Guardian of the Week – The crew of the Amy Julie

Last week, the Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS) held its annual award ceremony and awarded the Gold AFRAS medal to Aviation Survival Technician First Class Pepe Carire.

This week the Compass brings you the story of the AFRAS Silver Medal winners, presented to the coxswain and crew of the Auxiliary vessel Amy Julie: Robert Joseph, Leo Lake, Paul Sadeck and Rodney Thomas.

The volunteer crew of the Amy Julie set out on the morning of August 26, 2009, for a routine safety patrol on Buzzard’s Bay, Mass. As noon approached, the once calm summer breeze quickly stiffened and began gusting to 25 knots.

The crew of the Amy Julie decided that it was best to start checking on popular fishing and recreational boating areas. The crew’s plan to check the popular areas paid off, when the Amy Julie approached a fishing area and spotted a 17-foot center console boat submerged to the gunnels.

The boat had been swamped in the rolling seas with the two people on board in waist deep water. Thomas was able to translate for the distressed boaters, and the crew found that shockingly, there was a third man missing in the water.

The Auxiliary crew immediately contacted Coast Guard Station Menemsha, who launched a response boat, but due to the sea conditions and winds, the station crew still had 45 minutes before they could arrive on scene.

The station watchstanders directed the Amy Julie to remove the two men from the boat without delay and to start searching for the third boater who was now missing in the water.

“The captain told us that a third man had fallen off the boat near a red buoy and that they had been swamped about an hour ago,” said Sadeck. “Both men were frantic about their friend who had fallen into the water. They kept telling us that he fell near a red buoy.”

The crew had extensive knowledge of the local area and knew that the nearest red buoy was nearly one and a quarter miles southwest of them – directly into the oncoming waves.

The Amy Julie head straight into the waves, and as they closed in on the red buoy, they spotted the missing boater as he struggled in the water. He was nearing exhaustion, with his left arm around a child’s orange life jacket and a cushion tucked under his right arm.

“He looked exhausted and as we approached him he lost the cushion,” said Sadeck. “We threw him the life ring and it landed right over his arm. We pulled him to the boat and lifted him aboard.”

With all three boaters now safe, the crew directed their attention to getting the conscious but lethargic man to shore. The three survivors were transported to an awaiting ambulance where they were provided medical aid.

The coxswain and crew of Amy Julie may have used their gut instinct to make one last trip to the popular fishing area, but their training and ability to adapt as the situation progressed proved that the Coast Guard’s volunteer force, is a vital force.

This article was sponsored by Police Books.

Face of Defense: Marine Cites Pride in Service

By Marine Corps Pfc. David Flynn

Marine Corps Recruiting Command

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va., Oct. 8, 2010 – A well-traveled Marine Corps officer based here said he is proud of his years of service and thankful that his father had talked him into joining the Corps.

“Serving your country is a great endeavor,” said Lt. Col. Rex Sappenfield, the assistant chief of staff for administration, Marine Corps Recruiting Command. “It’s an endeavor that if undertaken ought to be done in the best service, which is the Marine Corps.”

Sappenfield has served in the Marine Corps for 24 years as an enlisted infantryman and an administrative officer. He was a high school student in Los Alamos, N.M., when he came home from school one day to find a recruiter in the living room with his parents.

“I was nervous,” Sappenfield recalled, noting the recruiter’s visit had been arranged by his father, Dale Sappenfield, a Marine officer who’d served as a communications officer in Japan during the 1950s.

Sappenfield’s three older brothers, he said, did not join the Marine Corps and he was his father’s last chance to have a son join the Corps.

“I signed up that day. I was an easy one for that recruiter,” he said.

Sappenfield arrived at boot camp Sept. 12, 1986, beginning his Marine Corps career. As an enlisted Marine, he initially served as an infantry rifleman with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Being an infantryman “required a lot of endurance and patience,” Sappenfield said. “It was a pretty challenging job, physically and mentally.” Sappenfield attained the rank of corporal and was a fire team leader. A fire team is usually a four man unit consisting of a rifleman, a machine gunner, an assistant machine gunner and the team leader.

“Overall, it was a pretty rewarding experience,” Sappenfield said of his time in the infantry.

Later, Sappenfield learned of an opportunity that would enable him to expand his education and become an officer.

“When I was a corporal with 1st Bn., 8th Marines, one of my platoon commanders was a Citadel graduate,” Sappenfield recalled. “I respected him immensely and after he talked to me about the benefits of the institution, it was an easy choice.”

At the end of Sappenfield’s enlistment, he became a student at The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, S.C. Sappenfield earned a bachelor’s degree in education with an emphasis on English. Upon graduation he received his commission as a second lieutenant on May 25, 1994.

Though not a teacher, Sappenfield said he still uses his teaching degree. “I am passionate about teaching and mentoring young people,” he said.

Sappenfield’s pursuit of education did not stop at The Citadel.

“I earned a master’s degree in human resource development from Webster University when I was a lieutenant,” Sappenfield said, noting he has instructed newly commissioned Marine officers attending the Basic School here.

According to Sappenfield, being a prior enlisted Marine gives him an understanding of the enlisted Marines he serves with now.

“It gives me a perspective of what junior Marines go through on an everyday basis. I have a better perspective of what their concerns are,” he said.

Sappenfield said he has seen the world in the Marine Corps, having been stationed in South Korea, Hawaii, and Afghanistan.

Currently Sappenfield is the manpower officer responsible for staffing and meeting the administrative requirements for the recruiting command.

“There’s a lot of writing involved in being an administrative officer, so the English degree helps tremendously,” Sappenfield said. “The human resource degree is essential for the human resource management of the command, ensuring the human resource demands are fulfilled to accomplish our mission.”

Sappenfield said it is the enjoyment of being a Marine that has kept him charging forward for the past 24 years.

“I thoroughly enjoy what I do,” he said. “Being a Marine is a very satisfying job. It’s a tremendous honor to be a Marine Corps officer.

This article was sponsored by Police Books.

Coast Guard Foundation honors Elizabeth City aircrew

Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young

Stranded 350 miles from land, the Element Quest spent days being tossed about in ten-foot seas – rudderless and out of radio range. Without an EPIRB, the only hope for the three sailors aboard was that their satellite phone call was heard and passed on to the Coast Guard. It is hard to imagine the thoughts going through their minds when they first knew their call had been heard as they saw a Coast Guard rescue helicopter hovering above, but their rescue will be forever remembered thanks to the Coast Guard Foundation.

Earlier this week, the Coast Guard Foundation honored the crew of CG-6034, the rescue helicopter that hoisted the Element Quest’s sailors to safety, at its annual awards banquet. The aircrew of LT Anthony DeWinter (aircraft commander), LT Thomas Huntley (co-pilot), Petty Officer 1st Class Edwin Hannah (rescue swimmer), and Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Critchfield (flight mechanic) pushed their Jayhawk helicopter beyond its limits and had to rely on their training, and the skills of both the Navy and other Coast Guard units to save the sailors aboard Element Quest.

The search to find the proverbial “needle in a haystack” started when just days into a journey from Nova Scotia to Bermuda, the Element Quest encountered harsh conditions and suffered significant damage that left her without steerage hundreds of miles offshore.

Her crew radioed for help, but she was too far offshore for anyone to hear the call. In desperation, a sailor aboard the Element Quest made a satellite phone call to a friend and left a voice mail. The message was broken and barely readable but the end of the message was clear – “call the Coast Guard.”

Watchstanders at the District 5 Command Center launched an HC-130 Hercules long-range search and rescue plane, but the aircrew had a massive search area from Nova Scotia to Bermuda. As the aircrew flew over the enormous search area, they heard a faint mayday call over VHF Channel 16. Using their direction finding capabilities, the aircrew flew directly over the Element Quest, 350 miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C.

Finding the vessel proved to be only half the battle though, as the Hercules aircrew learned a sailor on board had a potential spinal injury. A medevac was needed, but due to the Element Quest’s distance offshore, it was outside the range a Coast Guard rescue helicopter can fly.

As the Hercules stayed on scene, the Coast Guard coordinated with Naval 3rd Fleet Command to stop flight operations on board the USS Eisenhower, situated 175 miles offshore, so an MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter could land and refuel on the missile carrier’s deck.

 “A deck landing qualification is essential training for pilots, and most of the time it is on a Coast Guard platform,” said Huntley. “That training played dividends on this rescue.”

With the Eisenhower in position, Air Station Elizabeth City launched CG-6034 to conduct the medevac and rescue the sailors. After refueling, the 6034 aircrew launched from the decks of the Eisenhower with a Navy flight surgeon aboard and arrived overhead the foundering sailing vessel. On scene, the aircrew was faced with ten-foot seas, 30-knot winds, heavy rain and minimal visibility.

The damaged boat’s inability to steer added to the dangers, and the aircrew constantly reassessed the mission’s risks. Hannah, the rescue swimmer, was lowered and found his footing aboard the sailing vessel’s deck as he began to cut through rigging to create a recovery area for a rescue basket.

Each time the basket was lowered, the trail line that assists in lowering the basket would catch in the stinging winds, pulling the basket and forcing the helicopter to back off. After several attempts to lower the rescue basket, it became clear that a rescue directly from the deck would be too risky.

“After I did an assessment of the injured crewmember I found that they still had feeling in their arms and legs,” said Hannah. “Instead of providing more risk to the crew, and because the survivor was able to move, we knew the best call was to hoist the survivors from the water.”

Hannah entered the water and one by one the three sailors were hoisted and brought safely into the 6034’s cabin where the Eisenhower’s flight surgeon provided medical aid.

Heading westward the 6034 had one last stop to make before they could be back on land, as they refueled once again aboard Eisenhower.

As spectacular a mission the rescue of the Element Quest turned out to be, it is a glimpse of just one of hundreds of search and rescue cases every year that begins with a call for help and ends in the safety of a rescue helicopter’s cabin.

“I just happened to be on duty on the night the case happened,” said Huntley. “I was just doing my job and I am proud of the crew. All those hours of training pay off when you can go out and save lives.”

This article was sponsored by Police Books.

Mullen Praises Trailblazing Military Women

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2010 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, flanked by two of the nation’s top female military officers, today recounted the early days of women’s integration into the services and said “we would be nowhere as a military” without trailblazing women.

“In combat, in every part of who we are as a military right now, women have been extraordinary,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said at Fortune magazine’s Most Powerful Women summit here today.

Mullen took the stage before an audience of mostly civilian women leaders alongside Gen. Ann Dunwoody, commander of Army Materiel Command, and Navy Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau, president of National Defense University.

At the summit’s Leadership Lessons panel moderated by CNN’s Kyra Phillips, the three senior leaders recalled how far the services have come in integrating women since they entered the military - Mullen in 1968, and Rondeau and Dunwoody in 1974 and 1975, respectively.

Mullen recalled serving on the Naval Academy’s admissions board in October 1976 when the academy received a telegram from the White House announcing that women would be permitted to enter the academy in the next academic year. Only one woman served on the admissions board, he recalled, and they would have to move quickly to prepare for the change. The chairman acknowledged it didn’t go smoothly that first year.

“As I look back, I realize now how little I knew about how to integrate women,” Mullen said, adding that he learned from the experience. “Throughout my career, I’ve tried to listen to people and view the situation through their eyes.

“For me, it’s about how we create opportunities, then sink or swim,” he continued. “If the talent pool is there, we need to recognize that and make sure doors stay open.”

Those first female graduates opened doors for others, Mullen said, noting that the military now stays between 20 and 25 percent female. The Navy continues to undergo significant integration efforts, the panelists noted, with the first female submariners chosen last summer, 16 years after women were permitted to serve on surface ships.

“We would be nowhere as a military if someone not had the wisdom to send that telegram way back then, and if we had not had women like this ready to step up when the military wasn’t ready for them and blaze a trail,” Mullen said, referring to Dunwoody and Rondeau.

The Navy’s lack of preparation for integrating women in the 1970s “was pretty profound,” Rondeau said. What that meant for her, she said, was trying to find a mentor she could trust to help her grow, determining where she could make a difference, and knowing which battles to fight.

Asked whether women servicemembers must prove themselves more than men, Rondeau said, “I’m not sure that it is as much about who you are, as where you are, and what you bring to the table. You come with a certain amount of competence and confidence, then you just lead.”

Dunwoody, the military’s first female four-star officer, joined the Army just after the Women’s Army Corps was disbanded. “Our journey was to forge -– and sometimes force -– women into the full spectrum of capabilities,” she said.

For Dunwoody, that meant jumping out of airplanes, doing 12-mile rucksack marches, and commanding troops in war zones, she said. “That’s our journey and our legacy,” she added. “That was the journey we had to build throughout our careers.”

Phillips asked about the evolving role of women in combat and whether women might soon serve in Special Forces. While none of the three would speculate on when law or policy might change in that regard, all acknowledged that women already serve in combat and that the nature of warfare has changed such that the issue will continued to be addressed.

“We are in an asymmetrical environment without front and rear boundaries,” Dunwoody said of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Every soldier is in danger. What’s so good about the military is that we continue review those [policies]. The doors continue to open, and policies continue to change to capture the talent of men and women in uniform. All in battle are making sacrifices, and we can never forget that.”

Military leaders need to assess what has been learned from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan regarding women servicemembers, Mullen said. “It’s very important that we take a look at what we’ve learned in these wars and look at whether we should evaluate those policies. Battle is nowhere and it is everywhere right now; everyone is in a combat zone. We’ve got to understand what that means and roll it into the future.”

Rondeau also said she expects laws and policies to evolve to open more doors for women. “We’re putting women on submarines, we’ve had them at sea for a while, and we’ve had them in the air a while,” she said. “You can’t win the current fight without women on the field, and that just is a fact.”

The issue surrounding women in combat roles, Rondeau said, is about not only capabilities, but also mindset. She recalled a time when she was commander of Navy accessions training and a female sailor just out of boot camp went out of her way to ask the commander a question. “Am I ready to fight and win?” the young woman asked Rondeau.

“I’d put her in war any day,” the admiral told the audience. “Being a warfighter is not just about the competence to fight. It’s also about the spirit. A warfighting spirit is something that comes from the heart.”

This article was sponsored by Police Books.

Face of Defense: Civilian Opts for Deployment to Iraq

By Elaine Wilson

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2010 – After 33 years of service as a government civilian, Barbara Eberly easily could have called it a day. She could have let her career wind down and looked ahead to ticking off the peaceful days in her small-town home in Pennsylvania.

Instead, the 58-year-old volunteered to serve in Iraq. The decision, she said, was met with a combination of shock and awe.

“While my family and friends were supportive, they … initially thought I was crazy to want to do this,” she said.

But Eberly had all her wits about her when she signed up to deploy. For 22 years she had watched her daughter’s Navy career unfold from the sidelines, offering unfailing support as her daughter headed out to sea for long periods of time or to new assignments across the nation. Her daughter, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Heather Kline, retires this month after a career that took her from enlisted to officer, from ship to recruiting office.

And Eberly patiently waited for her own adventure to begin.

“My mother always wanted to join the military, but she was a young mother and then became a single mom, so the opportunity didn’t arise for her,” Kline said.

That is, until now. Eberly, a mobilization planning specialist for Defense Logistics Agency Distribution in New Cumberland, Pa., learned about civilian deployment opportunities through a co-worker, who had deployed through the Defense Department’s Civilian Expeditionary Workforce program. The program trains and equips civilians to deploy overseas in support of military members and missions worldwide.

Eberly was hooked. She’d always wanted to deploy, she said, and figured this could be a chance to put her civilian environmental safety experience to good use.

Her supervisor, Sue Alpaugh, backed her immediately.

“When the [Civilian Expeditionary Workforce] light bulb went off for Barb giving her this great opportunity of a lifetime, she immediately signed up,” she said. “For me, even though we miss Barb in the office and what she brought to the table every day, I am glad for her that she punched her ticket before she retires.”

While her co-workers offered immediate support, her family and friends, concerned for her welfare, questioned her decision and ability to take on the task at her age.

“I was kind of shocked she wanted to do this so late in the game, so close to retirement,” her son, Michael Eberly, said.

But age isn’t a number to Eberly, it’s a state of mind.

“Of course I did have reservations about, ‘Will I really be able to do this?’” she said. “But I’ve always learned that it’s not age or gender that stops a person from finishing a tough challenge. It’s a lack of will.”

Despite initial reservations, her long-time partner, Mike Miles, gave his seal of approval.

“She’d been wanting to do something out of the ordinary,” he said. “She’s always done anything she can to support the country and the military. I told her, ‘Go ahead and do it. Have an adventure.’”

“She’s always been a go-getter,” added her mother, 84-year-old Bertha Henry, who has been known to brag about her daughter at Bingo nights. “I’m proud of her.”

After attending a two-week predeployment training for civilians at the Camp Atterbury National Deployment Center in central Indiana, Eberly flew to Iraq to support the 199th Garrison Command public works department on Camp Victory. She now wakes up each morning, not to the cool, lush landscape of the Northeast, but to the austere scenery and sweltering heat of the desert.

“U.S. citizens should count their blessings every day for their freedom,” she said. “As the saying goes, ‘You’re not in Kansas anymore.’”

Although pushing 60, Eberly handles the hefty protective gear and physical demands her job requires without a problem. She’s learned to “pack light or carry a heavy load,” she explained.

And to ease her loved ones’ minds, she stays in constant contact with her family back home, who have grown accustomed in time to the idea of her deployment.

“I love sharing the story,” Kline said. “I still get raised eyebrows and ‘Did you say your Mom is deployed?’

“But I’m extremely proud of her,” she added. “If anything happened to her I’d be crushed, but proud of her sacrifice. She’s willing to put herself where others wouldn’t. I love that about her.”

As for Eberly, she’s determined to live each day of her yearlong deployment to the fullest.

“I wanted the opportunity to walk in a warfighter’s shoes, and now I’m doing things most civilians only dream about,” she said. “I’m truly looking forward to it being one of the most awesome experiences of my life.”

This article was sponsored by Police Books.

Face of Defense: Airman Saves Man's Life

By Air Force Airman 1st Class Daniel Phelps

20th Fighter Wing

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C., Oct. 5, 2010 – People never know when the things they learn in life may have a drastic effect on someone else's life. For an Air Force member assigned here, those lessons helped to save a man.

On Sept. 17, Airman 1st Class Brandon Horne, a 20th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels truck operator, was on his way to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., to visit his wife.

It was 2 a.m., and he was driving through Newton Grove, N.C., on U.S. Highway 13 when he saw an all-terrain vehicle driving in reverse at about 20 mph.

"Off to my right-hand side, I saw four-wheeler lights and dirt flying," Horne said. "The next thing I know, it turned really fast and rolled a couple times. At that, I stopped my car and pulled into his driveway."

Horne found the ATV operator unconscious and intoxicated. He was not wearing a shirt, shoes or a helmet.

"It was the first time I'd ever seen a person unconscious," Horne said. "I ran over and checked his airway to make sure he was breathing, and that's when the self-aid [and] buddy care training started kicking in."

Once he established the man was alive and breathing, Horne said, he called 911.

"He was breathing, but he was breathing kind of shallow," Horne said. "I held his head with my hands and told him he's going to be OK."

Horne continued performing techniques he had learned in self-aid and buddy care training as he spoke with the dispatcher, he said. He elevated the man’s feet because he was unconscious, but did not roll him on his side because of possible neck injuries, he recalled.

When the dispatcher asked for the man's name, Horne began patting the man down to find his wallet for identification. As he was searching the victim, he noticed blood in the areas he checked and found the blood was coming from the man’s head.

As Horne further stabilized the injured man's head, the man began to regain consciousness. Horne began pinching the man's leg and asking him if he could feel it to ensure he was not paralyzed.

Finally, the police and the ambulance arrived.

"A few minutes after I arrived, the injured man regained consciousness and refused to listen to me or Airman Horne to lie still or stay on the ground," according to the police report written by Officer William Lewis of the Newton Grove Police Department.

Once emergency medical services took control of the scene, Horne began looking for a way to clean his hands.

"I was a little weirded out, because I had never had human blood on me before," he said. "I ended up washing my hands with diet Coke and hand sanitizer."

Horne credited the training he received through the Air Force for enabling him to react quickly and stay calm.

"I felt like I had to do something," he said. "As airmen, we're not trained to just stand there."

When his fellow airmen at work heard about the incident, they were not surprised.

"Airman Horne has a big heart," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Luke Salkeld, the squadron’s fuels distribution supervisor. "It did not surprise me at all to hear what he did for someone else."

Horne said he took two major insights away from the event.

The first, he said, was to always know where you are when you are traveling. Because of his situational awareness, he explained, he was able to give the 911 dispatcher the exact location of the accident. The second, he added, was never to operate any kind of vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, as the accident victim had.

Horne said the lessons he learned and the training he received through the Air Force will stay with him for the rest of his life.

Face of Defense: Marine Takes Service to New Heights

By Marine Corps Cpl. R. Logan Kyle

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif., Oct. 6, 2010 – Marines are encouraged to be active in their local community, but an instructor with the Marine Corps Communication-Electronics School here has taken that challenge to new heights – literally.

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Robert Hofmann, who also serves as an assistant deputy commander with the Palm Springs, Calif., Civil Air Patrol’s Composite Squadron 11, was awarded the Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager Aerospace Education Achievement Award after completing CAP’s aerospace education program for senior members Sept. 26.

Hofmann, who joined CAP in 2008, said the best part about receiving the award is that he now can use what he learned to contribute to CAP’s mentoring program for children and young adults ages 12-20.

“I took a 100-question exam,” Hofmann said. “It took me about two hours to complete and was an elective part of completing the next level of my professional development in the CAP.

“It felt good, as it is the first step in my education in aerospace knowledge, which is a very important part of CAP and CAP's cadet program,” continued Hofmann, a native of London, Ontario, Canada. “Teaching the cadets about leadership, drill and physical fitness is a skill set that the Marine Corps has given me, but there is still the aerospace education aspect of CAP, which I also need to learn to be able to fully teach and mentor the cadets.”

The Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit organization with 59,000 members nationwide. In its Air Force auxiliary role, CAP performs 90 percent of inland search and rescue missions in the continental United States, as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and was credited with saving 72 lives in fiscal 2009.

Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 24,000 young people participating in CAP cadet programs.

“Many of these people, both young Marines and cadets, come from backgrounds where they have had little or no guidance in their lives, and these young people have taken the first step to bettering themselves,” Hofmann said. “By having enlisted in the Marines, or by having joined the cadet program with CAP, they have shown that they want to do something more. It is at that point where I can help them with becoming better people and citizens and mentor them for success.”

Hofmann also challenged more Marines and sailors to step up and reach out to their communities.

“There are so many organizations that need help, and it is very gratifying to give that help,” he said. “I have met some of the hardest-working people I have ever known in the CAP, and they aren’t doing it for anything more than the simple feeling of a job well done. A lot of people think they don’t have time to volunteer, but any effort to lend a hand is appreciated.”

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Leadership and Experience of the ANP

Maj. Gen. Stuart Beare, Deputy Commander – Police, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan (NTM-A), participated in a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable on Tuesday, Oct. 5. As the Afghan National Police (ANP) has grown quickly in number of police officers, the organization lacks experienced officers to take on leadership roles. Beare addressed the current leaders of the ANP and how DCOM-P plans to increase leader development into the future through increased courses of instruction and mentoring programs.

Pablo Valent, Mariano Holland and Indalecio Lopez: Hispanic-American Lifesavers and the Florida Keys Hurricane of 1919

Written by: LT Connie Braesch

Post Written by William H. Thiesen, Ph.D., United States Coast Guard Atlantic Area Historian

“The rescue of the crew of the water-logged schooner Cape Horn on September 16, 1919, by the crew of Coast Guard Station No. 222 (coast of Texas) affords an instance of wreck service in which superb surfmanship, added to dogged grit, overcame well-nigh insuperable difficulties and brought success to hazardous effort.” – Treasury Department Annual Report, 1920

Hispanic American personnel have served in search and rescue operations since the nineteenth century. For example, in 1899, James Lopez of the Provincetown (Massachusetts) Life-Saving Station became the first Hispanic American service member to receive the Silver Lifesaving Medal. But the greatest number of Hispanic American personnel served not in stations along the East Coast, but in Florida and along the Gulf Coast.

In Texas, the Brazos Life-Saving Station, now known as the South Padre Island Station, employed several distinguished Hispanic lifesavers. Over the years, the Brazos crew endured numerous storms and hurricanes, including the deadly Galveston Hurricane of 1900; however, none of them proved as memorable as the killer storm of 1919.

Early in September 1919 Hispanic American personnel BM1 Pablo Valent and surfmen Mariano Holland and Indalecio Lopez were serving out of the Brazos Station when, unbeknownst to them, a tropical disturbance in the Lesser Antilles had spawned a hurricane, which grew rapidly into a category four storm. The hurricane grazed the Florida Keys and headed into the Gulf of Mexico. This “Florida Keys Hurricane” had in its path numerous unsuspecting vessels, several of which would be lost with all hands.

One of these vessels, the 77 ton schooner Cape Horn, had been fishing far out in the Gulf. The storm descended on the schooner and its crew of eight on the night of September 13, capsizing the vessel and flooding the hold. The crew managed to cut away the sails and rigging allowing the mastless vessel to right itself and, for the next two days and nights, the men clung to the flooded hulk as the strong hurricane pushed it to toward the Texas coast.

On the morning of September 16th, the Brazos Station lookout spotted the Cape Horn lying low in the water with stumps for masts. It was obvious that the schooner was about to sink and immediate action was necessary. Along with keeper Wallace Reed, Valent, Lopez, Holland and the rest of the boat crew launched the surfboat in some of the worst sea conditions ever experienced in the area. Several times the surfboat jumped clear of the water only to come crashing down into the troughs below.

After battling the elements for two hours, Valent, Lopez, Holland and the rest of the crew managed to reach the foundering schooner. Cape Horn’s dispirited crew clung to the hulk even with heavy seas surging over her decks. To avoid wrecking the surfboat against the submerged vessel, the Brazos crew rowed their boat towards the ship in the lull between each breaker, snatching off the schooner’s survivors one at a time. The eight survivors crowded in with the seven Brazos Station crewmembers for the ride back to shore.

Unfortunately, the trip to shore appeared more perilous than the struggle to reach the ship as heavy seas formed into huge waves cascading toward the beach. There was no turning back, because the Cape Horn had slipped below the waves shortly after the survivors were taken off. As the surfboat neared the shore, Keeper Reed found the surf pummeling the beach furiously and had to choose a landing point two miles from the original embarkation point. Though men like Valent, Lopez and Holland were skilled surfmen, the boat shipped seas constantly as waves boarded the vessel from the stern.

With his crew soaked and exhausted, Keeper Reed deployed the surfboat’s drogue, a service-issued canvas bucket device designed to work like a sea anchor to help stabilize the boat. But, disaster struck within 100 yards of land when heavy seas burst the drogue. Valent, Lopez, Holland, Keeper Reed and the rest of the crew struggled to hold the boat steady using their oars, and with the aid of the boat’s engine they powered the boat onto a towering wave headed for shore. Riding on the crest of the roller, the surfboat accelerated toward the beach and, without any final effort by the crew, safely landed with all fifteen occupants.

The Cape Horn rescue proved a success. For their death defying feat, the Brazos men, including Valent, Lopez, Holland and the rest of the crew received the Silver Life-Saving Medal. The men also received the Grand Cross Medal from the American Cross of Honor Society for their act of “unusual heroism.”

BM1 Pablo Valent went on to have a successful career in the Coast Guard, taking command of the Brazos Station (a.k.a. Port Isabel Coast Guard Station) in 1935, becoming the first Hispanic American in the service to do so. Valent retired in 1940, after twenty-eight years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Florida Keys Hurricane of September 1919 was one of the worst in Texas history. It heavily damaged the Brazos Station and leveled the Coast Guard Station at nearby Aransas. But, thanks to the valiant efforts by the Coast Guard rescuers, eight mariners lived to sail another day.

Guardian of the Week – AST1 Salvador Carire

Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young

The Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS) held its annual award ceremony Thursday, and Aviation Survival Technician First Class Salvador “Pepe” Carire, who risked his life to save a fisherman at sea, was awarded the AFRAS Gold Medal for his heroic actions.

On the night of December 23, 2009, the 38-foot fishing vessel Alisha Marie was off the coast of New Jersey when it was hit by a rogue wave. The waves continued to beat against the Alisha Marie, and tragically, as she slipped further beneath the waves, she took two men with her.

The lone survivor of the incident, wearing only a t-shirt and shorts, escaped the vessel’s wreckage and climbed into a life raft, which had automatically inflated when the vessel became submerged.

The Coast Guard received Alisha Marie’s emergency position indicating radio beacon distress signal and launched rescue resources.

The 6559, an MH-65C Dolphin Helicopter from Air Station Atlantic City, was the second helicopter to take off in search of survivors from the Alisha Marie. The aircrew received a report from the first helicopter that there was a debris field 36 miles southeast of Barnegat Light, New Jersey.

The helicopter, with Carire on board as the rescue swimmer, head into the stormy night and encountered treacherous conditions of poor visibility, high winds and tumultuous seas.

As the helicopter neared its limit of fuel endurance, Carire inexplicably noticed a faint flashing light in the water outside of the debris field. The pilots hovered over the faint glow as Carire plunged into the frigid 39-degree water.

Carire swam to the life raft, which would intermittently disappear due to the six-foot waves. Once at the raft, he realized that he could not access the inside because it was overturned.

Carire attempted several times to right the raft, fighting with the howling winds and seas. Each time he climbed atop the raft he was knocked off but he fought his way back. As he struggled to again climb atop the canopy of the raft, he felt something hit his leg.

He knew there was a survivor, and he knew he had to get inside.

Because Carire was wearing his dry suit with gloves, grabbing the jammed zipper to access the life raft was an impossible task.

“I used my hands to rip into the raft with a small opening I found,” said Carire. “As I widened the opening, I saw the survivor and continued to rip the canopy open.”

Carire ripped into the raft that cocooned a barely conscious, hypothermic survivor. With the 280-pound man in tow, Carire signaled the 6559 to lower the rescue basket. Carire stayed in the water, experiencing early stages of hypothermia himself, as the aircrew raised the fisherman safely into the aircraft and returned to hoist him. Once inside the aircraft, Carire used his medical training to treat the survivor and keep him conscious.

There are no doubts that Carire exhibited extraordinary courage as he risked his life for the fisherman the night the Alisha Marie was taken by the sea. And as night gave way to morning, on the eve of a holiday, the sole survivor of the Alisha Marie was given the gift of life.

Longest-Serving Federal Prosecutor Honored for Six Decades of Service

By Tracy Russo

On March 19, 1951, a young attorney and World War II veteran arrived at

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.

, for his first day of work at the Department of Justice.

John “Jack” C. Keeney wasn’t sure what to expect, though he never imagined that he was at the beginning a term of service to the Department that would span nearly six decades. Nor could he have predicted that his retirement celebration would double as the largest-known gathering of attorneys general and deputy attorneys general in Department history.

But on a day that will long live on in Justice Department lore, that’s exactly what happened minutes ago, as hundreds of Keeney’s colleagues packed into the Great Hall to honor, celebrate and send off the longest-serving federal prosecutor in American history.

When Keeney, 88, walked on stage at 3:09 p.m., the sea of Justice Department employees past and present leapt to their feet and did not stop applauding for a full minute. Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer set the tone for what he called a “remarkable” day and an historic Justice Department “homecoming.”

“It looks like we have a standing room only crowd today,” he said. “And that is exactly as it should be, as we gather to celebrate a man who has spent his entire career standing up – standing up for justice, standing up for integrity, and standing up for his country.”

In addition to Breuer, Keeney was joined on stage by Attorney General Eric Holder, Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler, FBI Director Robert Mueller, and David Margolis, another Department legend and Keeney’s close friend. He smiled throughout the ceremony, tearing up on occasion and laughing at his own expense more than once.

“It’s been a fascinating career,” Keeney said. “I really felt privileged to work in this great Department. I really felt privileged to work with great people. All I can say to you is, ‘Thank you for everything.’”

But for the full hour, it was everyone else who seemed to be saying, “Thank you for everything” to Jack Keeney.

“As those of you who’ve worked closely with Mr. Keeney know, he is quick to share credit. And he has never sought the spotlight,” Attorney General Holder said. “Yet, he has stood out. For decades, his talents and achievements have been well known and highly regarded across the Department, and in legal circles throughout – and far beyond – the country.”

Keeney began his remarkable career in 1951 as an attorney in the Internal Security unit of the Criminal Division, prosecuting conspiracy cases under the Smith Act. In 1960, he joined the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, ultimately becoming Deputy Chief and developing a close relationship with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. In 1969, he became Fraud Section Chief, where he emphasized white-collar criminal prosecutions. And in 1973, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Attorney General, a position he has held since, responsible for overseeing countless prosecutions of organized crime, racketeering and public corruption.

He has been honored with the nation’s highest meritorious service awards – and a building in Washington, D.C. is named in his honor. But the full measure of Keeney’s influence, Holder argued, cannot be so easily expressed. “No words and no award,” he said, “can do justice to the countless ways that Mr. Keeney has delivered justice.”

During the ceremony, Keeney was flourished with a commemorative plaque; a service award; a letter from President Obama, who said “a grateful nation thanks you for your service;” and a portrait that will be displayed in the Criminal Division. When it was unveiled, Keeney shook his head, visibly overwhelmed – rare for the unflappable Justice Department legend who has been authorizing wiretaps and signing indictments of America’s most notorious criminals for nearly half a century.

Mueller described the famous Keeney brand of quiet resilience, wisdom, and utter persistence using the words of George Bernard Shaw, “Men are wise in proportion not to their experience, but to their capacity for experience.” For years, Mueller said, “Mr. Keeney has shown a tremendous capacity for experience. He is a true wise man.”

Margolis added that Keeney is a true kind man, too. When Margolis suffered a massive heart attack, he said, he opened his eyes on his hospital bed to find a familiar face starring back. “When I woke up, who was standing there, but Jack Keeney!” he said. “And I knew everything would be all right.”

Following a video tracing Keeney’s roots from a coal-mining town in rural Pennsylvania during the Great Depression to the halls of the nation’s Department of Justice, where he became known as the “oracle,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Grindler turned to the future, promising that public servants at the Department would “carry forward the Jack Keeney standard and the Jack Keeney story for generations to come.”

But as one employee standing in the back of the room remarked, as the audience leapt to its feet for another standing ovation at the ceremony’s end, “This is going to be a big change.” It was the thought on everyone’s mind.

Guardian of the Week – AMT3 Kelly Dunn

Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young

In air station hangars across the country, hidden below a C-130 aircraft servicing the break system, or high above the fuselage of a helicopter repairing rotor blades, you will find an aviation maintenance technician (AMT).

AMTs, or flight mechanics, are responsible for maintaining and repairing the Coast Guard fleet of aircraft. To perfect their work on complicated aircraft systems, AMTs receive months of classroom and on-the-job training.

Formal training for AMTs starts at AMT “A” school at the Aviation Technical Training Center (ATTC) in Elizabeth City, N.C. ATTC serves as the conduit for the Coast Guard’s training of enlisted aviation forces and will graduate approximately 120 AMTs a year.

One of the Coast Guard’s newest AMTs is Petty Officer Third Class Kelly Dunn. Graduates from AMT “A” school have proven their understanding of complex aviation systems. Dunn, however, demonstrated her mastery on the subject further, as she graduated as class leader, honor graduate and with the academic achievement award.

“Receiving all three awards is quite an accomplishment and doesn’t happen very often,” said Senior Chief Lance Hendrix, AMT “A” school branch chief.

Dunn had dreamed of a career in aviation, but was unsure if she could pass the physical requirements due to a prior motorcycle injury. After some time as a machinery technician, she arrived at AMT “A” school with a Bachelor’s degree in aviation management, as well as a private pilot’s license.

“I enjoyed being an MK, but aviation is what I’ve always wanted to do,” said Dunn. “It was exciting to go to ‘A’ school because I felt like I was finally getting back to my desired career path.”

Over the five-month course, Dunn consistently proved her grasp of difficult topics such as aircraft maintenance fundamentals, aircraft systems and hands-on troubleshooting skills.

“During phase one, my instructor, Chief Barr, said he had never worked with another female class leader,” said Dunn. “That was motivation for me to represent myself and the other females in the Coast Guard.”

While she was at “A” school Dunn continued to pursue a Master’s degree in aeronautical science by taking classes with Embry Riddle University. You might think that taking college classes on top of already studying a difficult curriculum at “A” school would prove detrimental, but Dunn graduated with a 98.71% – three percent higher than the number two AMT in the class.

As a graduate of “A” school, and an AMT in the fleet, Dunn is responsible for servicing aircraft and conducting routine aircraft inspections. While her work before an aircraft takes flight is fundamental, she also plays a vital role for the crew once airborne, and can fill aircrew positions such as flight engineer, flight mechanic, loadmaster, dropmaster, sensor-systems operator and basic aircrewman.

“The knowledge gained at ‘A’ school was merely a door opening to all of the skills needed on the hangar deck,” said Dunn. “I look forward to learning even more and getting qualified at my new unit.”

Members of an air station depend on each other to fulfill their specific roles in flight, and on the ground, with unsurpassed commitment. Dunn, and her mastery of aviation maintenance, attest to her endless support for mission success. Bravo Zulu to Aviation Maintenance Technician Third Class Kelly Dunn!

Surface Warrior Week 2010 Gets Sailors to Take Command of Careers

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Elena Pence, Naval Surface Forces Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet (SURFPAC) and Naval Base San Diego (NBSD) hosted a Career Sailor Expo during San Diego Surface Warrior Week on board NBSD Sept. 22.

Surface Warrior Week is comprised of a week of career enhancement activities on the San Diego waterfront and includes detailer visits to ships and area shore commands, the Career Sailor Expo and the first-ever Surface Warfare Officer Career Enhancement Seminar.

"It is important to bring career enhancement information directly to Sailors to provide a better understanding of what the Navy is doing and how new programs and resources can affect their careers," said Chief Navy Career Counselor (SW/AW) Jayne Epaloose, of Cruiser Class Squadron and coordinator of the expo event. "I want Sailors to understand the different programs and resources of the Navy, so that they take charge of their own careers."

The Expo included briefs on Navy advancement, Perform-to-Serve (PTS) and changes to off-duty educational programs. Attendees also had the opportunity to speak to career counselors and civilian experts about a broad range of career management topics. Fleet and Family Support Center, Veterans Affairs, college representatives and enlisted detailers staffed informational booths.

"Today, I came for information. I wanted to learn more about the PTS program, the detailing system and college options so that I can spread that information to my command," said Personnel Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Andrea O'Keith, of Personnel Support Detachment West. "I work at a customer service command where I get Sailors that ask me questions on these topics every day. After today, I can give these Sailors an answer, point them in the right direction, and even give them resources to help with their career."

Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class (SW) Michael Minnis, a divisional career counselor for USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), also attended the briefs in order to pass on information to his fellow Sailors.

"I came with the intentions of just gathering information for other people, but as the event went on, I noticed how much I was learning and what I could use for myself," said Minnis. "I really enjoyed this event, and I liked how it was on base in a central location for the Sailors."

Women’s Lives Under Medieval Islam Is Subject of Oct. 25 Lecture

A treasure trove of primary sources containing some 280,000 Jewish manuscript fragments was discovered in the geniza (storage room) of a synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, during the late-19th century. Known as the Cairo geniza, the material—dating from about A.D. 870—is now housed in libraries throughout Europe and the United States.

Sara Reguer, head of the Department of Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, has used the documents to explore various aspects of women’s lives under medieval Islam, with a special focus on their professions, their charitable activities and their education. She will deliver a lecture titled "The Cairo Geniza—the World of Jewish Women" at the Library of Congress at noon on Monday, Oct. 25 in the African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room, Room 220 of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.

Sponsored by the Hebraic Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division, the event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.

Reguer holds a bachelor’s degree in religious education from Yeshiva University Teachers Institute for Women and a doctorate in history from Columbia University, where she specialized in Middle East history and Jewish history. In addition to Brooklyn College, she has taught at Hofstra University, Yeshiva University and the University of Naples, Italy. She is the editor of "The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa in Modern Times" (2003).

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.

The African and Middle Eastern Division furthers the Library’s mission by serving as the center for the study of some 78 countries and regions from Southern Africa to the Maghreb and from the Middle East to Central Asia. The division’s Hebraic Section is one of the world’s foremost centers for the study of Hebrew and Yiddish materials. For more information on the division and its holdings, visit www.loc.gov/rr/amed/.

Face of Defense: Marine Emerges as Leader

By Marine Corps Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso

Marine Forces Pacific

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii, Sept. 23, 2010 – Marine Corps Sgt. Kevin A. Aguilar has wanted to be a Marine almost for as long as he can remember.

“I used to watch war movies instead of cartoons when I was a kid,” the California native said. “When I was 7 years old, I saw a Marine color guard for the first time. They all looked so proud in their uniforms. Since then, my dream has always been to be a Marine.”

He planned to enlist after high school, he said, but life threw him a curve ball. At 18, with a child on the way, Aguilar decided being a father was more important than following his dream. But five years later, his family rewarded him for his dedication by bringing the Corps to him.

“It was my wife who called the recruiter,” he said. “At the time, I didn’t know they accepted anyone who wasn’t 18. I honestly thought I was too old to join. But my wife pushed me to follow my dream, and I signed up to be an infantryman.”

But the infantry was full at the time, and there was a nine-month wait before it would open again. Aguilar had to find an alternative. His recruiter suggested motor transportation, and Aguilar seized the opportunity to become a Marine.

In January 2005, he shipped to basic training in San Diego, and then he attended Marine combat training.

But once he arrived at his motor transportation school, Aguilar said, he was disappointed.

“I thought I was going to be rolling around in … Humvees with .50 [caliber machine guns],” he said. “When I found out I was going to be driving [5-ton trucks], I was not too happy.”

But Aguilar never forgot why he joined; he wanted to fight for his country. He graduated from his school and finally received the break he’d been waiting for. He was assigned to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif.

“They assigned me to 1st Tank Battalion,” he said. “It was a combat unit. I automatically took a lot of pride in that. It was what I joined for. I was overjoyed my dream was coming true.”

Aguilar deployed to Iraq in 2007, but in the interim, he said, he needed to challenge himself. During a time when many Marines weren’t interested in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, Aguilar took it upon himself to become a martial arts instructor in 2006.

“I have a saying: ‘Do something challenging at least once a year,’” he said. “In 2005, that was boot camp. I deployed to Iraq in 2007. So in 2006, I saw that the battalion only had one [martial arts] instructor. So I chose to become one myself. It challenged me to be physically fit. I became more confident, and I trained dozens of Marines. I loved it.”

During his time in Iraq, Aguilar and his platoon conducted dozens of combat missions, and the young Marine and earned a reputation for being trustworthy and dependable. His reputation followed him back to Twentynine Palms. In October 2008, Aguilar was promoted to his current rank and was made a convoy leader for an exercise.

Challenged with a position typically reserved for staff noncommissioned officers and senior sergeants, Aguilar proved his worth by conducting the 30-day exercise with zero incidents while in charge of more than 80 Marines.

Two months later, he was transferred to Hawaii and assigned to Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Forces Pacific, to work as the dispatching and licensing noncommissioned officer in charge. Aguilar said he realized he was being sent to a nondeployable unit, but that he took the assignment to give back to those who gave up so much for his dream.

“I look at it as a little payback to my family,” Aguilar said. “They gave up a lot so I could be a Marine. They put up with me being gone for training, a combat tour, exercises, you name it. I got to bring them out to Hawaii for everything they’ve done for me.”

Despite his “desk job,” Aguilar is far from complacent. He mentors his Marines, is active in their lives and continues to serve as a martial arts instructor.

“He’s a stellar sergeant of Marines,” said Cpl. James Moore, a motor transportation Marine. “I’ve been in for almost five and a half years. I’ve seen my fair share of sergeants who just go through the motions, but I know that I can take a problem to Sergeant Aguilar and guarantee that it gets done.”.

Moore recalled an example of Aguilar’s leadership. “I had to go on emergency leave once, and I couldn’t find the number to the Red Cross,” he said. “Five seconds after I told him, he had the number for me. That’s the kind of sergeant he is.”.

Aguilar’s dependability has been noticed throughout the command. In addition to his job and the time he puts in as an instructor, the command has given him additional duties reserved for only the most mature and dependable Marines: suicide prevention instructor trainer and Mentors in Violence Prevention instructor..

“He’s an extremely dependable sergeant,” said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Trinity A. Lizalde, battalion embark chief. “It’s just Aguilar. If you work with him, you know things are going to get done. He’s exactly what a sergeant of Marines should be.”.

Aguilar and his family are scheduled to leave Hawaii in December. He hopes to become a drill instructor..

“The next couple of years aren’t going to be a vacation,” he said. “But it’s time I give back to the Marine Corps for what it’s given me.”

Guard leaders thank Stevens Point officials for hosting Red Arrow homecoming

By Tech. Sgt. Jon LaDue

Wisconsin National Guard

Wisconsin National Guard leaders expressed gratitude to Stevens Point officials and other Wisconsin Army Guard supporters before a packed City Council meeting Monday (Sept. 20) for the city's role in the "Back from The Sand" celebration held in downtown Stevens Point in July.

The homecoming event featured more than 3,200 Soldiers marching through Stevens Point, down streets lined with community and family members, to a staging area that included static equipment, food, entertainment - including two national-level country artists - and no shortage of patriotic fans.

Every aspect of the event took a lot of planning, approval, coordination and execution. For that, Brig. Gen. Donald Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, Wisconsin Army National Guard commander, and leaders of the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team presented awards to many of the event's key players - including Stevens Point Mayor Andrew Halverson.

"Our citizens were honored to have been the host community for the welcoming," Halverson said. "It was a complete success and made the citizens feel so proud to have such wonderful Soldiers serving and sacrificing for them. It was the citizen's way of saying thank you."

Anderson acknowledged the significance of the city's willingness to open its gates for such a large and prestigious event.

"It really did make our job a lot easier," Anderson said. "The city of Stevens Point absolutely came through and I want to say thank you for that."

Halverson admits the two-way relationship has blossomed throughout the entire process.

"Our relationship has become one of complete friendship and complete support of one another," Halverson said. "Communities need to be there for the Wisconsin National Guard, just as much as the Wisconsin National Guard needs to be there for the communities. It is truly a complete partnership."

Dunbar presented the Wisconsin Meritorious Service Medal to Halverson and Larry Frostman, honorary chairman of the Point Committee, for their integral roles in seeing the event through fruition.

"I have never been more proud or more humbled, as a non-military person, then to have the adjutant general of Wisconsin pin that medal on my chest," Halverson said. "I, in fact, told my wife that evening that should I pass away, I want that medal in my casket with me. That medal meant more to me than any award or recognition I have ever received."

Frostman, a Vietnam veteran, came up with the idea for a homecoming event. He proposed the idea to Halverson, who endorsed it. Halverson created a committee to coordinate the event.

Other key players recognized for their contributions were Tom Schrader, director of parks and recreation; Tom Barrett and Sara Brish of the planning committee; four members of the Stevens Point Police Department; the Civil Air Patrol Stevens Point Composite Squadron; Stevens Point Convention and Visitor's Bureau; American Red Cross of North Central Wisconsin; Portage County Veteran's Services, and Sentry Insurance.

Dunbar said everyone, from the volunteers and committee members to the citizens of Stevens Point, really made this event possible. To have a welcome home like that is uniquely American, Dunbar said.

"We will always be thankful for what you did," Dunbar said at the meeting.

Col. Martin Sieffer, 32nd Brigade commander, also gave his appreciation to the council.

"It was a special moment for the Brigade and it was a special moment for us," Sieffer said.