U.S. Coast Guard Edition - 2022 by APG Eastern NC

U.S. COAST

GUARD 2022 Edition A publication of The Daily Advance, Chowan Herald & The Perquimans Weekly

U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

WHAT’S INSIDE? 04

ON THE COVER Coast Guard members (top, clockwise) Commander Brooks Crawford, Petty Officer 2nd Class Keely Cleaveland, Petty Officer 1st Class Kristean Daniels and Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Gordon are shown at their duty stations. All photos courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

Crawford: ‘Nothing like’ being Coastie aircrew member 09 Gullo enjoys camaraderie at Small Boat Station 10 At NSFCC, Messina helps standardize training, policy for Strike Teams 14 In Coast Guard, Clifford finding adventures she sought 16 Manning helps public affairs unit respond after emergencies

Coastie, wife open AVDET Brewing microbrewery 20 Cleaveland appreciates sense of family in Coast Guard 21 Costales follows mother’s path into Coast Guard 24 Wells ‘absolutely’ making career of Coast Guard 30 Demers: Coast Guard small service with many missions

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

CRAWFORD: ‘NOTHING LIKE’ BEING COASTIE AIRCREW MEMBER BY JULIAN EURE Managing Editor

crater of Mount St. Helens with 60-knot winds swirling around as we attempted to recover a hiker who fell more than a thousand feet,” he said. “Or the time we transported an Explosives Ordnance Disposal team to a remote Alaskan beach so they could safely detonate a World War II mine that had washed ashore.”

ommander Brooks Crawford knew he wanted to be a pilot from the time he was in middle school. After attending Texas A&M University and participating in the Navy/Marine Corps unit in the Corps of Cadets, he also knew he wanted to be a military pilot.

Crawford was also a pilot aboard missions that he said “hoisted a group of people stranded on the roofs of

But because the Corps had no Coast Guard representation, Crawford had never thought about being a Coast Guard pilot. It wouldn’t be until midway through his junior year that he would. “I happened to be home over Christmas holiday of my junior year and saw head,” he says. “I did some research and realized that the missions of the Coast Guard interested and excited me like no other military branch. I knew that day what I was going to do.” Nearly 20 years later, Crawford, 43, couldn’t be happier with his decision.

outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana” and that “rescued a man from a sheer beachside cliff in Oregon.”

Commander Brooks Crawford is the

Alabama; and in Washington, D.C. At Air Station Elizabeth City, Craw-

“I liked the Coast Guard from the very beginning, but I really fell in love with it once I got to the advanced portion a member of a Coast Guard aircrew.” A native of League City, Texas, Crawford has served at duty stations across the country in his two decades in the Coast Guard. Prior to arriving at Air Station Elizabeth City a year ago, he served in Galveston, Texas; Pensacola, Florida; Astoria, Oregon; Sitka, Alaska; Mobile,

program. “My team ensures we’re ready to respond to search and rescue anywhere within the vast Atlantic area of responsibility,” he said. Asked to recall his most interesting missions as a pilot, Crawford says “it’s hard to say” which ones stand out the most.

The latter was memorable in part, Crawford says, because the man, after he was rescued, pulled “out a bunch of corndogs and offered one to each of us in the aircraft.” Probably the most interesting project Crawford has worked on during his career happened while he was stationed at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C. Crawford said he got to serve out how to sustain the Coast Guard’s rotary wing capability for the next two decades. “This was quite a challenge, given “Thankfully, we have some incredibly talented and motivated folks at the Aviation Logistics Center here in Elizabeth City. The people doing the actual work

without the ALC’s staff’s hard work and dedication. While he acknowledges it may “sound like a cliché,” he says the best part of Coast Guard life are “absolutely” the people with whom he gets to work. “I signed up because I wanted to rescue people — but I don’t even remember all the rescues,” Crawford said. “I remember the people that I work with, laugh with, play foosball with, workout life on the line with. We trust each other in the most challenging times — and where else.” And while he agrees there are challenges to Coastie life, he believes they are more impactful on his family. “We move every couple of years and when we do, I immediately jump into a like-minded group of people where I’ve probably served with 25-50% of the folks before,” he said. “It’s pretty seamless for me.” The impact is much greater on Coast Guard families, he says, noting they “have to rebuild their support networks every couple of years.” tribe’ again. Kids have to leave behind familiar schools and become the new kid again. It’s really tough on them,” he said.

here in Elizabeth City.” Crawford says the Coast Guard’s “entire aviation enterprise would fall apart”

It’s why he urges local residents to “make every effort” they can to welcome both Coasties and their families to

U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Thank You For Your Service

the community. Crawford said there are “so many great things” about serving at Air Station Elizabeth City. He notes the Elizabeth City base is the only one in the Coast Guard with an air station, a training center (the Aviation Technical Training Center), an engineering center (the ALC) and an acquisitions center

this town is only going to get better and better.” When he’s not on duty, Crawford enjoys spending time with his family. that’s what I want to be doing when I’m ledore voice and I can build an amazing

“This is where the rescue swimmer program was born,” he also notes. “This is the site of some of the most legendary SAR (search and rescue) cases of the Coast Guard.” Crawford also enjoys life in Elizabeth City off base. “I love seeing some of the development happening in town,” he said. “As new restaurants, breweries, coffee shops

disc golf, and going to see live music.” Crawford said young people considering joining the Coast Guard “absolutely should do it.” He said Coasties are “an incredible team who accomplish incredible things.” trations. But the caliber of people in the Coast Guard are unparalleled,” he said.

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Coulter helping mentor, train, grow next generation of Coasties BY JULIAN EURE Managing Editor

hen Heather L. Coulter joined the Coast Guard in April 1998, her plan was to serve four years, get out and go do something

else.

She had passed on college after graduating from her high school in Chehalis, Washington, deciding it wasn’t for her.

“I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do — but I knew I wanted to do something more with my life,” Coulter recalls. “I wanted to travel and have experiences that I knew weren’t possible in the small town I grew up in.” She says she decided to give the Coast Guard a try after reading a recruiting pamphlet and thinking “that would be a fun job.” But other than search and rescue, Coulter wasn’t sure what she was in for.

time she “felt like” she had made the right choice joining the Coast Guard was when she was underway aboard a 52-foot Motor Lifeboat Triumph. She had been assigned to Small Boat Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Washington. The cape had gotten its unfortunate name from an English explorer River. Coulter herself was far from disappointed, however. She says she “knew I had made the right choice” search and rescue case.

U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

“I was saving lives while enjoying my job,” she said. Today, nearly a quarter-century later, Senior Chief Coulter is a storekeeper assigned to the National Strike Force Coordination Center in Elizabeth City. Her current job is Command Senior Enlist Leader and team-lead for the Atlantic Area Budget Execution for Atlantic Area for Atlantic Area units. Coulter, 43, describes her duty responsibilities as a CSEL the following way: “It is my responsibility to ensure the unit workforce is informed about policy changes, advise and mentor personnel on both career and personal issues, support command strategies to improve our unit and the CG, convey concerns from the workforce to the to problems, and be an overall ‘go to’ person for anything a member needs assistance with.” Storekeeper actually wasn’t Coast Guard. Again, thinking she’d only be in for four years, she initially wanted to be a boatswain’s mate. But after “some tough love and a reality check” from senior members of her unit, Coulter said she decided on the storekeeper rate because she “needed something that would translate to the civilian sector” and thought

ton; Patrol Forces Southwest Asia in Manama, Bahrain in 2004-05; and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche in Alameda, California.

cy and disaster response has been awe-inspiring. The people that make up the NSF community are amazing

Coulter also had temporary deployments aboard the Cutter Boutwell in 2003, and during the Coast Guard responses after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010.

As a CSEL, she’s also enjoying “being able to mentor, train, and grow the next generation of Coasties that will be taking my place one day.”

Coulter said her favorite duty stations were operational units like Station Cape Disappointment, her deployments aboard cutters, and for Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, a mission that involved maritime operations across the Middle East for U.S. Central Command. “Being at operational units makes me feel like I am directly contributing the success of the various Coast Guard missions,” she said. As someone who’s participated in plenty of missions, she says the one that probably stands out the most was the temporary duty assignment she volunteered for aboard the Cutter Boutwell in February 2003. “We deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of the Navy’s 5th Fleet,” she said. “After arriving in the Persian Gulf we conducted various missions for the 5th

Coulter is also enjoying being back in Elizabeth City. “Being stationed here just a few years ago (at the ALC) made the transition back to the area much easier been great to see the amazing growth in the downtown and waterfront areas.” Like a lot of other Coasties, Coulter counts her opportunities to travel and meet all kinds of people as the best part of Coast Guard life.

“The best part of Coast Guard life (are) the people I have met, the travel (I’ve done) to both foreign and domestic lands that I would never have visited otherwise, and the overall life experiences it has provided me,” she said. “I have a tremendous extended Coast Guard family, some that I met over 20 years ago that I still consider part of my family.” As someone who’s spent 24 years in the Coast Guard, Coulter is well aware of the challenges of Coastie life. “Raising a family in the military is a challenge, asking kids to uproot and leave their friends every 3-4 years is hard, especially as they get older,” she said. Coulter faces additional challenges because her husband is also active duty Coast Guard. As a dual military couple, one or both of them are subject to unexpected deployments. There’s

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“It dealt with procurement, accounting, budget, and logistics — all things that would assist with my transition to civilian workforce,” she said.

She’s also enjoying her current assignment at the NSFCC.

Coulter’s current assignment at the NSFCC is actually her second posting in Elizabeth City. She served at the Aviation Logistics Center from 201519. Some of her other duty assignments include the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Midgett in Seattle, Washing-

“I am seeing a whole new mission of the Coast Guard that I hadn’t been a part of before, other than deploying in support of Hurricane Katrina response and Deepwater Horizon,” she said. “Seeing the knowledge, experience, and training that goes into emergen-

U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Gullo enjoys camaraderie at Small Boat Station BY JULIAN EURE Managing Editor

incent Gullo considered joining the U.S. Coast Guard for the same reason a lot of other young people do: because he had a friend who had joined. Gullo, a 19-year-old native of Ocean City, New Jersey, says he saw what his friend was doing in the Coast Guard and thought “it looked awesome!” But the two things that clinched his decision to join were his patriotism and pragmatism. “I could do something awesome for my country and get a college education for free out of it,” he said. Gullo is stationed at Small Boat Station Elizabeth City, said he isn’t planning to make the Coast Guard a career. But he does believe what he’ll do and learn in the Coast Guard will “aid me in my future career.” That’s why Gullo, who is currently non-rated, plans to seek either an aviation mechanical technician or boatswain mate’s rate. He believes either will provide him with the training and skills he’ll need to pursue career opportunities outside the Coast Guard. Among the awards and honors he’s already earned are a National Defense Service Medal and Coast Guard Marksman Pistol Ribbon. Small Boat Station Elizabeth City

Coast Guard. He’s only been the service nine months and seven of them have been spent here. Gullo’s job duties include taking part in “multi-mission operations” that he says help “ensure the safety of people on the water.” He also works to keep the station’s boats in a state of constant readiness for the unit’s missions. He says the most interesting mission he’s participated in so far was a search and rescue case where station personnel were searching for a person in the water.

“I learned how important the Coast Guard missions are and why we train so hard,” he said. Gullo said he “loves” his assignment at the small boat station, particularly because of the camaraderie he has with fellow Coasties whom he considers “my second family.” In fact, when he’s not on duty, Gullo says he likes going to the beach and hanging out with friends he works with at the station. So what’s the best part of Coast Guard life for him? Getting paid to

travel, he says. “The advantages of that is that I get to see the world for free,” he said. The one challenge he has is one all service people experience: “being away from my family in New Jersey,” he says. Asked if he would recommend Coast Guard service to others, Gullo indicated he would. “I would tell them it is a great time; you will face some challenges but everything is what you make it,” he said.

U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

At NSFCC, Messina helps standardize training, policy for strike teams BY JULIAN EURE Managing Editor

In his role as a machinery technician with the Strike Force Center of Ex-

U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

beth City is different from the urban environment he grew up with in Yonkers, he said he’s come to “appreciate the uniqueness of small-town life.” “The people of this community are welcoming and are genuine,” Messina said. “There is lots of support for the Coast Guard here, and it’s been great serving the community during my tour.” When he’s not on duty, Messina said he enjoys playing the piano and their golden retriever. The couple like going to the beach and checking out local breweries and restaurants. Like a number of Coasties, Messina said the best part of Coastie life are the “people you meet.” “I have met and worked with so many great people that have become

close friends,” he said.

Messina himself plans to take advantage of one of those many bene-

great people and making such close friends” of course, he says, is having to say goodbye to them when your assignment is up.

ends. Using the post-9/11 GI Bill, he plans to attend university and complete his bachelor’s degree in engineering

“Transferring to a different area provides a lot of challenges,” he said.

During his career, Messina has earned a number of honors and

For young people thinking about joining the Coast Guard, Messina said the service “has so much to offer for every path and every career interest.” “There are so many different jobs and options available, all with their own unique challenges and beneleave home and live somewhere brand new is also so exciting and really will help build you as a person.”

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

at a number of duty stations, Daniels says having to pick up and move every few years is the toughest part of Coast Guard life. “The most challenging part of the Coast Guard is, by far, when it is time to move to a new duty station, especially if (you’re moving from) one that you really enjoy,” she said. Daniels’ husband is also in the Coast Guard, so when he’s not deployed on his cutter, the couple spend time together along with their dog. She also enjoys spending her off-time working on household projects or quilting. Daniels says the Coast Guard has become “my career of choice.” She encourages young people considering a Coast Guard career to explore the opportunity. It’s hard to beat the service’s diversity of missions and

operations, she said. “The Coast Guard is a small service, and once you are in you not only gain friends and experiences but also another family,” she said. Over the course of her 14-year career, Daniels has earned a number of honors and awards. They include: a Humanitarian Service Medal, an Armed Forces Service Medal, two Coast Guard Achievement medals, four Coast Guard Good Conduct Medals, a Unit Commendation Ribbon, four Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation Ribbons, a Permanent Cutterman Ribbon, a Coast Guard Special Ops Service Ribbon, two Letter of Commendation Ribbons, a Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon, a Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal, and the National Defense Ribbon.

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Manning helps public affairs unit respond after emergencies BY JULIAN EURE Managing Editor

alfway into what she hopes will be at least a 20-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard,

Class Meredith Manning has already taken part in a number of missions she describes as both “interesting and rewarding.”

Even though she grew up in a Coast Guard City — Wilmington became East Coast in 2003 — and was in a Navy ROTC program in high school, Manning said she spent a few years colleges” before realizing she “had path.”

Two of the most memorable, Manning says, were deploying to the Arctic Circle aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy and then to Miami and Puerto Rico in the aftermath of HurriDuring her assignment aboard the Healy as part of the Coast Guard’s Operation Arctic Shield, Manning — a public affairs specialist currently attached to the Public Information Assist Team at the National Strike Force Coordination Center — got to see plenty of Alaska wildlife and both dive since 2006. A few months later, after Hurricane Maria barreled across the Caribbean, she served as a media relations specialist in Miami and then as a joint specialist in hard-hit Puerto Rico. est in emergency response because I saw what an incredible impact the Coast Guard can have to communities that are experiencing a natural disaster or emergency,” Manning said. Though she’s now been a Coastie

Manning, 36, said she’s not sure if it was “familiarity or the proximity” decided to give the Coast Guard a try, noting it was the only service branch she considered. She said “it felt like reer path for me,” she said, noting she plans to complete at least 20 years in the service. Manning said she chose her public affairs rate while still in Coast Guard boot camp. She said Coast Guard to all of the service’s rates to “help us get an idea of which direction we may want to go.” She initially was interested in maritime law enforcement “but immediately changed my mind” after learning about the Coast Guard’s public affairs rate, she said. “I was drawn to the idea of being able to experience so many parts of the Coast Guard through one rate and being able to share those experiences through stories and imagery,” she

Meredith Manning, a public affairs specialist currently attached to the Public Information Assist Team at the National Strike Force Coordination Center, enjoys working as part of a team that provides crisis communication assistance and training during emergency response incidents and exercises. Submitted photo

said.

U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

a small boat station in Clearwater, Florida. While there, she got a chance to work with a nearby Coast Guard public affairs detachment. In 2015, she attended public affairs “A” school unit in Anchorage, Alaska. Four years later, she transferred to the Coast Guard social media team at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Manning was then selected to attend the Coast Guard’s Advanced Education program. She said she was

ing crisis communication assistance and training during emergency response incidents and exercises.” Like any other job, serving in the Coast Guard has its “pros and cons,” she said. “But I can say without a shadow of a doubt that joining was the best decision I have made,” Manning said. “Being in the military has given me a sense of pride and accomplishment while also allowing me the opportunity to travel and live all over the country.”

degree in media and journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduating in May, she joined the Public Information Assist Team at the National Strike Force Coordination Center in Elizabeth City in June.

Her biggest challenge is similar to that many other Coasties encounter: being away from family. Fortunately for her, her current and previous duty stations have allowed her to “be close to home.”

In her current job, Manning said she works as part of a team “provid-

Manning thinks the NSFCC will be her favorite duty station.

“I am excited to spend a few more years in my home state and work with a great team,” she said. “I am also looking forward to traveling and doing more emergency response work.” She said she recently moved to Elizabeth City’s downtown. “I love that we can walk and ride our bikes to local restaurants and the waterfront,” she said. Besides downtown bike rides with her family and spending time with her three dogs, Manning said she enjoys spending time taking photographs. “I recently started my own photography business and really enjoy being able to get creative with my camera,” she said. Asked what advice she’d give a

young person considering a career in the Coast Guard, she’d tell them to “do it!.” “I cannot express how much it changed my life for the better,” she said. Manning has already earned a number of honors and awards during her Coast Guard service. They include two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, two Commandant Letters of Commendation, three Good Conduct Medals, the Meritorious Team Commendations Awards. She also was named the Coast Guard District 17 Staff Enlisted Person of the Year and recognized as the distinguished honor graduate for Public Affairs “A” School and Intermediate Photojournalism.

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Coastie, wife open AVDET Brewing microbrewery BY PAUL NIELSEN Staff Writer

taproom. The couple settled on the location because it needed less renovation work and it allows the brewery to have an outside patio.

enior Chief Mark Napolitano is burning the candle at both ends.

By day, Napolitano serves at Air Station Elizabeth City. The rest of the time Napolitano and his wife, Jennifer, are at AVDET Brewing in the city, a craft beer microbrewery the couple opened on May 21 after more than a year of planning.

Being a Coast Guard family, coming up with the brewery’s name was the easy part of starting the business. AVDET is short for a military “aviation detachment.” Napolitano is assigned to the H-60 helicopter division at the base, dealing mainly with training responsibilities. Mark Napolitano not only owns the brewery along with his wife but he is started to master at home in 1994. The couple also pour beer for customers, clean the kegs and do everything else associated with owning a small business. “We spend a lot of our off time there,” Napolitano said. “I spend about 50 to 60 hours at the brewery when I am not the here (at Coast Guard base).’’

AVDET has a 3½-barrel production system that is capable of producing 450 barrels of craft beer a year. Most of that equipment was bought and paid for well over a year before the brewery opened and was stored in the Napolitanos’ garage waiting for a new home.

Mark Napolitano poses next to the taps in the new brewery, AVDET Brewing Company, he and his wife Jennifer are opening in Elizabeth City. Napolitano is also an active duty Coastie at the Elizabeth City Coast Guard base. Submitted photo

“Even when we are closed on Monday and Tuesday, we are at the brewery doing this or that. There really is no off time.” The couple’s workload is less now that the brewery is open. They both helped with renovations to the brew house, taproom and patio. “It is a whole lot nicer now not having all that build out,” Napolitano said. “It’s more fun to brew beer and out. I’m glad I am not making 12 trips to Lowe’s every day.’’

Jennifer doesn’t spend as much time at the brewery as she also works for Sentara Healthcare and at the Chesapeake Regional Breast Center in Virginia.

AVDET — Elizabeth City’s third craft brewery— in located in a portion of the Kenyon Bailey Supply building at 407 McArthur Drive.

“She is burning the candle at three ends,” Napolitano said with a laugh.

They currently only have one other employee but Mark Napolitano said

they don’t mind the work. Mark Napolitano will begin his 28th year in the Coast Guard early next month and has been stationed in Elizabeth City for two years.

process of opening AVDET in February 2021 when they asked the city to allow microbreweries outside of the Central Business District. They said at the time that locating downtown was not an option because they couldn’t

“We have one employee who opens up until I get done with my day job (with the Coast Guard),” Napolitano said.

City Council approved amending its zoning rules to allow microbreweries outside the Central Business District. That change now allows microbreweries in General Business, Highway Business, Light Industrial and Planned Unit Development-Mixed Use districts across the city.

Napolitano said business has been good and that customers have enjoyed the eight beers that usually are on tap.

The brewery submitted its special use permit application with the city last September and the city’s Board of

“So far so good,” he said. “Everybody is digging what we are brewing. I haven’t had any negative reviews. People seem to really like the space, it is comfortable.”

brewery last December.

Napolitano said that a lot of Coasties have been enjoying the beer but that a lot of “civilians” also frequent the

Napolitano is eligible for retirement from the Coast Guard but he has no immediate plans to make AVDET his only full-time job. “We are going to see how this works

U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Musumeci assigned to newly commissioned APAC BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

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Cleaveland appreciates sense of family in Coast Guard BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

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Costales follows mother’s path into Coast Guard BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Shaffer says rescue ‘was like something in the movies’ BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Speedy among Coast Guard’s DIVER rating BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

Speedy. Submitted photo

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Wells ‘absolutely’ making career of Coast Guard BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Vu, 23, joins Coast Guard for stability, service to country BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

hois Vu is a native of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and an avionics electrical technician (AET) student at the Aviation Technical Training Center. He holds the enlisted pay designation of E-3, which means he is one rank below petty officer 3rd class, or E-4. Enlisted personnel E-3 and below are also referred to as “non-rates,” which means they have not completed the requirements to earn a job rating specialty. When Vu completes training for the AET rate he will be promoted to petty officer 3rd class.

“I joined this rate because I knew the boat world is not for me and I grew up with a mechanics background,” Vu said. He also wanted “to pick up new skills as an electrician.” While stationed in the Outer Banks he was part of a crew that rescued several people whose boat had run aground. “One of the cases was where the boat had a hard aground and the people on board were badly injured,” he said. “When we showed up and saw a smile and felt a sense of relief from them reminds me of why we do what we do.” It’s the community-service focus of the Coast Guard that Vu likes most about serving.

Vu, 23, joined the Coast Guard in January 2018 “because of stability and I wanted to serve,” he said.

I like the mission of Coast Guard and to know that your actions directly impact somebody in need,” he said.

He was previously assigned to a small boat station on the Outer Banks and chose the AET rate because he prefers aviation to being underway.

Vu has earned a Good Conduct medal so far in his young Coast Guard enlistment. As for making the sea-going service a career, he is still deciding, he said.

Airman Khois Vu. Submitted photo

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

Paul studying to become aviation maintenance technician BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

uby Paul is an aviation maintenance technician (AMT) student at the Aviation Technical Training Center. She holds the enlisted pay designation of E-3, which means class, or E-4. Enlisted personnel E-3 and below are also referred to as “non-rates,” which means they have not completed the requirements to earn a job rating specialty. When Paul completes training for the AMT rate she will be Paul is 21 years old and is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “College wasn’t the right path for me,” said Paul, about why she joined the Coast Guard. “I was drawn to the Coast Guard because of its life-saving mission.” has been to Elizabeth City as a member of the Coast Guard. She chose the AMT rating for the chance to participate in search and rescue operations

Airman Ruby Paul. Submitted photo

Paul also has underway experience as she was previously assigned to an 87-foot patrol boat out of eastern Florida. In that tour, she took part in one

Your vision is our focus.

missions of her young career. While underway, the boat crew rescued four people from the water. The stranded sailors’ boat had capsized and they were not wearing life jackets, she said. Paul also completed a stint at Air Station Atlantic City, in New Jersey. So far she has earned a Coast Guard sea service ribbon and a Commandant’s Letter of Commendation.

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She’s undecided whether she’ll make a full career of the Coast Guard but likes that she still has choices.

“We’ve been learning a lot here at AMT “A” school,” she said of her training. “It’s a great learning environment.”

“It’s great to have the option to either stay in the Coast Guard or to use my GI Bill to go to school,” she said.

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U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, THE DAILY ADVANCE, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022

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U.S. Coast Guard Edition - 2022

Articles inside

Coastie, wife open AVDET Brewing microbrewery

Manning helps public affairs unit respond after emergencies

Gullo enjoys camaraderie at Small Boat Station

Wells ‘absolutely’ making career of Coast Guard