An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog

Coming full circle. The more things change. Etc.

2008-07-24T11:44:00.001-04:00

Among the pictures of the EAGLE's participation in the parade of sail in San Francisco earlier this week, I was struck by the pictures of Coast Guard petty officers with their K9 compatriots. I thought the pictures looked eerily familar, a through-back to a former time, a cliche of a cliche supporting more cliches.

It seems the cliches may be right: the more things change, the way they stay the same. Things have come full circle.

What would Dimitri Fedotoff White think?

Photo of Petty Officer Sandor Csitar with Hawk (left) and Petty Officer Anthony Ross with Chiquita from CGVI.

Photo from World War II from Olive Drab.

It all depends, I guess

2008-07-23T23:10:00.000-04:00

The New London Day tells us Cadets In Spat Will Not Be Prosecuted. Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Doss noted the students have not been suspended or expelled but that "Anytime anybody gets in trouble off base they are subject to punishment on the military side of things."

Indeed, subject to punishment, but we were also reminded tonight that just because a military member is convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison by civil authorities, they don't have to serve if the service decides not to "give up" the member.

And, so it goes.

Posted to the NECN website, Part 2

2008-07-23T22:04:00.003-04:00

This is the bit I was looking for:

And I haven't even watched it yet.

Posted to the NECN website

2008-07-23T21:56:00.002-04:00

I'm hovering over the NECN website and, surprise of all, I find a Coast Guard story:

Okay, perhaps not the story I was looking for, but a Coast Guard story nonetheless.

New England Cable News: Anticipated CG story said to run tonight

2008-07-23T16:26:00.001-04:00

News Trucks in Portsmouth
Originally uploaded by kenzickler

For those of you in New England, NECN is anticipating running their Coast Guard domestic violence reporting tonight as the "cover story" at around 2130 and 2230 and again tomorrow around 1215. I'm told it will be online by 2200 tonight.

Intelink story on the radio

2008-07-23T10:01:00.001-04:00

Still wondering what the Intelink-U thing is? This might help. Chris Rasmussen was on a talk show recently. As he noted yesterday in his Need-To-Share Guy blog:

I was on Federal News Radio AM 1050 Government IT Solutions Spotlight this morning talking about gardening, lessons learned, and next steps.
direct mp3 (Fast forward a bit over intro commercials)
FCW Insider blog

or go to http://www.federalnewsradio.com/ >> Technology Tab >> Gov’t IT Solutions Spotlight

This is a great overview of the tools available for you, Coastie.

How are you going to use Intelink-U to do your job better and increase organizational performance for the Coast Guard?

CGBlog Find #8: US Coast Guard [as seen from a Coast Guard Girl]

2008-07-23T05:37:00.001-04:00

Wow, long time since I've been around these here parts- a little busy. Summertime tends to do that in this organization. On to the find!

I have been watching this blog for about two or so months, waiting for some substantial updates- with few to have come forth. None the less I bring you this weeks (or month if you want to get technical) find: US Coast Guard. Ok, I realize it's not the most original name for a Coastie's blog, but I'd be one to bet Coast Guard Girl doesn't care. First things first, I hereby place this blog under the coveted DECKPLATE sub category for its written from a real Coastie and it's about her, yes, her, life aboard the USCGC MOHAWK. Her first (CG related) entry was about her graduation from boot camp and her latest was from a port call (10 July) on a pleasureful cruise of the Southern waters (ok, that's how I would describe it, not her). Here a little from said entry:

Being in the service I can now tell you that I have a higher respect for the armed forces and I am truly glad to be serving my country! We are now back underway with 3 weeks until we pull back into home port! We have one more port call next week and I cant wait to be on land. This week is going to be filled with tests and training so that I can get all my qualifications done...

It's not down an dirty into everyday life, but this is a great site to get a small glimpse into the life of a female Coastie. Hey, maybe we should all talk Peter into getting some feminine talent around here?

Again, this weeks CGBlog Find is US Coast Guard as told by a Coast Guard Girl.

**Have a blog or website you would like to see as a CGBlog Find? Leave a note in the comments or email me (Joe [at] CGBlog.org) for your nomination. ~Joe

Let's hope this one doesn't stick

2008-07-22T21:15:00.001-04:00

he'd thought they'd be homies forever.
Originally uploaded by Walsh

Over at David Axe and his boring war, I came across this seemingly throw-away line from a commenter:

BTW: Since the Coast Guard was absorbed into DHS, they’re no longer called “Coasties” — they’re called “Homies”.

Homies, eh? I'm not sure I'm with it...

;-)

Still Wondering About FORCECOM? This ought to help.

2008-07-22T14:39:00.002-04:00

I stumbled across this on YouTube, and it is well worth the viewing to learn more about FORCECOM and how the Coast Guard will be structured starting a year from now. As you listen, consider how many shifts in thinking we are going to need to pull this off:

Enjoy.

Equal Civil Rights: An Email from a Former Cadet

2008-07-22T11:00:00.007-04:00

Last night, I received an email complete with an attachment. It was the answer to a question that I had asked to a fellow cadet, four years ago. Why did you leave the academy? I battled back and forth about sharing her reasons with the readership of CGBlog.org, and I even waited for Peter Stinson’s approval. We agreed that it is her opinion and it is as relevant as yours or my own.

Her email:

Here it is. I am not the greatest of writers, but it's honest. I double checked it for punctuation and what not. Also feel free to edit/shorten if you need. I trust you to not edit things out of context if you deem it necessary. I also attached a couple pictures from my Wyoming. I have fallen for the Tetons and am looking at getting on as climbing ranger there eventually. As for right now I working towards getting my Paramedic certification. Have a wonderful rest of the week and please say 'Hello' to Lindsey for me.

As Always,

Cass

Everyone that reads her reason will fall in three categories: complete disagreement, agreement, or somewhere in the middle. The latter is where I find myself. Cultural adjustments take decades and progress leaves casualties. I believe that there will be a day when the constitution and civil rights are enforced equally for everyone. But as a small part of our federal government, the U.S. Coast Guard has the most potential to be the least flawed of government institutions. To do that, all issues need to be addressed, not just the ones that are politically convenient. Those issues should be pursued vigorously.

Cassie's reason for leaving, as she wrote it:

I admire Ms. McDermott’s honesty but I hope that her opinion of the Academy is not an accepted reality. If she is right, I hope that those aspects change so that when the time comes, my daughter will consider the academy for its stance on absolute equality. Where inferiority, by any definition, is relegated to history books and not her reality. Getting the rest of the way is difficult, but as an organization that is supposed to represent the best of what our country is about, it is necessary.

Update: Cross-posted at Coast Guard Report.

Announcing the CGBlog.org Logo Contest

2008-07-22T09:06:00.000-04:00

How time files when you're having fun 'eh? And with that time comes a worn-out looking website, that is, in terms of cyber time (didn't Swatch try that one?) So I would like to take this opportunity to open the gates to a FREE contest... a CGBlog Logo ~~Makeover~~ Contest!

We are looking for a new logo that best represents AN UNOFFICIAL COAST GUARD BLOG. I am working on a new theme and with that I need a new logo to center it around. There is no size limit for the image, nor is there any real contest rules.* All we are looking for is something new, in good taste, and a good representation the site. Do you got what it takes?

So what do you get for all of your hard work? Well to start with you will be given full credit for your creation on the homepage, and with that you will also receive your very own CGBlog.org eMail address (only a handful of people got 'em). Sorry until we start placing that donations button on the site we don't have any money for physical prizes... yet.

All you creative folks have to do is create a logo in either .PNG, .JPEG, or .GIF, eMail it (along with your name and contact information) to Contest [at] CGBlog.org and BAM! your in the running. Each entry will also be give it's own post for viewing (provided it's again in good taste) by the public and all images will be available on a newly created page for viewing as well.

Now the nitty-gritty of it... that (*) up there- the rules:

By submitting your entry to the above email address you agree that the image you are entering will fall under the licensing that CGBlog.org follows which is currently the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
You also agree that the submitted work is that of your own doing and does not infringe on the copyrighting of other artists.
You also agree to CGBlog.org having the right to use the submitted work for promotional items (i.e. mugs, t-shirts...) with no royalties to be paid to its creator (you) (not that we'll be making any money off of this).
The contest officially ends at midnight o'one (0001) PST on Friday August 15, 2008.
And last but not least, you agree to have fun and be creative!

So let the creative juices flow and lets see what you can do.

Name That WMSL

2008-07-22T07:38:00.005-04:00

Bertholf, Waesche, and Stratton are spoken for. What names do you recommend for the remaining five National Security Cutters?

For starters, I recommend a new Munro to replace the one. What say you gentle readers?

A tribute to the Flag of the United States of America

2008-07-21T18:12:00.001-04:00

A tribute to Old Glory, with a Coast Guard spin:

My thanks to Roberta for pointing this out to us.

When are you too senior to blog?

2008-07-21T11:30:00.001-04:00

While some soldiers' blogs may be questionable, they are the ones who understand the Internet and the power it has. ... Turning loose senior Army officials who do not understand the impact of the Internet is a treasure trove for those who mean us harm!

WOW!

Now I realize this post is a little off base with the world of the Coast Guard... or is it? You who have been a part of this blog have seen the stories of why we should be blogging, and the exploration of transparency from withing the confines of the U.S. Coast Guard. The excerpt above serves as a great reminder to all of our services that the power of the internet is extensive, and exploitable. The quote is from an anonymous source talking to David Axe on Danger Room [Army Blogging = Horror Story Waiting to Happen?]. The piece also has another very important reminder within:

...the Air Force has it completely correct: the Internet is a battlefield that needs to be dominated...

So with this nicely written article, the question remains; should we still be asking our senior leaders to get with the times and get a blog? Or ask 'em to step aside for the newer generation of leaders who are bound to be open, but safe bloggers?

I can hear is now: "What do you mean they don't offer a blogging course in OCS or the Academy? Someone get me the CO of the LDC!!!"

Mainstream Media set to report on the Coast Guard's high profile domestic violence case

2008-07-20T23:55:00.005-04:00

NECN SNG Truck
Originally uploaded by kenzickler

Thomas Jackson reports that on Monday, New England Cable News will break the story we've been following in the blogosphere. While Coast Guard senior officers (including one captain who was just selected for flag*) had hoped their intervention would calm the waters, too little action too late has ensured a wider distribution of this story. Stand by...

* I'd have thought the message with the flag promotions would be posted, but I can't find it on the official CG message pages... here's a copy I received via email:

R 182250Z JUL 08 ZUI ASN-A00200000026 FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-00// TO ALCOAST BT UNCLAS //N01401// ALCOAST 348/08 COMDTNOTE 1401 SUBJ: ACTIVE DUTY REAR ADMIRAL (LOWER HALF) SELECTION BOARD 1. THE SECRETARY HAS APPROVED THE REPORT OF THE SELECTION BOARD CONVENED ON 08 JUL 2008 RECOMMENDING OFFICERS ON THE ACTIVE DUTY PROMOTION LIST (ADPL) FOR PROMOTION TO THE GRADE OF REAR ADMIRAL (LOWER HALF). OFFICERS SELECTED ARE LISTED BELOW IN PRECEDENCE ORDER. NAME UNIT (1) CAPT ROY A. NASH CGD THIRTEEN (2) CAPT JOHN H. KORN CGD EIGHT (3) CAPT ROBERT E. DAY CG MLCPAC (4) CAPT WILLIAM D. LEE CGD SEVEN (5) CAPT MICHAEL N. PARKS CG LANTAREA (6) CAPT CHARLES D. MICHEL COMDT (CG-0941) 2. THE BOARD MEMBERSHIP AND UNITS ARE LISTED BELOW: NAME UNIT VADM CLIFFORD I. PEARSON, USCG COMDT (CG-01) RADM TIMOTHY S. SULLIVAN, USCG CGD ONE RADM ROBERT C. PARKER, USCG SOUTHCOM RADM MANSON K. BROWN, USCG CGD FOURTEEN RDML MARY E. LANDRY, USCG COMDT (CG-092) RDML THOMAS F. ATKIN, USCG DOG 3. ALTHOUGH THE PROCEEDINGS OF A SELECTION BOARD, INCLUDING ITS DELIBERATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR SELECTION, CANNOT BE DISCLOSED TO ANY PERSON WHO WAS NOT A MEMBER OF THE BOARD, BOARD MEMBERS DO HAVE VALUABLE INFORMATION THAT CAN BE SHARED REGARDING THE GENERAL SELECTION PROCESS AND ITS FAIRNESS AND EQUITY. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE RESULTS OF THE ADPL RDML BOARD, CONTACT CDR JAMES ANDREWS AT 202-493-1611. 4. THE PRECEPT WHICH CONVENED THE ADPL RDML BOARD AND CHARGED THE MEMBERS WITH THEIR DUTIES, AND THE COMDTS GUIDANCE FOR PROMOTION YEAR 2009 SELECTION BOARDS, ARE AVAILABLE VIA THE CGPC (OPM-1) CG INTERNET SITE OR BY CALLING CWO JAMES DIGNAN AT 202-493-1613. 5. ADM THAD ALLEN, COMMANDANT, SENDS. 6. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED. BT NNNN

Update 21 July 2008, 1600 EDT: The message is now posted here.

That only took three days...

Russia Beating U.S. to Arctic

2008-07-20T09:12:00.010-04:00

From Russia's Daily Online, Kommersant:

Russia is winning in the Arctic race and the U.S. administration should correct its approach to the development of the Arctic immediately, a U.S. House of Representatives committee was told yesterday as it discussed the country’s icebreaking fleet. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen told the lawmakers that Russia will have several heavy atomic icebreakers of the new generation in service by 2020. Furthermore, Russia launched its largest icebreaker, 50 Years of Victory, last year, after ten years of preparation, and now has access to the Arctic region’s resources.
Germany, China, Sweden and Canada are also getting in on the race, Allen noted. He said that funding for new icebreakers was essential, since the U.S.’ existing ships, the Polar Star and Polar Sea, are near the end of their service life. Meanwhile U.S. interests in the Arctic are growing. As ice melts in the Arctic region, new possibilities arise for producing oil and natural gas on the Arctic continental shelf and new shipping routes for oil and other goods will be opened, Allen noted. Delivering oil to Japan by an Arctic route would save up to $2 million per tanker. The admiral told the lawmakers that the White House is working on a new national policy on the Arctic under the leadership of the National Security Council and the policy will be completed “very soon.” Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff will tour the Arctic region soon, accompanied by Allen.

What should be our Arctic policy, gentle readers? Inquiring minds want to know.

Rape and the Military: An Unseen Epidemic?

2008-07-17T11:19:00.000-04:00

An interesting presentation about rape and the military, including the Coast Guard.

For more information, see also Stop Military Rape/Military Rape Crisis Center.

Should Coasties Be Diplomats?

2008-07-15T12:08:00.008-04:00

Diplomacy is defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica as "the art of conducting relationships for gain without conflict. It is the chief instrument of foreign policy." Diplomacy comes in many shapes and sizes: cultural diplomacy, public diplomacy, gunboat diplomacy, medical diplomacy, youth diplomacy and education diplomacy, to name just a few. A new form of diplomacy I would like to take the opportunity to coin is "Coast Guard diplomacy."

Each Coastie (active, reserve, civilian, auxiliary) had better get used to being a quasi-diplomat. There will be times in your career when you and you alone will represent the United States. You could be rescuing a foreign mariner in distress or coming to the aid of a tourist on board a cruise ship. You could be in exercises or deployments with our Coalition partners on the maritime front lines of the Global War on Terror.

No matter the situation, we owe it to our Coast Guard and the oath that we took not to be "ugly Americans." Instead, we should always strive to be model "Coastie-diplomats" by enhancing our knowledge and understanding of our international partners. International cooperation and partnerships are vital to the US national interests of the 21st century.

One partnership that's vital to our national interests is the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum (NPCGF), which consists of the Coast Guards of Japan, Russia, South Korea, China, Canada and the United States. The NPCGF was initiated by the Japanese Coast Guard in 2000 as a venue to foster multilateral cooperation through the sharing of information on matters related to combined operations, exchange of information, illegal drug trafficking, maritime security, fisheries enforcement, illegal migration and maritime domain awareness. The first forum was held in Tokyo in 2000, and an alternating semiannual cycle of technical experts' and principals' meetings has followed. Between 2000 and 2006, meetings were sponsored by Japan, Russia, the United States, Korea, Canada and China. Russia hosted the 2007 cycle.

While these nations are still unable to reach agreements on strategic issues such as Iraq, North Korea and weapons proliferation, their cooperation on Coast Guard issues is quite impressive. According to the US Coast Guard's International Affairs office, 2005 witnessed at-sea combined operations with vessels from United States, China, Russia and Japan for illegal, unreported, unregulated fisheries enforcement.

These efforts were expanded in 2006 to include robust professional exchanges on law enforcement and Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) during port calls. Moreover, the bond between Sailors and the lure of the seas often overshadows politics. Other recent international activities of the Coast Guard involved the nations of Belize, Costa Rica, Haiti, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Djibouti, Yemen, Iraq, Indonesia and Malaysia. In fact, four-star combatant commanders would like the Coast Guard to play a greater international role, given its reputation as a military service with humanitarian and law enforcement missions. For example, in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, former commander of the US European Command General James L. Jones, USMC, testified that:

The internationally recognized humanitarian reputation of the USCG permits access where mil-to-mil activities might otherwise be inappropriate. USEUCOM would greatly benefit from more USCG assets and activity within the AOR. Our recent experience is that the demand for USCG-type activities (worldwide) is greatly exceeding USCG resource availability. Because USCG activities meet very specific and unique "niche" requirements, more USCG resources are needed… the greatest "developing nation" need is for a civil defense force to protect national resources and sovereignty. The USCG is the ideal match to train and advise nations in these specialties.

As ambassadors of goodwill, you and I also owe it to our Coast Guard and nation to study the culture and history of our international partners—possibly even to learn a second language. You will thank me later, as America's reputation in the world will shine even brighter.

Broader reporting for the Coast Guard's featured domestic violence situation

2008-07-14T19:20:00.001-04:00

Over at their blog, the United Angels Against Domestic Violence have picked up the story Coast Guard Report and CGBlog.org have been commenting on. NECN (New England Cable News) and CNN (Cable News Network) have both been sniffing around and are allegedly working on stories.

I hope the Coast Guard has made substantial progress when this lights up on mainstream media sites. Without progress, this could blow up to be bigger than Deepwater (okay, likely not) or perceived failures in the marine safety community. Certainly, while not having the same personal impact and finality, this will likely have more impact than any of our accidents involving deaths over the last several years (Nathan Bruckenthal, Ronald Gill, Jessica Hill, and Steven Duque) as it touches a broader area of program failures.

The True Gentleman by John Wayland 1899

2008-07-14T08:10:00.007-04:00

Good advice IMHO on how to live life by historian John Wayland.

The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds
from good will and an acute sense of propriety
and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies;
who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty,
the obscure man of his obscurity,
or any man of his inferiority or deformity;
who is himself humbled if necessity compels him to humble another;
who does not flatter wealth,
cringe before power,
or boast of his own possessions or achievements;
who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy;
whose deed follows his word;
who thinks of the rights and feelings of others rather than his own;
and who appears well in any company;
a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe.

Agree or disagree, gentle readers?

Domestic Violence and the Guardian Ethos

2008-07-14T05:30:00.003-04:00

My Law & Order storyline generated a fair amount of feedback here on off-line. Wrote one particularly irate reader,

I find it ironic that you hide behind the same transparency that you seek to encourage.

Despite your ridiculous "disclaimer" in this posting you fail to demonstrate the good judgment or respect we expect from someone in the CG. The subject of your posting is a serious matter involving real people, with real consequences.

Regardless of the circumstances, I can't see how your distasteful attempt at satire or "fiction" here could help the situation one bit.

You should be ashamed of yourself. As a regular reader of CGBlog I keep holding out hope that you will use this new medium to help bring about positive change and growth within the CG...and then you publish something like this and I lose hope. And that"s the biggest shame of all.

I'd love to hear more, particularly thoughts about how to "use this new medium to help bring about positive change and growth within the CG," but at the moment I'd like to focus on the link between this tale and the Guardian ethos as discussed recently by Admiral Allen.

As I review the timeline (one, granted, slanted by the provider but substantially substantiated by court documents), I am struck by the number of instances when the chain of events could have been broken and we'd be in a different place today. At each of those instances, some Coast Guard member didn't exercise their watchful eye over their shipmates or the members of the extended Coast Guard family.

The member's brother asserts that he returned home in 1995, his 6-year enlistment expired, a changed man. Perhaps it was some of the antics onboard the cutter, or a SAR case gone wrong, or some other incident, but it is clear that the member experienced a traumatic situation which had substantial impact on him. This is where the Coast Guard's Guardian ethos first failed. He did not get the assistance he needed at that time, and the experiences changed him. From what I have read, there's a distinct possibility the member suffered from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder.

Fast forward to 2003/2004. At the end of 2003, he's fired from his federal job, and at the start of 2004 he's diagnosed with bipolar disorder. When the meds are working, all is well; when he's off the meds it only takes three days for the violent behavior to return.

In April 2006, he's back in the Coast Guard Reserve. Clearly, he didn't mention his two-year-old mental health diagnosis, nor did he mention his prescriptions. If he did, then that's the next failure of the Guardian Ethos as bipolar disorder is a disqualifying condition. (See also this page which specifically deals with military service and bipolar disorder.) It's also pretty clear that his prior brushes with the law, including several domestic violence incidents, were either not reported or overlooked. Perhaps someone thought they were doing the once-active duty Coastie a favor by helping him get back into uniform.

Within four months of enlisting, he is told by a more senior Coastie that the drugs he is taking for his mental health condition are disqualifying and he either needs to stop taking the meds or go through a medical board and ultimately be discharged from the Service.

Now, before you say this would never happen, I know for a fact that it could and it has. Plain and simple. And, the way this usually goes down is that the counsel is provided with a just-stop-taking-it look.

We fail, again at the Guardian ethos. Just as we in the Coast Guard generally don't understand domestic violence, we also don't understand mental illness. If a person truly needs medication to control a mental health issue, they truly need the medication. Sure, not taking the medications will likely not kill the individual, but it will certainly lead to further symptoms of the mental illness. While the counsel provider might believe he or she is helping the member by allowing them to stay in the Service, they are actively not helping the member. It is, in short, the antithesis of the Guardian ethos of taking care of our own.

There are other examples of failing the Guardian ethos, and they include both interactions with the member and interactions with the member's family.

This weekend's Saturday evening call showed the other side, however, an example of the Guardian ethos actually in action. They reached out, they listened, they promised action. May we see more Guardian ethos demonstrated not just with this situation, but in every interaction with our shipmates and all the members of the Coast Guard family.

Questions for leaders: The end of the series

2008-07-13T07:30:00.001-04:00

Well, that's it for the leadership questions. We hope you had a chance to give a little thought to these questions.

You may have noticed that these questions drive in a little different direction than what you may have learned in LAMS or other Coast Guard leadership courses. The primary reason for this difference is that these questions form the basis for the Coast Guard's organizational leadership and management framework. As a generalization, LAMS and other CG leadership courses focus on personal leadership.

To learn more about the Coast Guard's organizational leadership and management framework, order or download your copy of the Criteria for Performance Excellence from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency within the Department of Commerce. And, if you want to learn even more, attend an offering of the CPEC Orientation Course which is coming to every district early next fiscal year.

Coast Guard moves (albeit slowly) on the domestic violence situation

2008-07-13T00:24:00.002-04:00

If you've been following the domestic violence situation here and at Coast Guard Report, there's some good news this morning. On Saturday evening, the member's former spouse was contacted by the Seventh District chief of staff, a senior captain, and the senior attorney in the 7th District. These are the most senior Coast Guard leaders to contact the former spouse.

While they were unable to make assurances that the member would not travel outside the Seventh District and attempt to make contact with the former spouse, they did tell her that a military restraining order was issued today.

Aside: About damn time.

These two captains told the former spouse that there would be further investigations concerning all this issue. While I am of the mind that the member needs to serve his time already sentenced by the civilian courts, it seems that the former spouse has significant information about non-domestic violence issues concerning her former husband that don't bode well for the Coast Guard. In addition to the domestic violence, it seems there are likely issues concerning harm to living marine resources by the member and others, issues concerning national security in terms of naval assets (actions by the member), and several failures in checks, balances, and investigations concerning the member's enlistment in the Coast Guard Reserve.

Sadly, while it was news to the captains, none of this is likely news to regular readers of AN UNOFFICIAL COAST GUARD BLOG and Coast Guard Report.

What we may be looking at our systemic failures in recruiting, Reserve management, personnel security, and work life programs. Perhaps with some high level pressure, the various investigations concerning this particular situation will actually result in a look at the processes and systems in place within these various programs.

Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location, a woman waits awake while her daughter sleeps soundly. She waits awake because she still hasn't been assured her former husband isn't attempting to find her to carry out his repeated threats.

I, for one, applaud this recent action by these two captains. They have made an overture and opened dialogue with the member's former spouse; no longer is the Coast Guard hiding behind formal correspondence directed to congressional staffers and legal double talk directed to the spouse's attorney. All she wants is to know she and her daughter are safe; it appears she's one step closer to that knowledge.

Leaders Ought to Ask #14

2008-07-12T07:30:00.000-04:00

SL5B7
From Trinidad Anatine

How do you manage and improve your key organizational work processes?

And now, allegations of where "the Coast Guard" dropped the ball

2008-07-11T14:43:00.002-04:00

Nearly 1500 EDT, and no word on what the current state of affairs is with the domestic violence issue we and Coast Guard Report have been following this week.

I did receive an interesting document with allegations of where the Coast Guard dropped the ball with this entire situation; from the member's former spouse:

Timeline of Coast Guard Inaction and Improper Actions Concerning - Upload a Document to Scribd

And, yes, if you're inside the CGDN, you don't get to see a thing as the document is posted to Scribd, a really slick document sharing site that the CG-6 has nixed from inside the data network. You'll have to go home or the library to use the document sharing tool that even Admiral Allen uses.

If half of what the former spouse alleges is true, she's highlighted some pretty serious flaws in multiple Coast Guard systems and processes. I hope the Coast Guard begins a formal investigation (ala the Healey accident and other failures) to determine how we can create processes and systems to ensure this doesn't have to happen again.

Frankly, there is no reason for the fear this family has gone through.