
Station Seattle
TC1 Michele
C. Roe
D14, Group Honolulu
MK1 Rawlins
D. Apperson
D17, CGC Mustang
YN1 Susan A.
Glenn
LANTAREA, HDCU 201
QM1 Bryan L.
Hunt
PACAREA, PSU 313
SK2 Susan R.
Bacot
MLCLANT, ESU Portsmouth
YN2 Johnnie
T. Dodge
MLCPAC, ISC Honolulu
SK1 Terence
E. Mansur
HQ, ELC Baltimore
Sparks Award
goes to MSO Paducah
Marine
Safety Office Paducah, Ky. has been selected as the recipient of the RADM
Bennett S. “Bud” Sparks Award for 2000.
The Sparks Award is presented
annually by the Reserve Officers Association of the United States to the active
command judged to be the most supportive of a totally integrated Coast Guard
force.
From a very competitive field
this year, MSO Paducah was selected due to its impressive leadership and
partnership initiatives. MSO
Paducah’s assigned reservists covered 48 weekends of duty section watches with
a 92 percent attendance rate, strong numbers in spite of exceptionally long
distances traveled to the duty site, and a testament to the commitment by the
command to Team Coast Guard. Reservists
were instrumental in the effective management by the unit of its deckhand and
towing vessel training certification and partnership programs, key initiatives
to enhance maritime safety and environmental protection on inland waterways.
MSO Paducah effectively trained and integrated reservists into key
leadership roles, including XO, MSD Supervisor, and various department head,
training board, safety boat, and QMB positions.
MSO Paducah implemented an “electronic YN“ and “E-study hall”
chat room, technological innovations to optimize communications and information
exchange for its geographically dispersed crew.
The MSO also established a Reserve integration work group, a formal
structure for process improvements, issues resolution, and continuing dialogue.
“This award is the
culmination of over 20 years of hard work by all members of Team Coast Guard who
have been stationed at Marine Safety Office Paducah,”
said CDR Michael Blair, Commanding Officer, MSO Paducah.
“Recently transferred CDR Michael Mazzone, and Paducah Reserve Plank
Owners CDR William Huston and MCPO Kenneth Hollowell and many others have played
major roles in all aspects of reserve integration at the MSO.“
ALCOAST 224/01 announced MSO
Paducah’s selection from a field of 10 units.
Units wishing to submit packages for future SPARKS Award competition are
encouraged to review the MSO Paducah package under the Reserve Web site’s
“Hot Items.”
The 2000 Sparks Award will be
presented to MSO Paducah’s Commanding Officer, CDR Michael Blair and Senior
Reserve Officer, CDR William Huston at the Reserve Officers Association Annual
Convention in Albuquerque, N.M. on July 6.
New D13 RCMC
and PS Force Manager Appointed
Congratulations
to MCPO Wayne North on his appointment to the position of D13 RCMC.
North will succeed MCPO James Connolly who is now the PACAREA Reserve
Command Master Chief. Congratulations also to PSCM Jeff Smith who recently took on
the role of Port Security Rating Manager. Smith
relieves North who had served as PS Rating Manager since June 1, 2000.
Kentucky House
Passes Resolution Backing Strong USCG
FRANKFORT,
Ky. — The Commonwealth of Kentucky’s House of Representatives adopted House
Resolution No. 151 on March 8, 2001. The
major points of the resolution are: port security and homeland defense are not
just issues for the coastline, but also for our inland navigable waterways; the
U.S. Coast Guard should ask for more resources and increase planning in roles
involving national defense, port and homeland security, and maritime security;
USCG should continue to elevate its presence within the Department of Defense;
and the Coast Guard’s “Deepwater Project” is critical to maritime security
and should be approved by Congress.
Representatives Steven Riggs,
John Adams, Mike Cherry, Jodie Haydon, William Scott, Charles Siler, and John
Weaver introduced the resolution. The
resolution was adopted unanimously and sent to Congress.
Galley of the
Year Awards Presented
Coast Guard Galleys
of the Year award recipients gather on the stage for final applause at the
Joint Services Excellence in Food Service Awards.
Photos by PA2 Dan L. Tremper, PACAREA/D11 PADET |
Coast Guard Galleys of
the Year award recipients were on hand to receive awards in a ceremony
held in Anaheim, Calif. March 3, 2001.
The Joint Service Excellence in Food Service Awards, sponsored by
the International Food Service Executives Association, are held annually
to recognize excellence in food service by the Coast Guard, Army, Navy,
Marine Corps and Military Sealift Command.
This year’s Coast Guard
winners came from units around the country to receive their awards at this
prestigious event. On hand to
present the awards were RADM Joyce Johnson, MLC Director of Health and
Safety and MCPOCG Vincent Patton. This year’s winners were: |
LARGE
AFLOAT
CGC
Gallatin, CGC Mellon, runner-up
MEDIUM
AFLOAT
CGC
Confidence, CGC Harriet Lane, runner-up
SMALL
AFLOAT
CGC
Bluebell, CGC Washington, runner-up
LARGE
ASHORE
AIRSTA
Clearwater, AIRSTA Cape Cod, runner-up
MEDIUM
ASHORE
ISC San
Pedro, ISC Honolulu, runner-up
SMALL
ASHORE
Station
Manasquan Inlet, Station Gulfport, runner-up
— By PA2 Dan
Tremper, PACAREA/D11 PADET
CG Reservists
Go “Down Under”
SYDNEY, Australia — It’s
Australia’s Centennial this year and five Coast Guard Reservists are headed
“Down Under” to help them celebrate. The
U.S. Coast Guard Reserve was asked to join the other U.S. Reserve Components for Australia’s Reserve Forces Day and related events from
June 23 to July 3.
The five Coast Guard Reservists
attending are LT Ken Stefanisin, Naval Coastal Warfare Group One, San Diego;
CWO2 Brance McCune, ELC Baltimore; BMC Tim Sullivan, Station Seattle; PS2 Carol
Mullins, MSO Tampa; and PS2 James Cullen, Activities New York.
All are former national ROA Outstanding Junior Officers or Reserve
Enlisted Persons of the Year.
The CG Reservists will
participate in several events, including a parade in Sydney on July 1 as well as
visit the Federal Parliament in Canberra. They
will also meet with government officials and Australian Reservists. These events are being organized in conjunction with the
Centenary of Federation National Events, which commemorates the 100th
anniversary of the Australian federation.
Cape May
Dedication
| Two Coast Guard members stand
tall aboard the new CG-44404 Motor Life Boat Memorial during its
dedication at Training Center Cape May, N.J. May 31.
The Douglas Munro exhibit was also dedicated the same day, the
Training Center’s 53rd birthday. Photo
courtesy CWO Bill Carson, USCG
|
 |
“Reserve”
Pomp & Circumstance
 |
Three graduates of Maine
Maritime Academy’s Class of 2001 were commissioned CGR ensigns May 6 in
Castine, Maine. Left to right
are Harold F. King, Turner, Maine; Trevor M. Gill, Annapolis, Md.; and
Daniel C. Barrett, Point Pleasant, N.J.
The grads were enrolled in the Coast Guard’s Maritime Academy
Reserve Training Program. Photo
courtesy LTJG Mike McCarthy, MSO Portland
|
Good Morning
and Be Smart America
| PFD Panda (aka PA3 Mike Hvozda)
visits with Good Morning America host and former Coast Guard member
Charlie Gibson May 25. PFD
Panda made a brief appearance on the show to remind America to “be smart
from the start, wear a life jacket” as part of New York’s annual Fleet
Week, which coincided with National Safe Boating Week.
Photo by PA3 Tom Sperduto, USCG |
 |
A Winning
Design...
 |
Seven-year-old Jesse Dowell
displays a model 44-foot USCG motor surfboat that won him the Best Design
Award and accompanying trophies in the annual Boy Scouts Pinewood Derby
(Mohawk District) competition. The
proud crew consists of Jesse, a Tiger Cub, and his father, EM3 James K.
Dowell, USCGR, who worked on the winning “car” together.
Photo by EM3 James K. Dowell, USCGR |
|
New
Bull Ensign
ENS Nelson Santiago,
USCGR, left, places the “Bull Ensign” hat on ENS Sean Hughes, USCGR,
at an HQ ceremony May 9. The
Bull Ensign is a long-standing tradition given to the most junior ensign
serving in the Office of Reserve. Santiago
held the “honor” from October 2000 until May 2001.
Photo by PAC Edward J. Kruska, USCGR
|
 |
A SAFE
Salute
 |
Coast Guardsmen
“aboard” a Station Los Angeles Safe Boat salute during the 42nd annual
Armed Forces Day Parade in Torrance, Calif. on May 19. Left to right, SNBM
Ilisha Choi, USCGR, Stephanie Soars, CWO2 Everett Soars, and Andrea Soars.
Also representing the Coast Guard were RADM Mary P. O’Donnell,
USCGR, PSU 311’s Raider boat, an Auxiliary Facility boat, the Aids to
Navigation dual-wheel truck, and a color guard from Support Center San
Pedro. Photo by CWO4 Lance
Jones, PADET Los Angeles |
Water Safety
Presenter
| BM2 Tom Carey, USCGR, of Station
Wrightsville Beach, N.C., speaks with third graders from Baldwin
Elementary School in Hope Mills, N.C. during March as part of the
school’s water safety month. The
students also learned about lifejackets and were able to “board” the
21-foot RHI supplied by Station Oak Island.
Carey is a police officer in Hope Mills.
Photo by Nicole Mincey, Hope Mills Police Department |
 |
Point of No
Return
 |
It was a proud and
somewhat bittersweet moment for the crew of CGC Point Stuart, (WPB
82358) shown here at the decommissioning ceremony April 26.
The 82-footer, homeported in Newport Beach, Calif., is being
transferred to the El Salvadorian Naval Forces.
Photo by PA2 Dan Tremper, D11/PACAREA PADET |
PSU 307’s
Whirlwind of Activity
|
TAMPA, Fla. — Things
are normally busy at PSU 307, but the month of May and beginning of June
was an especially busy time. First,
on May 9, six members of PSU 307 who had been deployed to the Middle East
with PSU Detachment Delta, were welcomed home to cheers and tears by
family and friends at Tampa International Airport.
Twenty-two unit members, along with 23 PSU 309 members, remained
deployed to the region at press time but were due back home June 22.
Then, on May 18, the PSU
participated in the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” at
the Long Center in Clearwater. Organized
by QM2 Sandy Maszera, the relay was a continuous 18-hour event.
“PSU 307 raised over
$2,000 and all teams together raised over $96,000,” said Maszera.
“We plan on participating again next year as well and inviting
other Coast Guard units to join us.”
As that event was
wrapping up, unit members were on hand to talk with the public at an open
house at Group St. Petersburg, which happened to fall on Armed Forces Day.
That same weekend, the unit was involved in a training exercise
with the Lee Country Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and the SS American
Victory. PSU 307’s mission
was to repel the “terrorists” from the Sheriff’s Office who tried to
“take over” the American Victory.
Then, during early June, unit members not deployed to the Middle
East held their annual two weeks ADT.
PSU 307 is commanded by CDR Paul Crissy, USCGR. |
Family Members
welcome home members of PSU 307 from the Middle East. |
Members of PSU at the
Open House at group St. Petersburg. |
307’s participants
in the Relay for Life at the Long Center in Clearwater.
Photos courtesy CDR Paul Crissy and PSU 307 members |
HDC 114
Supports Fifth Fleet in Arabian Gulf
ARABIAN GULF — Thirty-one
members of Harbor Defense Command 114, a composite U.S. Navy/Coast Guard unit
based in Long Beach, Calif., recently deployed to the Arabian Gulf to support a
Fifth Fleet exercise with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations.
To conduct its Naval Coastal
Warfare mission, HDCU 114 was joined by 70 personnel from Inshore Boat Unit (IBU)
11 from Everett, Wash. and Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit (MIUWU) 110
based in Portland, Ore. HDC 114 was
also augmented by personnel from HDC 110, based in San Diego, Calif., Mobile
Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit 105 from Los Angeles and Naval Coastal Warfare
Group One from San Diego.
“The combined NCW forces met
the challenge of deploying from the United States and operating as a
self-contained force protection unit, operating shoreside command, control and
communications equipment and providing seaward training to participating nations
in small boat operations and tactics,” said HDC 114’s Commanding Officer
CAPT Bill Hall, USNR.
HDC 114’s mission is to train
and deploy as a force protection package for U.S. and Allied forces by providing
command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) for Naval
Coastal Warfare units on the shores and ports of any waterway in the world.
— By LT John
Garofolo, HDC 114, USCGR
PSU 313
Trains with Army Rangers
TACOMA, Wash. — 10 May 2001. Zero dark thirty. In
the bushes on the shore, an Army Ranger Strike Team from 2nd Battalion, 75th
Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash., is postured in the bushes waiting for the
call in a simulated training exercise, involving both the Rangers and the Coast
Guard Reserve’s PSU 313.
The call comes in from 1,000
meters offshore as BM1 John Yeager, the lead coxswain and PSU 313 member, grabs
the handset from his AN/PRC-117, and
confidently establishes contact
with the awaiting Strike Team. As
the Task Force from the PSU comes closer to the shore, the Army Rangers see
three 25-foot Piranha boats armed to the teeth bearing 50 cal. machine guns. The other Piranha boats, led by BM3 Brian Burfoot and BM3
Jason Martin, skillfully beach the boats to await loading of the Army Rangers.
After the Rangers have
embarked, the three PSU Piranha boats speed to the shore of Macneil Island under
the cover of darkness and covertly approach the shore of this simulated
“hostile nation.” As the boats
touch down and the Rangers disembark from the boats, the three PSU boats slip
silently into the dark and posture themselves to await the call for extraction
at the agreed pick-up point.
After the Rangers “blow up”
the radio tower that they have been charged to do, the call goes in and the
three Piranha boats rush to the shore to extract the Strike Team.
As the PSU boats get into position to pick up the team, they come under
fire from hostile OPFOR nation and the gunners swing into action.
Led by PS2 Dennis Telfer, the gunners from the Piranha boats inflict
massive casualties on the OPFOR allowing for the safe extraction of the Ranger
Strike Team. Harkening back to the
days of the Coast Guard’s only Medal of Honor recipient Douglas Munro, Yeager
leads the escape and evasion of the ground troops and retreats into the night.
With the success of the
mission, it proved to all that the capabilities and the missions of the United
States Coast Guard Port Security community can support elite ground troops.
— By TC2
Rick Burke, PSU 313, USCGR
Arctic
Service Medal
 |
CAPT Ray Seebald, CO of MSO
Chicago, left, proudly presents the Arctic Service Medal to 91-year-old
CDR Karl E. Stein, USCGR(ret.), center, while Stein’s wife, Flora,
looks. Stein served aboard
USS Tampa while on Greenland Patrol during WWII.
He was on Comms watch and alerted the bridge when USS Escanaba was
sunk by the enemy June 13, 1943. The
Steins, who visited the MSO March 6, will also be guests of honor at this
year’s Coast Guard Festival. Photo courtesy of CDR Lynn Henderson, USCG |
WANTED:
USCG FESTIVAL GRAND PARADE
VOLUNTEERS
The theme of this year’s U.S.
Coast Guard Festival is “United States Coast Guard Reserve: Sixty Years of
Service to America.” The Festival
committee is soliciting volunteers from the Reserve community to represent each
decade of the Reserve’s 60 years, beginning with the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, etc.
and up through the present, to march and ride in the Grand Parade. Whether you’re an active reservist or retired, man or
woman, young or old, come be a part of this unique and historic event, one of
Michigan’s largest and best parades. The
event is set for Saturday, Aug. 4, 2001, 12 noon in Grand Haven, Mich., Coast
Guard City, USA. Deadline to sign
up for marching is Friday, July 20! Interested
parties should contact LCDR Jim Butler at 616-846-0855, e-mail: jujube@novagate.com
or CPO Ed Kruska at 1-800-842-8740, ext. 7-1991, e-mail: ekruska@comdt.uscg.mil.
USCG Festival Web site: www.grandhaven.com/ghcgfest.
For info on Grand Haven area accommodations, call 1-800-303-4097 or
visit: www.grandhavenchamber.org