Reservist

ISS1 2015

Reservist Magazine is the award-winning official publication of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. Quarterly issues include news and feature articles about the men and women who comprise America's premier national maritime safety and security

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G reetings from Pacific Area. As the PACAREA Reserve Command Master Chief I have had the honor and privilege to visit many of our 8 Port Security Units (PSU) during the past two years. I look forward to visiting the rest in the not too distant future. Visiting PSUs and spending time with the crew, reminds me of all the great things about the young men and women who enlist in our Coast Guard. They are energetic, intelligent, respectful, cheerful, and extremely proud to serve. Several junior enlisted told me about their initial fears when a recruiter convinced them to be part of a PSU. Now, they feel they are part of something much larger, and are having an experience of a lifetime. They quickly remind me that it was the best decision they made, or the recruiter made for them. They typically ask me if I can help them stay at the PSU for their entire career. I usually smile and tell them thank you, but we need to make room for the other junior enlisted in the Coast Guard to have a chance to fill one of these positions. Are you a junior enlisted member who is thinking about the PSU? Don't listen to me; listen to the young men and women assigned to these deployable specialized forces units. Let them tell you about the quantity and quality of training available at the PSU. Let them tell you about the substantial amount of underway time you can get while attached to the PSU. Let them tell you about the leadership opportunities at the PSU. They will tell you how vitally important you can be to a unit comprised of over 140 personnel. The PSU community is like nothing else in our Coast Guard. The active duty full time support element works tirelessly each month to prepare for the Reserve members to arrive and hit the ground running for their drill weekend. When I speak with prior PSU members, they have such great stories to share, each one as proud as the next of their time spent at a Port Security Unit. I truly regret not being assigned to a PSU during my career. My boss, Vice Admiral Charles Ray, gets to hear me brag regularly about the amazing people that make up our Port Security Units. First Class Petty Officers at PSUs have an enormous amount of responsibility and one day will make amazing Chief Petty Officers. Some of these future Chief Petty Officers tell me their greatest fear is being advanced to Chief and having to be transferred out of the PSU. We train petty officers to be proficient at their craft. The Coast Guard must realize the return on the investment and the value their proficiency can add to the Coast Guard, unit, and themselves if we allow them to advance to Chief and remain at their unit for a few additional years. Recently, some of our Reserve senior enlisted members submitted applications to be screened and considered for silver and gold badge positions. Thank you to those members who submitted applications. Thank you to the commands who have recognized these leaders and for positively endorsing their applications. These positions are challenging, yet very rewarding, both professionally and personally. If you are a Chief Petty Officer, you should be considering submitting a package for a silver badge. If you are a Senior Chief Petty Officer, we need you to submit a package to be considered for a silver badge position at a sector. If you are a Master Chief, we need you to submit a package to be considered for a silver badge position at a Sector or at Port Security Units, and potentially a gold badge position. If you are a Master Chief with silver badge experience, we need you to consider a challenging position as a gold badge Command Master Chief. (Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL) Program: www.uscg.mil/mcpocg/cpocall/docs/CI_1306_1D.pdf.) As Chiefs, more will be expected of you, more will be demanded of you. In closing, I charge you all to continue to live by our core values of Honor, Respect and Devotion to Duty. Semper Paratus. Deckplate Soundings MCPO George Williamson Pacifc Area Reserve Command Master Chief Issue 1 • 2015 � RESERVIST 7

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