Storch retires from APO, Brooks takes command

14

U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, The Daily Advance , Frida y, July 31, 2020

Capt. Paul Brooks (left) relieves Capt. Eric Storch (right) during a change of command ceremony for the HC-27J Asset Project Office on Friday, June 26. Storch, who took command of the APO in June 2017, has retired from the Coast Guard after 25 years of service. In the middle is Rear Adm. Michael Johnston, who presided over the ceremony.

Photo courtesy US Coast Guard

Storch retires from APO, Brooks takes command

Capt. Eric Storch said he realized his career objective at an early age. “I knew I wanted to go in the Coast Guard. I was committed,” said Storch, in an interview in June 2017 after taking command of the HC-27J Asset Project Office. Storch was 45 at the time of that interview, and on Friday, June 26, he retired from a 25-year career in the Coast Guard, which began with completing Office Candidate School in 1995. Also that Friday, Storch turned over the keys to the APO to new commanding officer, Capt. Paul Brooks. The change of command ceremony was held on base in the APO hangar with limited attendance, because of COVID-19 precautions. The ceremony was broadcast live on Facebook. Presiding at the ceremony was Rear Adm. Michael Johnston, the Coast Guard’s assistant commandant for acquisition and chief acquisition officer. The few guests in attendance included direct family members, as well as James Loy, a retired admiral and the

BY CHRIS DAY Multimedia Editor

Coast Guard’s 21st commandant. Loy was attending as a guest of the Storch family. In his remarks, Johnston praised Storch for his work ethic and spirituality and service to the nation, his dedication to his family and fellow man. “Eric, we’re happy to count you as part of the Coast Guard family,” the admiral said. Johnston also noted that Storch is a second-generation Coast Guardsman, as Storch’s father also spent a career in the service. Johnston next turned to Brooks and spoke of his background, which includes 3,000 flight hours in fixed-wing aircraft. Noting the accomplishments thus far of the APO, Johnston congratulated him on his new command and bid him good luck. “Capt. Brooks, you have inherited an outstanding crew and there are many challenges ahead,” Johnston said. “I am confident that the 27J APO is in good hands and you will keep the Spartans flying high.” Storch followed Johnston in addressing the audience and spoke briefly about his family and how he grew up the son of a retired Coast Guardsman. “Family, relationships and connecting to people are important to me,” he said, turning to Johnston. “As you said, I am a second-generation Coast Guardsman. These shoulder boards I wear today were handed down to me by my father.” Storch also took time to thank his staff for their work and to thank members of his family. When he stepped from the podium, he was called before Adm. Johnston, who presented him a Legion of Merit award for meritorious service. Speaking next was Brooks, who joins APO from his previous assignment at the White House Office of National Drug Policy. “The Coast Guard is going to miss your leadership and professionalism,” he said, turning to Storch. “By the way, just so you know, you’re going to be a really, really hard act to follow. Your devotion to your crew, their respect for you and your expertise as both a pilot and a military officer are a model we should all strive to emulate.” Storch grew up in Mount Pleasant, S.C., a small community across the Cooper River from Charleston. In 1994, he graduated from the Citadel, where he studied Spanish and pre-law criminal justice. In 1995, he graduated from Officer Candidate School when it was still based at the Coast Guard’s Yorktown, Va., base. Today OCS is located on the campus of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. Storch’s first assignment out of OCS was to the Coast Guard Honor Guard in Washington. He was accepted to flight school while stationed with the Honor Guard and served as a fixed-wing C-130 pilot his entire career. His first pilot assignment was Air Station Elizabeth City, from 1998 to 2002. APO marked at least his third assignment in Elizabeth City. In 2003, Storch received the Elmer F. Stone Aviation Rescue Award, named for the Coast Guard’s first aviator. The award came while he was stationed in Kodiak, after his C-130 crew provided overhead support to an H-60 helicopter crew that was assisting with a medevac at sea. In extremely poor weather conditions, he was forced to conserve fuel by shutting down one of the plane’s engines. The patient was successfully transported to Anchorage for treatment. The APO was formed in 2014 with the purpose to “missionize” 14 HC-27J “Spartan” fixed-wing aircraft for Coast Guard use. The two-engine planes were originally purchased for use by the U.S. Air Force but were retired in 2012. Six of the modified C-27s are now in use at Air Station Sacramento, while six more were slated for Air Station Clearwater. The remaining two were to remain in “overhaul” status to establish a fleet maintenance rotation. The C-27 is basically a smaller version of the C-130 Hercules, with one noticeable difference: The C-27 has two engines, while the C-130 has four.