The Coast Guard recently honored the service's first African American diver, in a ceremony at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, NC. In 1979, Ralph Berry became the first African American to graduate from the Navy Dive and Salvage Center in Panama City, Fla. He was assigned to the Atlantic Strike Team in Elizabeth City and dove on the sunken Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn in 1980. Berry was also attached to the Coast Guard Cutter Basswood in Guam and the Coast Guard Cutter Sassafras in Hawaii. Altogether, Berry's family has more than 400 years of combined service in the Coast Guard, which includes Richard Etheridge, the first African American to command a life-saving station. Active duty members, the Coast Guard’s dive program, and family and friends of Berry attended the ceremony Nov. 23. “The Coast Guard is proud to celebrate and recognize a member who continually challenged himself and kept true to the Coast Guard core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty,” said Capt. Lamont Bazemore, chief of Enlisted Personnel for the Fifth District.
Congratulations to the 2021 League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Excellence in Service Award recipient. Lt. Cmdr. Marc Mares, department head, Reserve Logistics, Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, Calif., received this recognition in honor of his superb work with youth. The distinction recognizes outstanding people who advance diversity, education, economics, and health in communities with large under-represented populations. Mares' passion for fitness and youth mentoring led him to create a middle and high school distance running team in West Oakland, Calif., to develop student-athletes in the community. During the pandemic, Mares supported Oakland Military Institute and Latitude High School by hosting workouts using virtual technology three times a week and offering assistance with college and scholarship applications to the seniors. He dedicated over 300 hours to support students from different ethnicities. Along with the support of assistant coaches, Mares' teams stressed fitness and promoted leadership, community involvement, and academic excellence. In addition, Mares helped senior student-athletes by writing college letters of recommendation, proofreading essays, conducting mock interviews, and researching scholarship opportunities. He will be officially recognized during the LULAC virtual award ceremony at a later date. Please email Juan L. Torres or call 202-372-4594 for additional information. You can read more in 2021 League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Excellence in Service Award Recipient ALCOAST 432/21.
Congratulations to Capt. Sean O’Brien for being inducted into the Coast Guard Academy’s “Wall of Gallantry.” The Atlantic City Air Station commander, Capt. Sean O'Brien, received this honor for his heroic acts as an H-65 helicopter pilot. The Wall of Gallantry is a memorial that honors Coast Guard Academy graduates who perform outstanding acts of heroism throughout their careers. O’Brien is a “Wings of Gold” member who has received two Meritorious Service Medals, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, six Coast Guard Achievement Medals, a Commandant’s Letter of Commendation, and two Air Medals. One of the Air Medals was for an exceptional rescue in thick fog during a fishing vessel incident. The other was for when O’Brien, during Hurricane Katrina, navigated masterfully between trees and active power lines, resulting in the rescue of an elderly couple from the burning rooftop of their flooded home. O’Brien rescued 224 people during Katrina. His career total rescues are in the mid-300s. O’Brien earned a degree from the U.S. Army War College. He became the aviation detailer in Arlington, Va., nationally assigning all aviator stations. After this, he taught for one year in Saudia Arabia, instructing a 6,000-member maritime security force on how to protect themselves from regional terrorist organizations.
Bravo Zulu to Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Williamson on her lifesaving rescues. Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Williams displayed extreme heroism in her rescue of not one, not two, but THREE men who were caught in a rip current and drowning. The incident occurred on a low-key Sunday afternoon, when she was enjoying time at the beach. Williamson saw imminent danger and acted without a second thought to protect lives running into the ocean with a boogie board. Williamson took the attitude that she could not fail and that she had to get them back to the beach safely. “I think anyone in the Coast Guard would have reacted the way that I did—to go out and help somebody,” said Williamson. “It's just what we do in our service.” She has been with the Coast Guard for 10 years and has described it as “an incredible experience.”