Mercurio: Hard to pick most significant USCG mission

BY CHRIS DAY AND KESHA WILLIAMS Starr Writers

Petty Officer 1st Class Kaitlin Mercurio says it’s tough to pick the most significant mission she’s participated in while in the US Coast Guard. “This is a hard question to answer,” said Mercurio, a yeoman assigned to the HC-27J Asset Project Office. While previously stationed aboard the Cutter Sequoia, she took part in a variety of Coast Guard operations. There is one humanitarian mission that stands out more than others, she said. The Sequoia is a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender based in the US territory of Guam, in the Pacific Ocean. On one patrol, Mercurio and her shipmates visited the city of Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands. The crew met with local fishermen to educate and to promote maritime safety, and to paint their vessels a bright orange to help locate them quicker in the event of search and rescue. “There are so many small islands in the middle of the ocean and the locals that live on them don’t always have the resources necessary to keep themselves safe when they go out on the water,” Mercurio said. “It was extremely fulfilling to be able to help mitigate some of the dangers they’re faced with.” The Asset Project Office was formed in 2014 with the purpose to “missionize” 14 HC-27J fixed-wing aircraft. The two-engine planes were originally purchased for use by the US Air Force but were retired in 2012. Mercurio, who is 26 years old, was promoted to first class on June 1. At APO, she is responsible for assisting unit members and their dependents, among other jobs. “I council members on policy, authorize travel, control the unit’s governmental travel charge cards and publicize USCG messages,” she said. The opportunity to help others is why she chose the yeoman field. “I wanted a job that maximized my interaction with other members; I’m pretty social and I like being able to help guide people and/or answer their questions,” she said. “I think the people behind an organization are the most important part, and it’s essential to the organization’s success that they’re being taken care of. Being a yeoman is just one of the many jobs that lets you take care of your shipmates.” With a roster of about 40,000 active duty personnel, the Coast Guard is the smallest of the nation’s five armed services. That makes the role of each Coast Guard member more vital, Mercurio believes. “I like that we’re such a small service. Every member is more valuable, because there aren’t an endless amount of us,” she said. Like the Coast Guard, the APO is a small but hardworking command, Mercurio explained. “The APO is a pretty small unit even by Coast Guard standards, but U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, The Daily Advance , Frida y, July 31, 2020

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Petty Officer 1st Class Kaitlin Mercurio (middle) poses with her family during a ceremony in which Mercurio was promoted to first class, Monday, June 1.

Photo courtesy US Coast Guard

everyone here works hard and shows appreciation toward the others’ efforts,” she said. Mercurio hails from the small New York town of Baldwinsville, whose city limits are split by the Seneca River. She joined the Coast Guard in 2014 in search of a life beyond her hometown. “As cliché as it sounds, I joined because I wanted more out of life than the small town I’m from could offer,” she said. The APO is one of seven commands that make up the Coast Guard presence in Elizabeth City. The other commands are Base Elizabeth City, the Aviation Logistics Command, the Aviation Technical Training Command, the small boat station, the air station and the National Strike Force. The NSF is located off the main base on U.S. Highway 17 just north of town. “I like that there is such variety here,” said Mercurio. “There aren’t usually this many different kinds of commands in such proximity to one another.” Changes for the better to downtown Elizabeth City are among the reasons she’s enjoyed being assigned to the area. “I love that the downtown area is making a comeback,” Mercurio said. “I’ve seen so many changes in the four years I’ve been here and it’s really great to see that it’s being revitalized.” After her tour aboard Cutter Sequoia and prior to coming to Elizabeth City, Mercurio was assigned to Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma, in California, where she completed yeoman “A” school training. She originally served at Base Elizabeth City, before transferring to APO. Mercurio was slated to rotate out of Elizabeth City in June to her next duty assignment, at the Coast Guard’s Pay and Personnel Center in Topeka, Kansas. Mercurio has earned several medals and ribbons, to include two achievement medals, a meritorious unit commendation ribbon, two meritorious team commendation ribbons, a Commandant’s letter of commendation ribbon, a humanitarian service medal, an overseas service ribbon, a sea service ribbon and two good conduct medals.