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They Had to Go Out

They Had to Go Out

By They Had to Go Out

Get ready to whiten those knuckles and hold fast as we get underway to talk with Coast Guard veterans about the most daring, dangerous, and epic sea stories ever told. Whether facing ruthless men who prey on other mariners or storms that turn calm seas into graveyards, those who go down to the sea and cast off lines enter the most challenging and dangerous environment on earth. Only here will you hear their stories and the lessons gained through their experience.
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Episode 90 - Sandra Stosz - Vice Admiral (Ret.) - Icebreaking - Cutter CO

They Had to Go OutNov 23, 2021

00:00
01:29:05
Episode 90 - Sandra Stosz - Vice Admiral (Ret.) - Icebreaking - Cutter CO
Nov 23, 202101:29:05
Episode 89 - John Marks - Captain (Ret.) - Chief Yeoman

Episode 89 - John Marks - Captain (Ret.) - Chief Yeoman

For this episode we welcome our first ever Yeoman to the show and he does not disappoint. CAPT John Marks (Ret.) talks adventures in the South Pacific including visits to the leper colony on Molokai and a murder at a remote LORAN station, running a Miss Ocean Station contest with flight stewardesses from the middle of the North Atlantic, how the concept of “member’s responsibility” developed along with the Yeoman correspondence course, the punches and sponges of the first ever Servicewide Exam, becoming a Chief Petty Officer, Officer Candidate School, surviving the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, developing NORTHCOM, and rising from an E2 to an O6 to lead the post 9/11 port security grant program. You don’t want to miss this one.

#uscg #coastguard #military #veteran #veterans #armedforces
Nov 15, 202101:49:23
Episode 88 - Lee Fanning - LCDR - Flight Surgeon - Sikorsky HH52A
Oct 20, 202153:24
Episode 87 - Jeff Rusiecki - BMC (Ret.) - Surfman - FV Sea King - National Motor Lifeboat School

Episode 87 - Jeff Rusiecki - BMC (Ret.) - Surfman - FV Sea King - National Motor Lifeboat School

Chief Boatswains Mate Jeff Rusiecki (Ret.) talks being at the helm for the attempted rescue of the fishing vessel Sea King as she foundered on the Columbia River Bar, how that case connected him to the survivor of a similar tragedy from the 1960s involving the loss of three motor lifeboats and several crewmen; servicing aids to navigation along the remote Alaskan coastline, seizing the first go fast under the Zero Tolerance policy, and training a new generation of surfmen at the National Motor Lifeboat School.
Sep 28, 202101:13:34
Episode 86: Jim Morphew - MK - Patrol Boat Cutterman - War on Drugs - Mariel Boatlift - PTSD

Episode 86: Jim Morphew - MK - Patrol Boat Cutterman - War on Drugs - Mariel Boatlift - PTSD

Former MK Jim Morphew talks a near decade of service on the Gulf Coast, two tours at one of the service’s least requested duty stations in Grand Isle, Louisiana; interdicting tons of marijuana in the opening days of the War on Drugs; the sights, sounds, and emotions of the mass migration from Cuba known as the Mariel Boatlift; cruising aboard a prototype Surface Effect Ship (SES); and overcoming post traumatic stress with the help of Veterans Affairs.
Nov 20, 202001:00:53
Episode 85: William ‘Dean’ Lee - Vice Admiral (Ret.) - Commanding Officer - LANTAREA - Boat Forces

Episode 85: William ‘Dean’ Lee - Vice Admiral (Ret.) - Commanding Officer - LANTAREA - Boat Forces

Vice Admiral William “Dean” Lee (Ret.) talks the most impactful case of his 36 year career - the courageous effort to save a life from inside a capsized fishing vessel hull, the most important lesson learned from seven tours as a commanding officer, group versus sector organization, servant leadership, and the importance of humility.
Nov 02, 202058:15
Episode 84: Steve Love - Commander (Ret) - CO - Mustang - ET - Cutter Swimmer - Boat Forces

Episode 84: Steve Love - Commander (Ret) - CO - Mustang - ET - Cutter Swimmer - Boat Forces

Commander Steve Love (Ret) talks 34 years of active service, his first patrol out of basic training aboard CGC Cherokee, white knuckling the helm and being lashed to the mast during the search for a distressed sailboat in a hurricane force storm, deploying as a cutter swimmer to rescue the crew of a downed Navy mine sweeping helicopter, searching for stowaways in Panama City, the origins of fatigue limits, his first command at Station Cape May and the tough personnel and operational decisions he was called on to make, how the Response Boat - Small II came to be a part of the fleet, and commanding a Maritime Force Protection Unit whose mission is to protect the nation’s nuclear submarine fleet.
Oct 28, 202001:27:50
Episode 83: Erin Stapleton - BOSN - CGC Eagle Sailmaster - Diver - Officer in Charge

Episode 83: Erin Stapleton - BOSN - CGC Eagle Sailmaster - Diver - Officer in Charge

BOSN Erin Stapleton (Ret) talks service as the Sailmaster aboard the Tall Ship Eagle during a crossing of the Atlantic, recovering a man overboard under sail, training and mentoring Academy cadets underway, qualifying as a diver in the early days of the service’s program, diving on piers and ships in support of the port security and drug interdiction missions of Maritime Safety and Security Teams, a close call during a cruise ship hull inspection, investigating sea mine blast sites, attending the US Air Force Non Commissioned Officers Academy, his experiences with good and bad command climates as the Executive Petty Officer of a patrol boat and station, and taking command of Station Maui where he applied the lessons learned throughout his career to lead heavy weather and tactical boat crews and create agency partnerships that saved lives.
Oct 10, 202001:15:32
Episode 82: Kurt Strauch - BOSN - Marine Firefighting - Antarctic Ops - Officer in Charge

Episode 82: Kurt Strauch - BOSN - Marine Firefighting - Antarctic Ops - Officer in Charge

Boatswain Kurt Strauch (Ret.) talks Coast Guard firefighting, including the rescue of a commercial fishing crew aboard an 80 foot scalloper on fire off Montauk, New York, the massive effort to save a 180 foot freighter on fire in the Florida Straits, saving the Cutter Gallatin after a fire broke out in dry dock, and extinguishing flames aboard the Polar Star during a voyage to the Antarctic. He also tells of operations at McMurdo Station, serving as an arctic pilot during the tow of a disabled 400 foot cargo ship from the Southern Ocean to New Zealand, migrant interdictions in the South Pacific, and commanding an IMARV on the Potomac in the aftermath of 9/11, a station, and an 87 foot cutter as an enlisted Boatswain’s Mate and Officer in Charge.
Oct 03, 202001:21:35
Episode 81: Zach Snavely - ME2 - MSRT - BM - Coxswain - Deck Force - Defense Contractor
Sep 24, 202001:08:21
Episode 80: Claude Morrissey - Chief Aviation Survival Technician (Ret.) - Helicopter Rescue Swimmer

Episode 80: Claude Morrissey - Chief Aviation Survival Technician (Ret.) - Helicopter Rescue Swimmer

Part I. Retired Chief Aviation Survival Technician (ASTC) Claude Morrissey talks his first case as a rescue swimmer, saving fishermen washed from a jetty during Hurricane Claudette, refining his greeting to survivors, flying hundreds of miles into the Atlantic to rescue the crew of a demasted luxury catamaran, earning a rescue swimmer T-shirt, life and death in the Bering Sea, rituals prior to leaving the runway, 60s vs 65s, and starting his own business - Morrissey Stump Grinding and Tree Service in Camden, North Carolina.
Sep 16, 202001:14:06
Episode 79: Chris Campbell - Quartermaster 2nd Class - CGC Sedge - CGC Thetis - ATON - Migrants

Episode 79: Chris Campbell - Quartermaster 2nd Class - CGC Sedge - CGC Thetis - ATON - Migrants

Former Quartermaster Chris Campbell talks being recalled to the CGC Sedge in the midst of a violent winter storm in an effort to save the crew of a foundering fishing vessel off the Alaskan coast, the effort to clear ice and keep the cutter afloat, an inspiring speech from his CO explaining why Coast Guard crews have to go out, ATON, mailing beards to Washington after facial hair was outlawed by the uniform regs, lasting leadership lessons from a BM3 in charge of Deck Force, simulated liberty, patrolling the Florida Keys aboard CGC Thetis, QM ‘A’ School and pre-GPS navigation, and quelling a near riot of migrants detained on deck.
Sep 03, 202001:40:51
Episode 78: Steve Denning - BMC (Ret) - Station OIC - Motor Lifeboats - PACTACLET - Black Hulls

Episode 78: Steve Denning - BMC (Ret) - Station OIC - Motor Lifeboats - PACTACLET - Black Hulls

Chief Boatswains Mate Steve Denning (Ret.) talks the nighttime race to rescue nineteen people, fourteen of them children, from a capsized boat at the entrance to the port of Los Angeles/Long Beach, the struggle to conduct a search beneath an overturned hull, commanding a Coast Guard station as its Officer in Charge, rescuing and repatriating dozens of Haitian migrants after weeks at sea, breaking in coxswain at Station Barnegat Light and signing his letter as the crew runs to the sound of a SAR alarm, lessons in boat handling and seamanship from a Surfman mentor at Tillamook Bay, balancing risk to a boat crews with the demands of missions at sea, stopping a boat in a high speed and uncontrolled spin in one of his first cases, crewing black hulls and working CG-6P lanterns, deploying for counter drug patrols on more than forty naval ships with PACTACLET, managing the demands of family with those of military service, applying officer discretion during a boarding that didn’t feel right, meeting Davey Jones and Neptune’s court at the equator, and intercepting arms, munitions, and suspected mercenaries aboard a boat bound for South America.

Aug 24, 202001:24:46
Episode 77: Alex Mangum - AMT - Flight Mechanic - HH60 - E City - Kodiak - Life After Service

Episode 77: Alex Mangum - AMT - Flight Mechanic - HH60 - E City - Kodiak - Life After Service

Former AMT and HH60 Flight Mechanic Alex Mangum talks a massive effort to save three commercial fishermen after their boat grounded in a remote Alaskan Bay during the worst storm many at the airstation had ever experienced, his first case as a flight mechanic and its textbook MEDEVAC from the deck of a cruise ship, training to perform helicopter hoists in the severe weather, how operational crews deal with incidents that truly shake them, staring in the inaugural episode of Coast Guard Alaska, and how the benefits gained through service helped him to achieve his post Coast Guard career goals.
Aug 11, 202001:31:03
Episode 76: Rick Kuntz - Engineman - Galloo Island - Station Oswego - CG AUX

Episode 76: Rick Kuntz - Engineman - Galloo Island - Station Oswego - CG AUX

Former Engineman Rick Kunz talks life and service on Lake Ontario’s Galloo Island where the Coast Guard maintained both a station and a lighthouse, four decades of uniform, grooming, and protective equipment advances at Station Oswego, ranking the coasts on a scale of painful seas, picking the right boat for the right weather, taking a 30 footer with him as he left the service, and how the Coast Guard Auxiliary offers boat owners, pilots, and other volunteers a chance to make a difference.
Aug 03, 202057:12
Episode 75: MEC ‘ Thunder’ Dan Merrick (Ret.) - MSST - PATFORSWA - RAID - MTB - TACLET

Episode 75: MEC ‘ Thunder’ Dan Merrick (Ret.) - MSST - PATFORSWA - RAID - MTB - TACLET

Retired Maritime Enforcement Specialist ‘Thunder’ Dan Merrick talks standing up Maritme Safety and Security Teams (MSST) in the aftermath of 9/11, securing the Persian Gulf aboard CGC Monomoy, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan with the Redeployment Assistance and Inspection Detachment (RAID), and training the navies and coastguards of the world with the Mobile Training Branch.
Jul 27, 202001:54:59
Episode 74: Mike Kreynus - Senior Chief Radioman (Ret) - Cutterman - Intelligence Agent - CPOA

Episode 74: Mike Kreynus - Senior Chief Radioman (Ret) - Cutterman - Intelligence Agent - CPOA

Senior Chief Radioman Mike Kreynus (Ret.) talks a lasting lesson in leadership and open door policy from the CO of the CGC Comanche, his time as a plain clothes Coast Guard Intelligence agent, being Chief of the Boat for the last of the screaming sea captains aboard CGC Boutwell, running a west coast command center, the founding of the Chief Petty Officer’s Association, and his thoughts on the practices of the greatest leaders.
Jul 18, 202001:23:17
Episode 73: James Loy - 21st COMDT - Cutterman - Vietnam War - 9/11 - Leadership - Author

Episode 73: James Loy - 21st COMDT - Cutterman - Vietnam War - 9/11 - Leadership - Author

21st Commandant of the Coast Guard and former Acting Secretary of the Department is Homeland Security James Loy talks a lesson in leadership early in his career during a dangerous maneuver in heavy seas, commanding patrol boats on the Virginia coast and in wartime Vietnam, delivering a baby on the flight deck of an underway cutter, ending the pursuit of a drug trafficker with a well aimed fire hose, leading the service on 9/11, how flags and Commandants make decisions with servicewide and national impacts, and his experiences leading at the highest levels of government.

After you listen, read Admiral Loy’s books, “Character in Action: The US Coast Guard on Leadership” and “The Architecture of Leadership: Preparation Equals Performance”
Jul 09, 202002:12:54
Episode 72: Gary Thomas - CDR (Ret.) - Cutterman - Patrol Boat CO - LORANimal - AFRAS - NCGMA

Episode 72: Gary Thomas - CDR (Ret.) - Cutterman - Patrol Boat CO - LORANimal - AFRAS - NCGMA

CDR Gary Thomas (Ret.) talks deploying into heavy seas as a cutter swimmer to rescue a man overboard, commanding a Key West patrol boat during the tragic sinking of a Haitian ferry, working to support LORANimals, and how these events illustrate the servicewide impacts individuals can have in the Coast Guard. He also discusses his work with the National Coast Guard Museum Association and the Association for Rescue at Sea, both partners of They Had to Go Out Podcast.
Jul 01, 202059:29
Episode 71: Martha Kotite - Captain (Ret.) - 110 XO - Public Affairs - Author
Jun 23, 202001:11:23
Episode 70: Gina Panuzzi - AET2 (Ret) - Aircrew - HH60 Crash Survivor

Episode 70: Gina Panuzzi - AET2 (Ret) - Aircrew - HH60 Crash Survivor

Retired Aviation Electronics Technician (AET) Gina Panuzzi talks a decade of service in Coast Guard aviation, the crash of CG-6028 in the Utah mountains that nearly claimed her life, and her road to recovery in the aftermath.
Jun 18, 202001:59:47
Todd Ebner - AET2 - Aircrew - C130 - HH60

Todd Ebner - AET2 - Aircrew - C130 - HH60

Former AET2 Todd Ebner talks his decade of service in Coast Guard aviation, locating 17 survivors of a fishing trip gone wrong off the Alaskan coast, transporting a dead whale in the cargo hold of a C-130, tracking Russian and Chinese poachers, taking down a corrupt government official in American Samoa, rights of passage at ‘A’ School in E City, and coping with the loss of so many who have died in the line of duty.
Jun 08, 202001:02:31
Distant Shores Launch Special - Francois Michaud - Royal Canadian Marine SAR - Chief Instructor

Distant Shores Launch Special - Francois Michaud - Royal Canadian Marine SAR - Chief Instructor

Francois Michaud, the Chief Instructor for Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue (RCM SAR), talks his decade of service onboard the ships and lifeboats of the Canadian Coast Guard, a long and harrowing day of MEDEVACs from a fishing fleet caught in a storm, training coxswains to lead boat crews on emergency calls, and the most important lessons he works to pass on to volunteer lifesavers.
Jun 03, 202001:31:07
Episode 68: Tina Claflin - MKCS (Ret.) - Surf Ops - CGC Eagle - Strike Team - SAPR - CPO Centennial
May 28, 202001:07:12
Special: Coast Guard Recruit Training Alumni
May 24, 202041:01
Episode 67: Jim Rambus - BMCS (Ret.) - Coxswain - OIC - Lighthouse Keeper - Lightship Sailor

Episode 67: Jim Rambus - BMCS (Ret.) - Coxswain - OIC - Lighthouse Keeper - Lightship Sailor

As we continue to celebrate the centennial of Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers we talk with Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate Jim Rambus (Ret.) who tells of the dangers of logistic runs to the shoals and reefs of the Great Lakes where manned lighthouses once stood, including a lesson in confidence for a new coxswain after swamping a 40 footer during a personnel transfer and the near loss of a crew when their boat’s engines died in icy waters, the dangers of lightship duty during hurricanes and heavy fog, commanding three boat stations as an enlisted Officer in Charge, a fatal snap back after the service’s boats first transitioned from manila to nylon towlines, the service’s move from Treasury to Transportation, and what it means to be a Chief Petty Officer.
May 21, 202001:20:22
Episode 66: Adam Cravey - HSC (Ret.) - Coast Guard Medal - Boat Swimmer - Corpsman

Episode 66: Adam Cravey - HSC (Ret.) - Coast Guard Medal - Boat Swimmer - Corpsman

Chief Health Services Technician Adam Cravey (Ret.) talks a Coast Guard Medal case that demanded he deploy into a raging sea as a boat swimmer in an effort to save the crew of a burning tug and barge, serving as an independent duty corpsman aboard a Coast Guard cutter, treating the most common complaints of patients visiting an underway sick bay, and coordinating the medical evacuations of severely sick and injured crew members at sea.
May 14, 202001:03:16
Episode 65: Jon Ostrowski- BMCS (Ret.) - PSU - Chief Petty Officers Association President

Episode 65: Jon Ostrowski- BMCS (Ret.) - PSU - Chief Petty Officers Association President

Retired Senior Chief Boatswains Mate Jon Ostrowski talks deploying for Operation Iraqi Freedom with a Reserve Port Security Unit, the centennial of Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers, the unique role of Chiefs in the service, leading the Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA) at the national level, the volunteer work of the CPOA’s local chapters during recent crises including the federal government shutdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, and his dramatic introduction to Coast Guard operations aboard his first cutter.
May 02, 202001:23:49
Episode 64: Peter Eident - LT - USCGC Cuyahoga Survivor - Author of ‘Bearing Drift’ - Part II
Apr 30, 202056:34
Episode 63: Peter Eident - LT - USCGC Cuyahoga Survivor - Author of ‘Bearing Drift’ - Part I
Apr 20, 202001:06:55
Episode 62: Dara O’Malley - BM1 - Surfman 111 - 36 MLB - 44 MLB

Episode 62: Dara O’Malley - BM1 - Surfman 111 - 36 MLB - 44 MLB

BM1 Dara O’Malley, Surfman 111, tells of a dangerous nighttime escort across the Humbolt Bar, the capsizing and breakup of the involved cabin cruiser, and the efforts to rescue survivors from the surf that followed. He also talks what it takes to maintain boats and train crews to the levels needed for Coast Guard operations, and the responsibility of coxswains and surfmen not only to go out, but to bring their crews and those in peril back to shore.
Apr 11, 202001:06:33
Episode 61: Angel Hughes - LT - Pilot - Aircraft Commander - HC-144 Casa Ocean Sentry
Apr 05, 202001:03:02
Crossover Special with ‘The Evolution Podcast” - Jeff Bayless - USN - Chief Boatswains Mate

Crossover Special with ‘The Evolution Podcast” - Jeff Bayless - USN - Chief Boatswains Mate

Crossover episode with Jeff Bayless, a Chief Boatswains Mate in the US Navy and host of ‘The Evolution Podcast’, who talks his journey to resiliency and how he’s working to share his story and the lessons learned to the benefit of the fleet and beyond. Listen to other stories of resiliency on the ‘The Evolution’ now on your favorite podcast platform.
Mar 30, 202054:57
Crossover Special with Don’t Give Up the Ship Podcast
Mar 29, 202047:17
Episode 60: Darin Bibeau - BM2 - Coxswain - TACLET - Author
Mar 25, 202059:51
Episode 59: Cari Thomas - RADM (Ret.) - CEO of Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA)
Mar 18, 202001:18:57
Episode 58: Thad Allen - 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard (Ret.)

Episode 58: Thad Allen - 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard (Ret.)

23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard Thad Allen (Ret.) talks being trapped by fire in the radio room of his first cutter, responding to his first mass casualty event when a plane went down in the Florida Everglades, a surf rescue in blizzard conditions off the New Jersey coast, playing a leading role in the national response to 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, and the leadership lessons he considers most important for those who now serve.
Mar 06, 202050:47
Episode 57: Mike Underwood - BM1 (Ret.) - Coast Guard Medal - Coxswain - XPO

Episode 57: Mike Underwood - BM1 (Ret.) - Coast Guard Medal - Coxswain - XPO

Retired Boatswain’s Mate First Class Mike Underwood talks leading a boat crew into 30 foot seas, 80 knot winds, and dense fog to rescue those aboard a burning tug and barge in a case that earned him the Coast Guard Medal, running jet drive lifeboats across the Chatham bar, and the leadership lessons gained from his time as command cadre.
Feb 26, 202001:24:08
Episode 56: MCPOCG Charles ‘Skip’ Bowen (Ret.) - BM - Officer in Charge - Command Chief
Feb 19, 202050:34
Episode 55: Albert ‘Bud’ Buechler - CAPT (Ret.) - Commanding Officer - 378 WHEC

Episode 55: Albert ‘Bud’ Buechler - CAPT (Ret.) - Commanding Officer - 378 WHEC

Captain Albert ‘Bud’ Buechler talks the heroic response of his cutter crew to the capsizing of an overloaded Haitian sailing freighter, the unique relationships between Chief Petty Officers, the deckplate and the wardroom, taking command of his first cutter, and the lessons learned while in commanding crews at sea.
Feb 12, 202056:53
Episode 54: Kevin Grant - BM1 - WHEC - Coxswain - Active to Reserve

Episode 54: Kevin Grant - BM1 - WHEC - Coxswain - Active to Reserve

Boatswain’s Mate Kevin Grant tells of his first assignment aboard a 378 High Endurance Cutter, responding to a devastating earthquake on Haiti and the potential mass migration in its aftermath, being recalled from a port call to interdict a drug sub in the Pacific, leading crews as a boat coxswain to rescue the crew of a foundering sailboat, and leading boarding teams over the gunwale to enforce laws at sea. He closes by sharing his own lessons learned on making the transition from active duty, from creating a financial safety net and finding a new career to paying for college and medical expenses.
Feb 03, 202001:14:58
Episode 53: Russell Burress - BMC (Ret.) - 44 MLB - Coxswain - SAR - Risk vs Gain

Episode 53: Russell Burress - BMC (Ret.) - 44 MLB - Coxswain - SAR - Risk vs Gain

Retired Chief Boatswain’s Mate Russell Burress tells making the decision to risk a boat in an attempt to save a life, serving on deck under the leadership of service legend BMCM Donald Horsley, setting a buoy to reopen a strategic port in the midst of a typhoon, towing a downed Coast Guard helicopter, and a tough decision during a mass rescue in the aftermath of a sudden thunderstorm.
Jan 27, 202001:15:44
Episode 52: John Gagnon - BMCM (Ret.) - Surfman - Officer in Charge

Episode 52: John Gagnon - BMCM (Ret.) - Surfman - Officer in Charge

Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate John Gagnon (Ret.) talks the search for a fisherman who fell overboard in monstrous surf off the Oregon coast, how towing and searching are performed in the surf by motor lifeboat crews, and the most impactful lessons learned from his years in command of Coast Guard stations.
Jan 21, 202043:30
Holiday Special with MCPOCG Vince Patton (Ret.)
Dec 23, 201923:47
Episode 51: Steven Craig - USCGR - Captain (Ret.) - Author of All Present and Accounted For

Episode 51: Steven Craig - USCGR - Captain (Ret.) - Author of All Present and Accounted For

Captain Steven Craig (Ret.) talks the dangers of walking a cutter’s deck in storm tossed seas, rising in the ranks from Seaman to mustang Captain, and being activated thirteen times as a reservist in response to major events and disasters including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, Deepwater Horizon, and the 7.0 earthquake centered on Haiti. He also talks the dramatic story behind his new book “All Present and Accounted For”, which tells how the USCGC Jarvis grounded then nearly sank in a storm off the Alaskan coast in 1972.
Dec 18, 201948:35
Episode 50: Dan Shirey - BM - Surfman - 44 MLB - Chetco River - CGC Modoc - Diver

Episode 50: Dan Shirey - BM - Surfman - 44 MLB - Chetco River - CGC Modoc - Diver

Former Boatswain’s Mate Dan Shirey talks pitchpoling a 44 ft Motor Lifeboat on the Chetco River bar, responding to a sinking fishing vessel despite knowing he lacked enough fuel to make it back to shore, escorting a listing cargo ship hundreds of miles to reach a safe port, qualifying as a diver, using the skills gained through his service to pursue underwater treasure hunting, and diving on the wrecks of the same whaling ships that were the cause of the 1897 Overland Relief Expedition where some of the earliest Coast Guard heroes earned their fame.
Dec 12, 201957:56
Episode 49: Mark Holmes - Radioman - 210 WMEC Crew - Author

Episode 49: Mark Holmes - Radioman - 210 WMEC Crew - Author

Former Radioman Mark Holmes talks heading out and into a storm so severe it forced the Navy into port, responding to a foundering sailing vessel with a skeleton crew aboard CGC Courageous, procuring a replacement deck gun for a cutter from the front lawn of a VFW, surviving waterspouts and tornadoes, and how his experiences in the service caused him to begin writing.
Dec 05, 201951:35
Episode 48: Gerry Rohrer - BM1 (Ret.) - Coxswain - Ice Rescuer - PATFORSWA - Instructor

Episode 48: Gerry Rohrer - BM1 (Ret.) - Coxswain - Ice Rescuer - PATFORSWA - Instructor

Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Gerry Rohrer (Ret.) talks the lifesaving efforts to retrieve and MEDEVAC an elderly couple from a sailboat breaking apart on the rocks of a Michigan jetty, responding to hard water emergencies with an ice rescue team, deploying overseas to train Middle Eastern maritime forces with Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), and finishing off his career as an advisor to the Kiwis.
Nov 25, 201950:14
Episode 47: Doug Johnson - Boatswains Mate - Coxswain - LORAN Station - Pacific Islands

Episode 47: Doug Johnson - Boatswains Mate - Coxswain - LORAN Station - Pacific Islands

Former Boatswain’s Mate Doug Johnson provides a travelogue of exotic locations he served at throughout the Pacific, including his time at a remote LORAN Station on Marcus Island nearly 700 miles from the nearest point of land. He also tells of responding to the aftermath of a typhoon in Guam and a few highlights from leading crews on search and rescue and law enforcement cases as a coxswain on 30 and 40 ft wooden hull boats and on the brand new 41 UTB at stations in Honolulu and Kauai. For the most choice assignments in a single enlistment, Doug may have the record.
Nov 13, 201949:20
Episode 46: CDR Tim ‘TJ’ Schmitz - Helicopter Pilot - HH65 - Alaska Ranger Rescue

Episode 46: CDR Tim ‘TJ’ Schmitz - Helicopter Pilot - HH65 - Alaska Ranger Rescue

Commander and helicopter pilot Tim Schmitz talks the daring effort to rescue nearly fifty victims after their vessel, the ‘Alaska Ranger’, sank in the Bering Sea 180 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. A nighttime takeoff from the storm swept and frozen deck of the cutter Munro, a flight plan with no possibility of reaching shore and no margin of error to make it back to the cutter, only dim strobe lights to guide the crew to those treading water, the loss of a victim despite the determined efforts of all involved, and the triumph of saving lives at sea - it’s a story that is truly dangerous, daring, and epic.
Nov 08, 201957:40