Aug. 31, 2020

The View from The Bridge

Note: This column originally appeared in the August 2020 edition of Reserve Magazine.

Wow. What a world we're living in right now.

Before COVID-19, we never conceived of things like remote Reserve drilling or training via video conference.

Aug. 31, 2020

Dear Coast Guard Family: The Choice Between Peace and Perfection

How we spend our time is one of life’s greatest and most impactful choices. I spend a lot of my time trying to be perfect. The (hard) truth is – perfection is unattainable.

Aug. 28, 2020

Major Marine Investigators Recognized for Excellence

When an emergency occurs on the water, most mariners know to call the Coast Guard for help on channel 16 of their marine radio. Our boat crews and aircrews are maritime first responders, saving lives and property at sea.
What happens after a maritime tragedy? How do we keep it from happening again?
Enter the Coast Guard’s Marine Investigators.

Aug. 27, 2020

Aerial Heroism: The 2020 Aviation Award Winners

The Coast Guard is widlely known for its daring and heroic rescues at sea. Some of those most daring rescues occur from the Service’s premier aviation search and rescue (SAR) capabilities.
This year, the Sector Humboldt Bay crew of Coast Guard rescue helicopter 6561 risked their lives to rescue two critically injured firefighters from a clearing, while flames engulfed nearby trees. Without the aircrew’s creativity and tenacity, it is likely these two men would not have survived the fire.

Aug. 26, 2020

Command leadership can now use the Agile Workforce Guide

The Coast Guard released the updated COVID-19 Agile Workforce Guide this week to provide commanding officers and managers with a common framework that can help protect the workforce while ensuring mission readiness. The purpose of the guide is to help assess risk and tailor mitigation measures in a safe, controlled, and thoughtful way.

Aug. 26, 2020

Station Grand Isle and Sector LA-Long Beach spouses honored for supporting Coast Guard families

The Coast Guard recognizes two hardworking volunteers as the Coast Guard’s Wanda Allen-Yearout Ombudsman of the Year Award for 2019. Dahna Simmons and Jenna Hall distinguished themselves out of the service’s 350 ombudsman throughout the service, going above and beyond assisting fellow spouses and families during the past year. This award recognizes their outstanding contributions during a difficult 2019 as our Coast Guard families navigated an unprecedented combination of natural disasters, financial uncertainty during the government shutdown, deployments, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aug. 14, 2020

Deck Plate Leader of the Week: Master Chief Petty Officer Dan Schlangen

Master Chief Schlangen stands out as the best-of-the-best leader, exemplifying the Coast Guard core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty.

Aug. 4, 2020

Your Next Idea Could be the Game Changer for the Coast Guard Workforce

Specific innovative technologies are often referred to as game changers, however, the real game changers at the Coast Guard are the women and men who make up the workforce. You can be part of this force for change by submitting your ideas to the Research, Development, Test & Evaluation and Innovation (RDT&E) Program. You may be responsible for helping solve some of the Coast Guard’s most wicked challenges!

July 31, 2020

Being Proactive about Life—Suicide Prevention Efforts at the Coast Guard

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month—a designated time to discuss the very real threat suicide presents to the Coast Guard and the steps we’re taking to ensure the mental health of our members and workforce.

July 8, 2020

COVID chaos? Your ombudsman can help. Here's how.

Ironically, this is an article about avoiding information overload – and finding just the resources you actually need.“Families are getting 5,000 emails a day about coronavirus, and it makes our eyes glaze over,” says Tiffany Lyford. Her husband is active duty on board the CGC KATHERINE WALKER, and she’s the unit ombudsman. “I stay on top of it