SENTINEL 2

SENTINELALL THREATS * ALL HAZARDS

THE DEPLOYABLE OPERATIONS GROUP

ME3 SHAUN LIN1986-2010

DOGEXTERNALAFFAIRS.COM YOUR SOURCE FOR DSF NEWS

WINTER 2010

ON THE COVER

ALL THREATS * ALL HAZARDS


SENTINEL

Petty Officer Shaun Lin, of Mari-time Safety and Security Team New York, is shown in his offi-cial picture as a Training Center Cape May Graduate.

CAPT. GAIL KULISCHDOG COMMANDER

CAPT. MARK HEMANNDOG DEPUTY COMMANDER

MASTER CHIEF DARRELL ODOMCOMMAND MASTER CHIEF

LT. CMDR. KIM ANDERSENEXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER

LT. JAMES MCLAYPUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER

PA2 MICHAEL ANDERSONEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Sentinel is a quarterly publication. It is authorized for military members of the Deployable Operations

Group, their families and the general public. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S.

Government, the Department of Homeland Security or the Coast Guard and do not imply endorsement thereof.

Editorial content is prepared and provided by the DOG Public Affairs staff. Content is unofficial and not au-

thority for action. Views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Homeland

Security and of the Coast Guard.

Submissions: Contact the Sentinel staff concerning ideas, and submit stories to:

Commander (DG-092)c/o Public Affairs

4200 Wilson Blvd STE 400 STOP 7400Arlington, VA 22203

(202) 493-6853

email: [email protected]

05 ADVANCED INTERDICTIONThe MSRT heads to the Big Apple.

11 ME3 SHAUN LINA memorial to a fallen shipmate.

19 DOG DEFENSECanine Explosive Detection Teams, keeping Amer-ica safe one sniff at a time.

27 TRACKING ASSETSHow the NSFCC maintains the watch.

31 THE ART OF THE MATTERArt brings pride and morale to MSST New York

For all your up-to-date DSF news, visit

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WINTER 2010 | dogexternalaffairs.com

ALL THREATS * ALL HAZARDS


SENTINEL

From Guantanamo Bay to Bahrain, Environmen-tal response to drug in-terdiction, here’s a snap shot of recent DSF de-ployments.

10 DSF DEPLOYMENTS

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Winter 2010 dogexternalffairs.com | SENTINEL | 2

01. Reginal Dive Locker East members conduct ice-dive training near Resolute, Canada.

02. A MSST Anchorage response boat patrols off the coast of Barrow, Alaska.

03. A MSST member takes aim at a firing range at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

04. A Law Enforcement detachment prepares to board a suspected pirate vessel. in the Gulf of Aden.

05. An Atlantic Strike Team member records water and air quality data fol-lowing dispersement deployment

06. Regional Dive Locker East members remove batteries from the Potomac River.

07. An Atlantic Strike Team member describes the unit’s mini ANDROS robot at the CG Festival in Grand Haven, Mich.

08. A Law Enforcement De-tachment moves to interdict a suspected drug smuggler in the Pacific Ocean.

09. A MSST LA/LB canine team conducts a pierside search during Fleetweek 2010

10. PSU 308 conducts weap-ons training in the Persian Gulf.

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SEATTLE -- A Port Security Unit member tends a control line during remote ly operated vehicle (R0V) training, Sept. 14, 2010. The ROV is an un-manned, highly maneuverable underwater video and data robot used to aid the Coast Guard with pier sweeps, vessel sweeps, search and recovery, and the detection of improvised explosive devices (IED). U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty officer 3rd Class Nathan Bradshaw

SEATTLE -- A Maritime Safety and Security Team member operates a remotely operated vehicle, (ROV) Sept. 14, 2010. Deploayble Specialzed Force members gathered in Seattle from around to the country to recertify ROV qualifications and pro-vide entry-level training to new ROV operators. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty officer 3rd Class Nathan Bradshaw

3 | SENTINEL | dogexternalffairs.com Winter 2010

WASHINGTON – General James E. Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presents Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Ramos, a maritime enforcement specialist assigned to Tactical Law Enforcement Team South, with the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs’ Grateful Nation Award at the Ronald Reagan Building, Nov. 15, 2010. Ramos was recognized for his actions in support of the counter-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, in-cluding saving the life of a fellow boarding team member who fell into the water during heavy weather boat operations. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Anderson


MSRTADVANCED INTERDICTION

MSRT & NYPD ESU teams manuever into position to conduct a high risk boarding of the Staten Island Ferry under the control of hostile actors during a joint training evolution.

They deploy around the world, conduct operations with federal, state and local agencies and could be training to protect the country in a port near you.

MSRTADVANCED INTERDICTION

They deploy around the world, conduct operations with federal, state and local agencies and could be training to protect the country in a port near you. By Lt. j.g. Randy Sinclair, MSRT

Photographs provided by the MSRT

NYPD ESU members practice Close-Quarters Combat (CQC) techniques during joint training with the MSRT


In July, the Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT) and the New York City Police De-partment Emergency Services

Unit (ESU) teamed up to cross-train in maritime security tactics.

Their mission: To increase the effec-tiveness of their Ports, Waterways and Coastal Security (PWCS) mis-sion area and increase interagency cooperation.

Sector New York organized the week-long training event, and the significant planning and coordina-tion Sector invested in the week exemplified their devotion to port security and safety.

The week’s first scenario tested the

Coast Guard’s response capability, including law enforcement and ad-vanced interdiction techniques.

Sector challenged the MSRT with a New York Waterways Ferry under the control of a small contingent of hostile actors.

The MSRT boarding team assaulted the ferry and neutralized the hos-tile threats onboard, completing the mission and rendering the vessel safe. The observing members of the NYPD ESU were impressed with the demonstration, and both sides were excited to kick off the cross-training sessions.

In the days following the Waterways Ferry demonstration, NYPD ESU

and the MSRT trained together on-board the Horizon Discovery, a large container ship docked in Bayonne, N.J.

Sector New York designed the train-ing to prepare both teams to work together safely in the event of a waterborne threat to New York City.

To wrap up the week, the MSRT and NYPD ESU conducted a joint exer-cise aboard the Staten Island Ferry.

At more than 300 feet long, the 4,500- passenger ferry poses a sig-nificant challenge for boarding op-erations.

If the need for advanced law enforce-ment action arose, both units would

NYPD ESU members fast rope onto the target training vessel.


have to work together in order to protect New York City.

At 9 a.m. on the final training day, two 33-foot SPC-BTD, each carrying a team of MSRT boarding personnel, sped out of an inlet in pursuit of the Staten Island Ferry.

An NYPD helicopter, carrying an ESU assault force, flew overhead of the Coast Guard boats. For the second time, Sector New York was able to design a challeng-ing scenario to test the capabilities of waterborne law enforcement re-sponse within New York harbor.

In a show of interagency cohesive-ness and teamwork, MSRT and NYPD ESU worked together to safely neutralize the simulated threat

aboard the massive multi-level pas-senger ferry.

The week’s success is deeply rooted in the NYPD and Sector New York’s commitment to maritime safety and security.

The strong, positive relationship de-veloped between the MSRT, Sector New York, and the NYPD will serve as a model for future training oppor-tunities and deployments.

Simply stated, the MSRT stands ready to support Operational Com-manders throughout the Coast Guard.

The MSRT also provides a ready alert force for conducting maritime threat response unilaterally or as part of an interagency adaptive force package.

Capable of interdicting, boarding, and verifying threats, and when re-quired, engaging in offensive op-erations against a hostile threat, the MSRT represents a scalable and agile force.

Operational Commanders may re-quest for short-notice deployment or planned security events to de-ter, protect against, and respond to threats of maritime terrorism and high-risk criminal law enforcement threats offshore or in the port envi-ronment.

We are training. We are prepared. We are Semper Paratus.

A MSRT Direct Action Section conducts advanced interdiction operations aboard the NY Waterways Ferry.


RIMPAC 2010“The operation tempo during RIMPAC was high and at times stressful, but it provided valuable training for our MLE/FP team,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jordan Brosowsky, a fast rope master at MSST Honolulu (91107). “We con-ducted Vertical Insertion operations and assaults on three separate ships; one of which was the SUPREME, a Singaporean naval vessel. Adapting to and over-coming language and cultural barriers during an assault, like the assault on the SUPREME, is an opportunity we are rarely afforded. When we were not par-ticipating in full assaults, we were conducting Vertical Insertion training.”

// Photo by Chief Petty Officer Carl ShipleyHONOLULU(JULY 7, 2010 )

dogexternalffairs.com | SENTINEL | 10Winter 2010


Honor,

Honor, Respect, Devotion to Duty &Shaun Lin

The story of an arm-wrestling champion, a tactical operator, a shipmate and a friend. By Lt. James Mclay, Deployable Operations Group

On Oct. 13th, 2010, the DOG community lost one of its own. Maritime Enforcement Special-

ist (ME) Third Class Shaun Lin, 23, assigned to Maritime Safety and Se-curity Team (MSST) New York, was killed during training operations on the James River in Newport News, VA.

Lin, a student in a Basic Tactical Op-

erator Course (BTOC), was attempt-ing to climb a ladder from a response boat-small to the Coast Guard Cutter Frank Drew at night when he fell into the water. Immediate attempts to re-cover him were unsuccessful. After an intense day-long search and rescue operation involving multiple Federal, State and Local organizations, Petty Officer Lin's body was recovered by Coast Guard Divers from Regional Dive Locker East.

Petty Officer Lin, originally from Queens and residing in Staten Island, New York, was a three-year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, having served previous tours aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Maui and Station Bos-ton. Lin was also an Iraq war veteran, having served honorably aboard the Maui while assigned to Patrol Forces Southwest Asia from 2009-2010.

Petty Officer Lin is remembered by


Coast Guard, and Petty Officer Collin Reichelt - his best friend and shipmate from the Coast Guard Cutter Maui - delivered the eulogy. Reichelt shared his fondest memories of his fallen brother, including the time Lin gave him the very shoes off his feet and the many times he encouraged Reichelt to expand himself through books.

"Shaun would do anything for you, that's just the way he was," said Reichelt. "He was always challenging me to read books that expanded my way of thinking. He was great ship-

mate."

The Deployable Operations Group organized a memorial service in Ar-lington, Virginia on October 28, 2010, and efforts are underway to have Lin's name added to the Law Enforcement Officers memorial in Washington, D.C.

All of these ceremonies and tributes are fitting for a young man who meant so much to so many. Compassionate and loyal, Petty Officer Lin had a ex-tended family and friend network in

the New York area whom he deeply cared for. He was also engaged to be married in December. To them, Shaun was the ultimate son, brother, fiancé and friend.

As Admiral Papp so eloquently stated, "there is no greater honor than being a great shipmate, and no greater cause worth striving for. In every respect, Shaun was a great shipmate."

Rest easy, shipmate. On behalf of all Guardians, thank you for your service and sacrifice.

his shipmates as a quiet, introspec-tive professional who was willing to go the extra mile for others. Well-read and intense when the situation required it, Lin was also remem-bered for his incredible physical strength.

In October 2008, Petty Officer Lin - then a fireman assigned to Sta-tion Boston - was profiled in Coast Guard Magazine for winning a na-tional arm wrestling competition. Lin, a left-hander competing in the 175 lb. weight class, bested many

other competitors with physical statures and appearances superior to his. Interestingly, he cited the mental aspect of the sport as his key to victory:

"Tons of big muscular guys come and think they are going to destroy people, but they lose because they do not have the mental element" said Lin, then 21. "When I was 16 it was all about raw strength," he said. "Af-ter you start to build your technique you realize it is more about pressure and how to manipulate hands."

Full military honors were rendered at his funeral in Queens and sub-sequent burial at Long Island's Na-tional Cemetery on Oct. 21, 2010. The standing-room-only ceremony was attended by hundreds of Coast Guardsmen, as well as members from the New York City's Fire and Police Departments and the Marine Corps. Also in attendance were childhood friends, including mem-bers from his high school wrestling team.

Admiral Papp, Commandant of the


SHAUN LIN

“Shaun would do anything for you, that’s just the way he was,” said

Reichelt. “He was always challenging me to read books that expanded my way

of thinking. He was great shipmate.”


ME3 Shaun Lin was laid to rest at Long Island National Cemetary,Oct. 21, 2010.

Fair winds and following seas, shipmate.

Memorial photos by Petty Officer 3rd Class Seth Johnson, PADET New York


SAN DIEGO – Two boats from the Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) San Diego ( 91109) head out to the Coronado Bridge to conduct hook and climb training with members from the Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT) Friday, Aug. 27, 2010. Members of MSRT, stationed in Chesapeake, Va., were in the San Diego area for an exercise the week leading up to the training with San Diego’s MSST. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Allyson E.T. Conroy.


RED SEA --Members of a U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) and the visit, board, search and seizure team embarked aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton engage in a mock assault opera-tion in the Red Sea. Princeton is part of Combined Task Force 151, a multinational task force established in Jan. 2009 to conduct counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Herbert D. Banks Jr.


In the 10 years since 9/11, terrorists con-tinue to threaten the United States with violence. As their tactics change, the ca-pabilities to deter and defend against their plots must evolve.

Consequently, a multi-layered bomb de-tection system has become vital to pro-tecting the American public and maritime transportation system of the United States.

One explosive-detection teams deploys around the country, is committed to pro-tecting the public from the weapons of terrorism and is based in the San Fran-cisco Bay Area.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris-topher Hartman, a maritime enforcement specialist stationed at the Maritime Safety and Security Team San Francisco (91105) in Alameda, Calif., is part of a two-mem-ber team that thoroughly swept the nearby piers, terminals and boats in San Fran-cisco before, during and after the World Series 2010, Fleet Week 2010 and other joint agency activities that required bomb detection.

It’s no shock the nation has needed to turn to servicemembers like Hartman to help defend and protect the public.

What may come as a surprise is that his

Who are the Coast Guard Canine Explo-sive Detection Teams (CEDT) that patrol U.S. ports, waterways and vessels? Here’s a look at a pair of specialized guardians. By Petty Officer 3rd Class Melissa Leake, Pacific Area Public Affairs

DOG DEFENSE

DOG DEFENSE


partner, Evy, wears a collar and a leash, and her tail wags as she roots out traces of explosive compounds.

Evy is a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois and German shepherd mix.

In August 2008, she was trained and cer-tified as a bomb-sniffing dog, following completion of a 16-week K-9 school at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Ca-nine Training center in Front Royal, Va.

“Evy’s a great working dog because she has such a high drive to work, which is typical of her breed,” said Hartman. “She wants nothing more than to get out and search.”

Hartman said Evy is a toy-reward dog, and the only time she gets to play with toys is at work.

“When she finds what she’s looking for, explosives, she gets rewarded with a toy, and then it’s play time,” he said. “It’s a lot of work for the handlers, but to the dog, it’s a big game of hide-and-seek with her toy.”

Hartman became interested in the Coast Guard’s K-9 program in 2005 when he was stationed at Sector Los Angeles and witnessed K-9 teams execute a hoist with dogs onto a rescue boat.“I remember thinking, wow, that has to be


the best job in the Coast Guard. When I transferred to MSST Seattle in 2006, I saw firsthand what the K-9 teams actu-ally did. Then, a K-9 position opened up at my unit in 2008, and I jumped at the chance to be a handler,” he said. “The command selected me for the K-9 school, and I left that spring.”

Hartman said the training for K-9 han-dlers is vigorous and constant, but the job is essential and the Coast Guard’s K-9 teams are one of the country’s first lines of defense in the maritime envi-ronment.

“Once the teams graduate, the real training begins. Each team is required to conduct 4 hours of maintenance training a week, in addition to trying to run all of our trained odors,” said Hartman.

Evy’s training is not limited to varying explosive odors, but also frequent lo-cation changes, and the Coast Guard’s K-9 teams also have an excellent work-ing relationship with partnering agen-cies.

“Each agency has its own working en-vironment, whether it is planes, trains,

vessels, or infrastructures, each coor-dinates training in their own specific areas. This allows all of the teams to train and become proficient in a wide variety of locations,” said Hartman. “K-9’s are one of the few teams that have been specially trained to search for explosives hidden on people, and they are also one of the few that have been trained to vertically deploy from the helicopter to a ship at sea before it enters a U.S. port.”

Hartman and Evy have conducted a variety of missions since 2008, and each sweep is different.

“I remember thinking, wow, that has to be the best job in the Coast Guard. “

“I remember thinking, wow, that has to be the best job in the Coast Guard. “


“Most of the missions we conduct are ports and waterway coastal security missions. We’ve conducted sweeps of thousands of vehicles prior to boarding the Washington State Ferry, Alaska Marine Highway ferry, San Francisco Bay ferries and the Catalina Island ferries,” said Hartman. “We’ve done sweeps in support of military out-loads and high-profile maritime events, and have also been called out to assist several federal, state and local agencies for bomb threats, crime scene searches and presidential sweeps.”

Canine explosive detection teams are a quick way to help detect for explosives and offer capabilities otherwise not rapidly

available.

“Canine explosive detection teams can quickly scan large areas and multiple peo-ple or objects effectively and less invasively than other techniques,” said Lt.j.g. Ethan Postrel, MSST San Francisco’s maritime law enforcement division officer and supervi-sor of the canine explosive detection team.

Postrel said there are other methods of de-tection which are capable of detecting and identifying explosives and narcotics during a single analysis, and X-ray machines, but dogs can cover much more in much less time.


“A CEDT could sweep an entire ferry, and the line of passengers waiting to board the ferry, in a fraction of the time it’d take to do the same job with another method, and the results are more instantaneous, increasing the chances of preventing an attack,” he said. “Plus, dogs are more passive, and are even quite pleasing to many people in comparison to the others.”

Evy, who was purchased from U.S Customs in 2006, is fully funded by and belongs to the government, but lives with Hartman and will transfer with him from unit to unit, until she retires.

“Each handler is responsible for the feeding, grooming and medical read-

iness of their dogs, and it’s a 24/ 7 job,” said Hartman, who’s been in the Coast Guard for 10 years. “Once Evy reaches retirement, if she becomes sick or can no longer do her job, she will retire.”

Postrel said CEDT’s are a relatively new and unique tool to the Coast Guard and the position of a canine handler holds a critical value.

“Much of their roles, responsibilities and standard operating procedures are still being defined, and so it falls on the shoulders of the handlers to coordinate training, find work, and learn best practices,” said Postrel. “Because of this, being a Coast Guard K-9 handler requires extremely high

initiative, unwavering dedication and the utmost personal responsibility.”

Hartman said the canine explo-sive detection program is one of the most valuable programs and effective methods of explosive detection the Coast Guard has.

“It’s such a critical asset to have. You can’t turn on the TV without hearing about a suicide bomber, car bomb or improvised explosive device detonat-ing somewhere in the world,” he said. Part of our job in the Coast Guard is to safe guard maritime cargo, passen-ger transit and the American people. Coast Guard canine explosive detec-tion teams help make this country a safer place for everyone.”


SAN FRANCISCO --A Port Security Unit 312 member plays with his grandson after returning home from an extend-ed deployment to the Middle East. While in theater, PSU 312 provided security for high value assets. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Anderson

Fleet Week 2010“An Adaptive Force Package (AFP) from the Deployable Operations Group sup-ported Sector San Francisco safety and security activities during Fleet Week 2010 in San Francisco Bay,” said Lt. j.g. Jason Postrel, of Maritime Safety and Security Team San Francisco (91105). “The AFP was comprised of Team members from Maritime Safety & Security Teams Los Angeles/Long Beach and San Francisco. “

SAN FRANCISCO(OCT. 9, 2010 )

// Photo by Lt. Todd Vorenkamp




YOU THINK YOU HAVE A LOT TO TRACK AT WORK?

ANDTRY THOUSANDS OF VESSELS AND SKIMMERS

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF DISPERSANT

BY PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS JACLYN YOUNG, PUBLIC INFORMATION ASSIST TEAM

PHOTOS COURTRESY DEEPWATER HORIZON

MILLIONS OF FEET OF BOOM

LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES WERE CALLING FOR ALL THESE RESOURCES DURING THE DEEPWATER HORIZON RESPONSE

The ongoing response to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion has called for millions of feet of boom,

thousands of vessels and skimmers, and hundreds of thousand of gallons of dispersant as well as many other resources to be deployed to the Gulf of Mexico. These resources were mobilized from across the nation to assist in the response. How does the Coast Guard main-tain a common operating picture of available response resources and ensure continued port operations across the nation? Simply how do they track all of the oil spill response equipment around the nation?

As part of their preparedness and response mission, the National Strike Force Coordination Center (NSFCC) in Elizabeth City, N.C., maintains the Response Resource Inventory (RRI), a comprehensive, centralized listing of national and international spill response capabili-ties, and is used to classify Oil Spill

Removal Organizations (OSRO).

“The RRI is a planning and pre-paredness program that is much more powerful than it has ever been before,” said Lt. Cmdr. Tedd Hutley, the operations officer at the NSFCC. “It’s been a critical tool for us during the Deepwater Horizon response.”

The RRI, originally a DOS-based program, was developed in 1992, as a result of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Funding was secured in 2007 to upgrade the technologically obso-lete RRI system, in dire need of an upgrade, to a web-based application.

“The Deployable Operations Group was very supportive in helping the NSFCC obtain the funding required to update the system,” said Hutley. “It would have been impossible to support this response using the old system.”

When the Deepwater Horizon spill occurred, there was a great demand for resource information. Coast

ENTER THE WORLD OF THE NATIONAL STRIKE FORCE COORDINATION CENTER

Guard senior leadership and the Na-tional Incident Commander needed to know what resources were avail-able to respond to the spill and what resources remained in the ports to ensure the response industry main-tained compliance with environ-mental law, and they looked to the NSFCC and the Response Resource Inventory to provide the answers.

The NSFCC staff worked with the Operations Systems Center in Mar-tinsburg, Va., to make programming changes within the RRI system to convert the planning and prepared-ness tool into a more dynamic, real-time resource-tracking tool. The NSFCC established an industry working group comprised of oil spill response company executives in an effort to maintain close communi-cation with resource providers.


In addition, the NSFCC staff embarked upon a comprehensive equipment audit across the nation to ensure industry was immediately updating the RRI and to verify that the resources listed in the da-tabase matched what was actually in the spill response companies’ warehouses.

“Close coordination with industry part-ners and conducting field verifications were essential to maintaining the com-mon operating picture of the nation’s spill response resources and ensuring ad-equate resources remained in each port,” Hutley said. “This was essential to mini-mize impact to maritime commerce and port operations.”

As the response to the Deepwater Hori-zon continues, the NSFCC remains fully engaged in maintaining the national re-source picture using the RRI. With an eye towards the future, lessons learned are already being implemented to make this powerful planning and preparedness tool even stronger.

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1. A Strike team member prepares a vessel of oppurtunity skimming system (VOSS) for deployment onboard a civilian vessel; 2. A VOSS system collecting oil on the Gulf of Mexico; 3. A crane system clean wetlands around the Gulf; 4. A contracted plane deploys dispersants over an oil patch; 5. A National Strike Team member documents air and water quality following a dispersant deployment; 6. The oil collec-tion point of a skimming vessel.


dogexternalffairs.com | SENTINEL | 30Winter 2010

Take AimCoast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) members hold a position during a boarding onboard a training vessel. LEDETs constantly evolve their tactics and train-ing to compete with the changing methods of the drug traffickers, pirates and smugglers.

// by Dick Kramer

THE ART OF THE MATTER How one unit uses art to bolster unit pride.

by Lt. j.g. Daniel Delgado, MSST New York

31 | SENTINEL | dogexternalffairs.com Winter2010

Art speaks to us. It conveys a message symbolically, a message that reaches us on an emotional level. In the Coast Guard, artwork, plaques and awards are used to decorate offices and show unit and organizational pride. Pride is a source of unit

identity and sets individual units apart. When you walk onto a cutter, into a boathouse or any other Coast Guard facility, you can feel electricity in the air when there is a strong sense of unit pride.

Perhaps nowhere in the Coast Guard is the symbol and the unit pride it expresses more visible than at Maritime Safety & Security Team New York (91106).

When you arrive on the Quarter Deck of MSST New York, you are greet-ed by a 9 foot x 12 foot hand-painted mural. Images literally leap out at you: the twin towers of the World Trade Center, a pair of fierce and predatory shrikes guarding the skyline, and the unit crest. The message is unmistakable: MSST New York (91106) is on station and on guard, a deterrent and a response to those who would perpetrate any act of terrorism against America and its citizens.

MSST New York’s plank owners chose the shrike as the unit mascot. It is a formidable bird of prey chosen because of the voracity it displays in the hunt for prey.

The mural was hand painted by Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick M. Man-gold shortly before his departure from the unit. Mangold also created a near life-sized mural in the unit boathouse of a 25-foot Response Boat Small engaged in a chase, with its crew manning the guns, ready to take whatever action is required to defend the nation.

Mangold’s mural of the New York City Skyline is a constant reminder to the crew and everyone who crosses the MSST New York Quarter Deck that the Coast Guard’s Homeland Security Mission is more important now than ever. Recent foiled terrorist attacks on New York City’s Times Square, and the regular occurrence of large scale harbor events such as Fleet Week and the United Nations General Assembly, show that the port of New York continues to be a prime target for terrorist activity. MSST New York stands ready to protect one of our Nation’s most vital sea ports at this critical time in the nation’s history.

Members of MSST New York view the mural as a reminder of why the MSSTs were created in 2002, and the reason every MSST unit number begins with 911. Each day our boat crews get underway with the knowl-edge that it is our responsibility, our duty, to protect this great city and nation from those who wish to do us harm, and the MSST New York Shrike is a constant reminder of how we should go about accomplishing that mission.


33 | SENTINEL | dogexternalffairs.com Winterl 2010

American Heroes Challenge“It’s nice to be able to put your skill set out there and say hey, we are the Coast Guard, and we do this mission too,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Jarman, a maritime enforcement specialist at the Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team (PACTACLET). “The deployable specialized forces are so new that a lot of people ,even inside the Coast Guard, haven’t seen what we do. With events like these, we can reach out, show what we do and say we’re looking for qualified individuals that are ready to put in the hours, maintain the physical fitness standards and manage the stress. Those are the type of people we need at PACTACLET.”

Las Vegas(NOV. 6, 2010 )

// Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Erik Swanson


dogexternalffairs.com | SENTINEL | 24

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – A Maritime Safety and Security Team Miami (91114) member observes the sun setting during a patrol of Guantanamo Bay, Nov. 10, 2010. The MSST boat crew was on an area familiarization patrol that was part of the pass down leading up to MSST Miami assuming the role as Maritime Security Detachment for joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Anderson

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