In the Coast Guard change-of-command ceremony on Thursday, around 30 active duty Coast Guardsmen were gathered along with retired personnel, friends and relatives under an umbrella at the Juneau docks. Young members of the service, dressed in white and light blue uniforms caps, sat in awe as officers took one officer away and welcomed a new one into the town.
The Senior Chief’s Boatswain’s Mate Sean Crocker, the officer in charge of Station Juneau, said he did not want to go in Alaska as a child. However, now he’s going regret it.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”It’s somewhat bit more bitter and sweet. It’s not because I’m going be able to miss the incredible boating, fishing, hunting,” he said. “For me I think it’s going to be the people who .”
The ceremony also marked the transfer in the flame from Crocker over to the chief of the Boatswain’s Crew Nicholas Sedberry, who will take over the station of 25 members Juneau.
Capt. Darwin Jensen, commander of Sector Juneau, said that during Crocker’s two-year service, the unit was responsible for 90 search-and-rescue missions. However, his wife was unable to attend the event. Their daughter was a graduate of the kindergarten class that day.
“Even more important,” Jensen said.
This is the way that you can describe how the Coast Guard is in Juneau as a part within the larger community.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”You do not have a huge Coast Guard base down here. The Coast Guard is here. Coast Guard here, there’s Coast Guard there,” said the former Coast Guard captain Ed Page who established The Marine Exchange after he retired. “We’re more integrated into our community .”
Although it is true that the Coast Guard is not as evident in Juneau like other Alaska military units however, it is a significant. An Curious Juneau user wanted to find out how big — in terms of how much Coast Guard contributes to Juneau’s economy.
“A major footprint”
Coast Guard members in Juneau may be assigned to the local unit called Station Juneau — or they may be involved in statewide or regional management. Sector Juneau oversees operations in Southeast while District 17 oversees the Coast Guard for all of Alaska. Both offices are located in the Juneau federal building.
Lt. Catherine Cavender works in waterways management for Sector Juneau. She estimates there are around 150 Coast Guard members in Juneau all together and 270 throughout the Southeast.
Like Page She cites the absence of an official Base at Juneau, Coast Guard members reside in apartments and houses across town — they have their cars repaired or cut hair and shop for food at the same stores that everyone else does.
and they have the same issues in to find housing as the other members of the community.
“I resided in a hotel for 4 months before I could move into my apartment,” Cavender said.
Meilani Schijvens, from Research firm Rain Coast Data says that at the time of writing, Coast Guard members had more than 400 dependents in Juneau and the surrounding areas.
It’s a span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”It’s huge footprint. There are also those who work for The Coast Guard who are not on active duties,” the woman said. “It is an important economic driver for the community.” .”
Storis years. Storis years
Damon Stuebner works at the state library of the state. He has made a documentary about Storis, the Coast Guard cutter Storis, that was built on Juneau during the 1950s and 1940s.
He claims it was the case that, in past times that the presence of Coast Guard personnel had been a much more prominent.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”If the ship needed to evacuate due to an emergency the first officer on the vessel — called the executive officer would reach out to both the Imperial as well as Red Dog. Red Dog and say ‘Is my crew present? Take them out to the Red Dog and Imperial,'” he said.
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Stuebner states that the film theater also had the red light flash to alert Coast Guardsmen that they had to be on duty immediately.
The process was unique back then, as well.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”When the Storis was in Juneau the ship performed many of the typical tasks you’d think of the Coast Guard to do,” Stuebner said. “But the thing they did was was known by”the Bering Sea Patrol. This was a string of tasks that involved taking teachers to villages along the coastline .”
Stuebner said that the Coast Guard also delivered mail food items, groceries and other supplies for coastal communities.
“When the statehood process began and statehood was declared, the duties changed, and a large portion of the responsibility fell to states,” the man said.
Stuebner claims that the Storis had been stationed at Juneau from 1948 until 1957, after which it moved to Kodiak -even had the pitbull mascot Red Dog — rumored to be “acquired by a suspect means through an unknown source. Red Dog Saloon.”
A Swiss Army knife
What exactly does what does the Coast Guard do now? There are many things to do according to Page.
The Coast Guard served in certain conflict situations, such as Vietnam and Bahrain according to Page however, typically they don’t encounter the kind of violence that is common to those in the military.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”It’s a different kind of service. It’s more than “Oh, there’s a conflict that needs to be fought. There’s constant war,” he said. “The war is aimed at safeguarding the planet, and the conflict is saving lives whenever the vessel sinks. .”
Joe Geldhof, a maritime lawyer, stated that the Coast Guard rises to its numerous responsibilities in Juneau.
Its style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”It’s similar to it’s a Swiss army knife – it’s loaded with instruments,” he said. “And they’re very effective .”> with .
Sector Juneau covers a large area of responsibility, ranging starting from Dixon Entrance from Dixon Entrance to Icy Bay. Geldhof claims that, given the size and the volume of work involved, it’s an enormous task for one person to tackle.
It’s a style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”I think”the Coast Guard is a reflection of the many different activities that they’re legally required to carry out,” he said. “Fisheries enforcement as well as drug interdiction, at some point and you may conclude, when you’ve studied it, that they’re juggling too many responsibilities .”
They keep returning
Cavender has spent one year in the town so far, with two years to be completed. One of her most favorite aspects of her time in town? Fishing.
“I did manage to catch an king salmon off the shore, something I’m extremely proud of,” she told me.
It’s a new pastime that she has started here. She claims Juneau is a good location to station.
It’s a style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”People certainly will return for their final tour or return to the area and are aware that they would like for their retirement here” the woman said. “It’s very rare to see people returning at this rate in one place. .”
She added that the town may be a home for the majority of military personnel who are more integrated into their community than they do elsewhere.
Jensen who runs Sector Juneau, says servicemembers seek out occasions to return once they’ve been in Juneau. He’s currently on his third tour in Juneau.
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