‘One sniper shot at a time’
February 24th, 2010 | Coast Guard | Posted by Susan Schept
An advertisement to watch a sneak preview of "Modern Sniper: Coast Guard" on the Military Channel. //Coast Guard and Military Channel
The Coast Guard invited the media to attend an all-hands sneak preview in Jacksonville, Fla., of the debut of “Modern Sniper” on the Military Channel. Although Scoop Deck could not be there, we will be watching as the cable channel profiles the Jacksonville-based Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. central) on Thursday, Feb. 25. Known as HITRON, the unit is tasked with stopping drug trafficking,
One sniper shot at a time.”
The miracle of cell phones
February 23rd, 2010 | Coast Guard | Posted by Susan Schept
Coast Guard Health Services Technican 2nd Class Jeremiah Romankowski, attached to the Port Security Unit 311, administers first aid Feb. 14 to people in Leogane. // PA2 Thomas M. Blue / Coast Guard
A resourceful Coast Guard volunteer has been using social media and cell phone text messages to help rescuers find Haitians who are trapped or have been missed by food and water distributions, according to The New York Times. Ryan Bank has worked with the State Department, the Pentagon, aid groups and Haiti’s leading cell phone carrier, among other entities, to get help to Haitians.
Although cell phones calls could not get connected, text messages were easier because they used less bandwidth. Kudos to clever thinking. Bank has received more than 18,000 messages.
A benefit to remember a tragic one-year anniversary
February 15th, 2010 | Coast Guard | Posted by Susan Schept
Former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler hosted a football fundraiser Saturday to honor three of his friends who died in a boating accident almost a year ago, according to the Tampa Tribune.
The boat reportedly capsized Feb. 28 in the Gulf of Mexico when the anchor caught. Schuyler was rescued by the Coast Guard. The three others onboard drowned: the owner of the boat, Marquis Cooper, a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders; Will Bleakley, a former USF football player; and Corey Smith, a former player with the Detroit Lions.
One of the beneficiaries of the flag-football tournament and sports memorabilia auction in Lutz was the nonprofit Coast Guard Foundation, which supports the “education, welfare and morale” of Coast Guard members. Right now, that means helping out the Coast Guard members and families who were stationed in Haiti when the Jan. 12 earthquake hit.
A long way to go
February 15th, 2010 | Diving Navy | Posted by Susan Schept
Navy Chief Equipment Operators Steve Eckroth, left, and Mark Hurley, right, assigned to Underwater Construction Team 1, and Army Spc. Leslie Shiltz, assigned to the 544th Engineer Team (Dive), wrap wire around adjoining pieces of re-enforcement bar while strengthening sections of a pier in Port-au-Prince on Feb. 8.//MC2 Chris Lussier/Navy
Here’s a look at what the Navy and the Army are up against in rebuilding the earthquake-damaged pier in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The pilings are barely there. The repair work could take months to complete.
A thank you, from the top
January 29th, 2010 | Coast Guard Morale | Posted by Susan Schept
Information Technician 2nd Class Jose Estrada, from the 270-foot cutter Tahoma, rushes an injured Haitian girl to an awaiting Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter Jan. 19 in Killick.//PA3 Brandyn Hill/Coast Guard
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen took time out Thursday to give Coast Guardsmen a well-deserved pat on the back for being the first responders after the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. The Coast Guard deployed 1,000 service members, eight cutters, five planes and five helicopters over the past two weeks. The service also stood up a Homeland Security Task Force in Miami to help evacuate American personnel in Haiti.
In a five-minute video on his blog, Allen thanked service members:
“There will be difficult times in the days and weeks ahead, but I feel our men and women are up to the challenge…You have performed superbly and I thank you.”
Mullen plays it straight on ‘Daily Show’
January 7th, 2010 | leadership Morale | Posted by Susan Schept
Jon Stewart interviews Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen during a Jan. 6 airing of the Daily Show in New York City.//MC1 Chad J. McNeeley/Navy
Adm. Mike Mullen took a break Jan. 6 for a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in New York City. The comedian wasted no time with his first question. (Click here for the video.)
“Obviously without giving away too much, when are we going to bomb Yemen?” Stewart asked, referring to the country where would-be airline bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab trained before trying to blow up a plane on Christmas day.
“I have some things in storage there, and I would like to know if I need to move them to Oman,” Stewart said.
“Not real soon,” Mullen said.
Stewart didn’t throw too many curve balls. He stayed pretty serious, asking questions about the troop build-up in Afghanistan, the home front and other issues. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff steered clear of commenting on the differing styles of his former and current bosses, but he did praise President Barack Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.
“I thought he made a courageous decision to get at this enemy who continues to threaten us, not just in Afghanistan, but also in Pakistan, and there’s no better evidence of that than what happened on the 25th of December,” Mullen said, referring to the botched airline bombing.
MCPOCG sends safety message
December 23rd, 2009 | Blogs Coast Guard Mishaps | Posted by Susan Schept
A 33-foot patrol boat similar to the one involved in a fatal accident over the weekend.//Photo by PA3 Henry G. Dunphy/Coast Guard
The Coast Guard is having a difficult December with two boating accidents — the latest on Sunday when a Coast Guard boat struck a recreational boat in San Diego and killed an 8-year-old boy. On Dec. 5, a Coast Guard boat collided with a commercial catamaran in Charleston Harbor, S.C., and two people were injured. Both incidents took place during or after Christmas parades on the water.
While the NTSB investigates the causes to both accidents, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Skip Bowen offered words of caution in his blog on Monday:
In the meantime I’m asking all of you to speak with your people regarding operational safety. This is a busy time of the year. In some areas the winter weather can create extremely dangerous conditions. ..We must operate safely regardless of the environment we find ourselves in.
Top Coast Guard videos
December 16th, 2009 | Coast Guard | Posted by Susan Schept
The Coast Guard has released a list of its Top 11 videos, showing Coasties at their best. Why 11? Because the Coast Guard has 11 missions…
People can vote online at the Coast Guard’s YouTube channel for their favorite video in the Coast Guard’s best video of 2009 contest. Scoop Deck does not wish to skew the voting, but it does have its favorites: Check out the pirate capture and the medical evacuation from the submarine.
Wheel of (Military) Fortune!
December 14th, 2009 | Coast Guard Morale Navy | Posted by Susan Schept
Sony Pictures Television
It’s “Heroes’ Week” on Wheel of Fortune from Dec. 14 to 18. Of course, every service is represented, but Scoop Deck thought you might want to know more about the sailors and Coasties playing.
Here are the bios released by Wheel of Fortune:
Coast Guard Health Services Technician 2nd Class Amber Barrick, stationed at Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., will appear Dec. 15. Originally from Ohio, she also is a tactical casualty combat care instructor. Barrick tried out for the show at a Wheelmobile event in Orlando.
Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Chuck Paris, commanding officer of the 87-foot patrol craft Halibut stationed in Marina Del Rey, Calif., will appear Dec. 16. Originally from East Tawakoni, Texas, he enjoys jogging, surfing, and playing football.
Engineman 3rd Class Scott Mulligan, stationed aboard the dock landing ship Pearl Harbor in San Diego, also will appear that night. He has been in the Navy for six years and enjoys playing and watching sports. Both Paris and Mulligan applied online at WheelofFortune.com to become contestants and were called for an audition.
Coast Guard Marine Science Technician 3rd Class Frances Bastob, stationed at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif., will appear Dec. 17. Also that night, Cmdr. Steve Cincotta, a submarine commander stationed at Navy Mine Anti-Submarine Warfare Command in San Diego, will appear. Originally from Berwick, Maine, he is a 20-year Navy veteran. Both tried out for the show at a Wheelmobile event in Carlsbad, Calif.
Yeoman 1st Class (SW) Reggie Goins works at the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, Calif. Reggie, originally from Tazewell, Tenn., has been in the Navy for 17 years and will appear on Dec. 18.
All I want for Christmas is an EPIRB…
December 14th, 2009 | Coast Guard | Posted by Susan Schept
Members of the Kodiak Officer's Spouses Association help bring gifts to the remote Kodiak Island villages. // PA1 Sara Francis / Coast Guard
If you haven’t already penned your must-haves for your Christmas list, the Coast Guard has done it for you with the release of its ideas for “12 nautical days of Christmas.”
Topping this list, of course, is a marine GPS navigation system. That’s right. Come Jan. 4, the Coast Guard is pulling the plug on LORAN-C.
As the Coast Guard’s chief of media relations — Lt. Cmdr. Chris O’Neil — put it:
“Nothing says ‘I love you’ to a mariner like the gift of a marine GPS navigation system, a Coast Guard approved life jacket, boating safety course or 406 MHz electronic position indicating radio beacon.”
Here is the rest of the gift list for those who want to cut and paste:
- A 406 MHz EPIRB (make sure you register it after purchase, or rescuers may be delayed in reaching you!)
- A Coast Guard-approved life jacket
- A handheld VHF-FM radio
- A Boating Safety Course
- Vessel Safety Check from the Coast Guard Auxiliary (it’s free!)
- A Coast Guard approved fire extinguisher
- A first aid kit in a watertight container
- A seamanship book
- Nautical charts for the areas your favorite mariner frequents
- A signaling kit
- A life raft with a survival kit