Reservist

ISS3 2017

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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To the Editor: Your recent article about the career of Capt. Handy bought back many great memories of what he imparted to me as a young ensign in 1972-73. I was assigned to the Reserve Programs Division at Headquarters (Commandant G-RP) following OCS, and I found myself in the midst of growing turmoil for the Reserve. The draft was about to end, and OMB was not advocating or recommending funding for our future. Both conditions threatened the stream of new recruits and training opportunities needed to sustain the program. My job required me to collect information, do research and, as best I could, generate ideas to meet the challenge. Someone, possibly Cmdr. Joe Tyson, Cmdr. Elinor L'Ecuyer, or Lt. Don Jenkins, I don't remember specifically, told me to reach out to Capt. Handy for ideas. Over several weeks, we met at his office at Main Treasury where he schooled me on the program, what it meant to him and what he saw as its importance to other reservists and the country. He bought to life what the various ORTU's did, and how they were silently integrated into their communities but were often never mentioned in the press. He gave me ideas on the need for new recruiting literature which hadn't been updated for years. Most of all he talked about the missed opportunity that was untapped by not having a robust SPAR program. Capt. Handy was on target in every area, and his thoughts all became measures of success over the next few years. I was eventually transferred to the Recruiting Division, and Capt. Handy retired, and we lost contact with each other. Sadly, It's pretty rare in your career that you walk in the door to take over an operation and find that it's already running like a well-oiled machine. As a newspaper man and the longest-serving Reserve Force Master Chief, Jeff Smith came with skills, contacts and experience, and he spent the last five years finely- tuning this magazine. I've got some big shoes to fill, but I'm blessed to be able to lean on Jeff, still, as a mentor and a friend. I've been writing articles for RESERVIST magazine for the last two years or so, and most of that time has been spent looking backward, learning the history of the component's missions, getting to know its leaders and hearing about the challenges that shaped the Reserve. Now, sitting in the editor's chair, I'm looking forward to exploring how the Reserve is positioning itself to meet challenges in the future. Adm. Thad Allen once said, "Transparency of information breeds self-correcting behavior." I like that, and I believe talking about our plans and getting feedback from those who've come before can only make us stronger. As a type A, I like seeing things organized, and so this job suits me. From my vantage point, I can see good people using strategy and innovation to solve problems, from schools to RCD to competencies. I'm looking forward to helping our readers understand those processes, too. So, in true "incoming guy" fashion, I'll keep this short. This is a dream job, and an honor. Looking forward to it. CWO Anastasia Devlin Editor-in-Chief Volume LXIV � Issue 2 • 2017 HIDDEN FIGURE The Man who led the effort to save the Coast Guard Reserve Rese R vist Magazine F R o M ou R Reade R s Rese R vist Magazine F R o M the edito R 2 RESERVIST � Issue 3 • 2017

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