CG-1705 Update — Support, Investigation, Memorial Information

CG-1705 Update — Support, Investigation, Memorial Information.

To the Men and Women of the United States Coast Guard and Everyone Who Supports Them:

First, my heartfelt thanks and sincere admiration to the literally thousands of people, both seen and unseen, who are helping our fellow Guardians in this time of great need. Tragedies like this reverberate throughout our service, but our mission never stops and we continue to be relied on by the American public to provide for their safety and security. Through the tireless and fearless dedication of Team Coast Guard, and the support of the entire Coast Guard Family, we are demonstrating our resiliency and continue to stand the watch while we embrace and lift up those enduring immense loss.

I was in Texas on Thursday evening when I first learned of the loss of CG-1705 and a Marine helicopter. Friday morning we flew out to Air Station Sacramento where I met with the command cadre, held an all hands, met privately with crew members, and talked to families and friends who had gathered. It was difficult for all of us and I appreciate the dedication and commitment of the crew to their Guardians. I also talked with the relief crew that was sent by Barbers Point to take the watch and ease the burden on the SACTO crew. On Saturday I met with our responders in San Diego and thanked them for their tireless efforts. We were assisted greatly by our DHS partners in CBP with search aircraft and the dispatch of CBP Chaplains to assist our shipmates. The US Navy Third Fleet was also a key player in the response and we thank VADM Rick Hunt and his team. I also thank my sea services partners General Jim Conway and Admiral Gary Roughead for their support as well.

The support community has actively mobilized to provide support in every conceivable way, including: additional counselors and chaplains; critical incident stress management services; and other work-life needs (e.g., special needs, child care). The nature of our service — small, close-knit, geographically mobile — makes it a certainty that we have Guardians stationed across the country who have experienced a personal loss. We are sensitive to this and the potential need for emotional support and have asked our work-life staffs nationwide to be especially vigilant and ensure that anyone in need is provided for. Coast Guard personnel and dependents can call the Employee Assistance Program toll free number (1-800-222-0364) to obtain counseling assistance.

Friday morning we were in immediate contact with Marine Corps leadership to express our condolences and determine the appropriate way ahead. I cannot say enough about the professional and cooperative response from our sister service, which is also grieving the loss of two brave Marines. We have agreed that the right approach going forward is to exercise complete cooperation. To that end we will conduct a thorough joint investigation, presided over by RDML Korn as Board President and a dedicated and experienced staff of Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy aviation experts.

Plans are still being finalized for a formal memorial service at Air Station Sacramento on Friday. As soon as more details are available for that we will communicate those to maximize the opportunity for Team Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Family to participate. As always, the Coast Guard Foundation is providing outstanding support in our time of need. You can learn more about how the Coast Guard Foundation is helping here.

There is still much to do and many questions to be answered. I caution against speculation until we know the facts associated with what happened. We owe that to our fallen Guardians.

To the men and women of the Coast Guard and all of those who have assisted us, thank you for your concern and support for the families, loved ones, and friends of the crew of CG 1705. We honor their service and devotion to duty.

ADM A

Veterans Day Presidential Proclamation

VETERANS DAY, 2009

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 

A PROCLAMATION

We have a sacred trust with those who wear the uniform of the United States of America. From the Minutemen who stood watch over Lexington and Concord to the service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, American veterans deserve our deepest appreciation and respect. Our Nation’s servicemen and women are our best and brightest, enlisting in times of peace and war, serving with honor under the most difficult circumstances, and making sacrifices that many of us cannot begin to imagine. Today, we reflect upon the invaluable contributions of our country’s veterans and reaffirm our commitment to provide them and their families with the essential support they were promised and have earned.

Caring for our veterans is more than a way of thanking them for their service. It is an obligation to our fellow citizens who have risked their lives to defend our freedom. This selflessness binds our fates with theirs, and recognizing those who were willing to give their last full measure of devotion for us is a debt of honor for every American.

We also pay tribute to all who have worn the uniform and continue to serve their country as civilians. Many veterans act as coaches, teachers, and mentors in their communities, selflessly volunteering their time and expertise. They visit schools to tell our Nation’s students of their experiences and help counsel our troops returning from the theater of war.

These men and women possess an unwavering belief in the idea of America: no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who your parents are, this is a place where anything is possible. Our veterans continue to stand up for those timeless American ideals of liberty, self-determination, and equal opportunity.

On Veterans Day, we honor the heroes we have lost, and we rededicate ourselves to the next generation of veterans by supporting our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen as they return home from duty. Our grateful Nation must keep our solemn promises to these brave men and women and their families. They have given their unwavering devotion to the American people, and we must keep our covenant with them.

With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our servicemen and women have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor our Nation’s veterans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2009, as Veterans Day. I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through appropriate public ceremonies and private prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to participate in patriotic activities in their communities. I call on all Americans, including civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, and communities to support this day with commemorative expressions and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Admiral Thad Allen to Testify about the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen will testify about the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force process and coastal and marine spatial planning before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard.   Washington, D.C.  Wednesday, 4 November 2009 at 10 am.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Ability to Detect Biological and Chemical Threats in Maritime Cargo Containers

Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General Report

Section 809(g) of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-293) requires the Office of Inspector General to submit an annual report on its evaluation of the current cargo inspection targeting system for international intermodal cargo containers. Customs and Border Protection is responsible for operation of the targeting system and conducting cargo container examinations. This review addresses the tools, information, and guidance that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers use to examine high-risk containers that potentially contain biological and chemical weapons.

CBP has taken steps to mitigate the threat of nuclear and radiological weapons of mass destruction in maritime cargo containers, but could do more to mitigate threats posed by biological and chemical weapons. CBP officials said that new devices are currently being developed and tested that could better enable officers to rapidly detect and identify biological and chemical threats during cargo inspections. However, CBP has not conducted a formal risk assessment to determine which pathways, including maritime cargo, pose the highest risk of biological and chemical weapons entering the nation. Conducting a formal risk assessment of the various pathways would help ensure that CBP allocates its detection technology development resources to threat pathways that pose the highest risk.

Coast Guard Report Weekend Recap

• Coast Guard Ends Search for CG-1705 Downed Aircrews
• We Break Radio Silence To Bring You This Special Update on CG-1705

Admiral Thad Allen and Terri A. Dickerson Miss Congressional Deadline and Snub Congressman Elijah Cummings Coast Guard snubs Congressman Elijah Cummings and misses deadline on new EO Manual.  Coast Guard Civil Rights is partly where it is today “in disarray”  because of the poorly written manual.  Two years after the rewrite was started, and hundreds of dollars later … Coast Guard is still operating under the old manual.  Accountability in the Coast Guard – Not on Allen’s Watch!

• Black Ribbon Halloween
• Our Special Report on the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Civil Rights – Sunday, 1 November 2009
• Rescuers find debris but no survivors in area of midair military collision [Updated]
• Admiral Thad Allen Updates Employees on Loss of CG-1705
• Coast Guard Releases Names of CG-1705 Crew
• Coast Guard air crew based in Sacramento area missing in crash – Sacramento News – Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
• Survivors Unlikely in CG-1705 Midair Crash, Pentagon Official Says
• Commandant of the Marine Corps Veterans Day Message
• Downed Flight of CG-1705 – Search for Answers Continues
• Coast Guard, Navy continue search for downed aircraft
• Rocklin man part of downed Coast Guard plane’s crew – Latest News – sacbee.com

Coast Guard Officers Use Craigslist to Find Entertainment for Ptero Roost 2009 Most controversial post of the weekend. Find out why some readers want this story to go away, and others want to see names.