Well, VADM Hull and I pulled in the lines and got underway on the new voyage that we’ve embarked upon.  While I mentioned last edition that I was excited to be your new OPS BOSS, I really wasn’t sure what I’d gotten myself into. What I have discovered is that each day I am more pleased with the opportunities it has given me to learn even more about Coast  Guard history! In the short time I’ve had the job, I’ve been  privileged to: present the Foundation’s oil painting print to the newest Coast Guard Silver Ancient Mariner,  Master Chief Richard Vobornik; meet some great folks from the Coast Guard Combat Veterans Association;

chat with both the Coast Guard’s Historian (Dr. Browning) and the Coast Guard Academy’s Curator (Ms  Jennifer Gaudio) about how we can support them; learn about the only Coast Guard Officer who was part of the Bataan “death march;” and attend a meeting of the United States Life-Saving Service Historical Association.

And what have I learned from this short time as the OPS Boss? Well, just this: “history becomes real when you participate,” which you see as the tag line below my column and in my emails. So, what exactly do I mean by  that? By becoming involved with the Foundation, I’ve been able to hear about and be part of history as it is being discovered, learned and shared. Without having volunteered for this job, I might not have learned until sometime next year that the aircraft of LT John A. Pritchard, USCG, has been located under 60 feet of ice—

and that’s only if someone wrote an article about it. Without having volunteered, I might have been more likely to say, “Who is he?”  Now I know that he was lost during WWII while on a rescue mission to save a B-17 crew, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and that the aircraft has been found in part through the efforts of some dedicated Coast Guard aviators volunteering their time over the past several years. In coming editions, we’ll  tell you more of the story.

So that is my suggestion to you: do as I have, become involved. Let us know about the stories that are out there that you know of. Send your articles to our Editor, Rob Ayer, so that we can share the history with others. Have some spare time? Contact your nearest Coast Guard unit and ask them what they are doing to preserve their unit’s history – maybe you can help them scan in some photos, create a scrapbook, or organize their boxes of press clippings. In doing so, you’re putting your hands on history and actively helping to preserve it.  Remember, history that isn’t captured and preserved for the future might as well not have happened. Our Guardians throughout our history have placed their lives at risk to accomplish the mission; we owe it to them to help tell their story.

Of course, as the “new guy”, I’ve wandered off the trackline a few times administratively in my daily duties, but I’ve been fortunate to have an experienced Board of Regents who have brought me back on course and kept me out of shoal water to ensure all our energies are devoted directly to our mission of promoting, preserving and educating people about Coast Guard history. Rest assured, the Board of Regents represents the goals of our organization well, and your interests are well protected.

And speaking of administrative items, if you would share your email addresses with us, we can reduce our costs for sending out renewal notices and other administrative correspondence. That saves us money that we can  apply to other efforts. While you’re at it, think about opting to receive the Cutter via email instead of in the regular mail; that too would reduce our costs. Remember, all of us are volunteers, and all our revenues go back into the organization, so any money saved is money “earned back” to the Foundation.

There really has only been one thing that I’ve not been able to accomplish, and that is getting feedback from you, our shipmates. I’d like to think that lack of feedback means that we’re providing you a great product, and that Rob Ayer is doing a great job with the Cutter—because I know he is. However, every organization needs feedback, and I’d like to hear from you. We don’t have a “Letters to the Editor”  section, but my email address and phone number are below. Let me know if we’re covering the right topics in Coast Guard history; let me know about additional topics you want to see; and, most importantly, let me know where we can improve the product we’re delivering to you.

With that, we’re underway as before. Make all your reports to the bridge.