"We only were taught about African-American history during just the one month a school year.  I wished they would incorporate some of it in the general history classes.  There were so many people that had an impact that I never knew about until I was older," said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Mahasin Abdullah.

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - She wasn’t invited to the Oscars or the Golden Globes.  She doesn’t have paparazzi following her down the sidewalk.  She isn’t an actress, diva or celebrity.  But Coast Guard Petty Officer 2^nd Class Mahasin Abdullah’s voice may have a greater impact than any Hollywood starlet when she makes her small screen debut.

“When I grew up, we didn’t have people to educate us on water safety … and a lot of kids drowned or got into trouble,” said Abdullah.

She is lending her voice to a Coast Guard-produced cartoon that hopes to teach kids how to stay safe on the beach, in the water, and on a boat.  The hope is that the finished cartoon will find its way into elementary schools across the country, increasing the number of kids wearing lifejackets and taking swimming lessons.

The importance of teaching young children to be safe is not a point lost on Abdullah, as she is a single mother of a 3-year-old girl.

“Being in the Coast Guard and knowing the risks, my daughter is already in swim class.”

Abdullah was born to a Marine father in Mission Hills, Calif., but spent much of her childhood in Maryland.  She attended college at Salisbury University in Maryland, where she studied mass media communications.

“We did some voice-overs for radio stations in college, and I really enjoyed it,” said Abdullah.  “It was kind of a perfect fit for me to try the cartoon.”

The cartoon is called Station Safewater and offers viewers the chance to follow along with elementary schoolers Nikki and Glen as they tour the fictitious Coast Guard small boat station.

“For me to do this, since I have a daughter and lots of nieces and nephews, it makes me feel good to do something to help,” said Abdullah.

For more information about the cartoon and to download the Station Safewater activity book that contains coloring pages and puzzles, click HERE

LAS VEGAS - Wilbur Wright once said, “It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill.”  For a small group of Coast Guard aviators from across the country, the 2011 AMT Society Maintenance Skills Competition gave them the opportunity to test theirs.

This year marked only the second time a team of Coast Guard members took part in the annual competition, held in Las Vegas.

“I’m proud of what we do.  The Coast Guard is small and aviation is only a part of what we do, but we’re proud of how well we do it,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Rich Schultz, the Rating Force Master Chief for Aviation Maintenance Technicians.

The weeklong competition featured 12 different stations to test mechanics knowledge in areas such as electrical troubleshooting, flight control rigging, advanced composite materials repair, and safety wiring.  It also featured commercial airline teams from Mexico and Australia as well as U.S. military teams from the Coast Guard, Air Force, and Navy.

Aside from their mechanical prowess, Team Coast Guard stood out as the only team comprised of members who had never met prior to the competition.

“I had one guy come up and say he thought it was a great idea to select members from all over the country.  He said they took the best from their base and they’ve been training together for months for this competition,” noted Schultz.  “It’s unbelievable.  It’s a great statement for the Coast Guard and the aviation standardization program that we are able to do this.”

Not only were the Coast Guard mechanics from different units, they also worked on different airframes. 

Petty Officer 2^nd Class Jon Deitsch repairs MH-65 Dolphin helicopters at Air Station Atlantic City; Petty Officer 2^nd Class Matt Youngs cranks wrenches on HC-130 Hercules aircraft out of Kodiak; Petty Officer 1^st Class Frank Fontanez works on the HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft in Mobile, Ala.; while Petty Officer 1^st Class Jason Ford, the lone Avionics Electrical Technician of the group, chases wires on the MH-65 Dolphin helicopters in Traverse City, Mich.

“I feel really, really good about it.  With the Air Force, they have guys from the same unit.  Then they see us from different units and who fly on different aircraft … I feel proud,” said Fontanez.

The impact of the aviation standardization program was something that members of Team Coast Guard noted as being vital to their ability to compete in such a competition.

“It just shows that in the Coast Guard, you can plug any team together and we’re going to get the job done,” said Youngs, the only returning member from previous year’s team.  “It blows the other team’s mind.  They’re like ‘wow, you guys just met?’”

While the competition may seem to outsiders like a good excuse to spend a week in Las Vegas, the overall benefit to this group of aviators cannot be measured in buffet trips and neon lights.

“I definitely have more experience now,” said Deitsch.  “The whole studying process to prepare for this, just makes you more knowledgeable.  Some of this stuff we rarely do.”

While the team members never had a chance to get together and train for these events, each Coastie took it upon themselves to dive into the manuals.

“I get to come here and compete, but at the same time I’m spending a lot of time in the books during the build-up, which helps me overall.  I got into the manuals a lot.  I re-familiarized myself with all the steps and regulations,” said Youngs.

The passion that these four individuals demonstrated in preparing for this competition is actually part of the reason they were selected to compete.  Deitsch, Youngs, and Ford were finalists for the Oliver Berry Award, an annual award given to an aviator that through innovation brought forth an idea or process that benefited Coast Guard aviation as a whole.  This year’s recipient, Fontanez, played a vital role in the mechanical understanding of the Ocean Sentry aircraft.

 While Team Coast Guard finished the competition just off the podium, an undaunted Schultz provided a dose of reality.  “You can go home tonight and watch television and you’ll see a rescue done by the Coast Guard.  You have to feel proud about that, even if you weren’t involved in the search or anything, you’ll still feel proud.”

“Chief Alex Haley (Coast Guard – Ret.) made huge steps.  He went through a lot of struggles that I don’t have to.  He opened up a lot of lanes for us.  I think that everyone should learn from that, and appreciate any civil rights leader, white or black, because there’s plenty of them,” said Petty Officer 2^nd Class Brian McClean.

**EDITORS NOTE**Story contains hyperlinks to samples of songs "Like A Star" and "Miss Philly" performed by 3rDegr33

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - The streets of West Philadelphia can be a difficult place to live. It is cold and impoverished.  Drugs, gangs and violence are rampant.  Opportunity is scarce.  Some people would allow such circumstances to hinder their progress and douse their dreams.  Others pull motivation from the despair, turning their trials to triumphs.  As is the case with Brian McClean, a Petty Officer 2^nd Class, and an up-and-coming hip-hop artist.

At age 13, McClean suffered second and third-degree burns over twenty percent of his body after a horrific fireworks accident.  This incident sparked McClean’s hip-hop moniker “3rDegr33”.

“I developed the name 3rDegr33 to remember that big changing point in my life,” explained McClean.  “It was a big motivator for me to get things right and be more serious and more focused.”

After the accident, McClean endured a series of painful rehabilitation treatments and could not attend regular school for six months.  “Just going through the rehabilitation process helped me grow a lot,” said McClean.  “It made me appreciate being alive, how lucky I was.”

Tragedy struck again in 2005 when McClean’s mother died of lung cancer, shortly after he joined the Coast Guard.  Losing his mother left McClean parentless at 21 years old, as he never knew his father.

Enduring these tragic events gave McClean a new perspective and respect for life.  This outlook, coupled with the exposure gained from travelling with the Coast Guard, provided him with an eclectic experience that can be felt in his music.

“I don’t have a specific niche with the music,” explained McClean.  “I’m versatile. It’s not just one style of hip-hop or rap.”

His songs weave in and out of subjects ranging from love and relationships to political issues.  In one of his more popular songs, Miss Philly, McClean figuratively transforms the city of Philadelphia into a woman, to whom he professes his love and his hopes of returning.  There is one common goal McClean keeps in focus when writing songs: He aims to give the people what they want.

“I just want to make music that’s good,” said McClean.  “I hear a lot of trashy music out there and it’s motivated me to put something out there that people would want to hear.”

McClean’s first endeavors into music were humble, rapping into his home computer through a small microphone.  “I can’t even let anyone hear it,” said McClean with a grin, “I couldn’t even release it! But it shows me how much I’ve progressed.”

McClean still does all his own recordings at home in Long Beach, Calif., although his equipment and sound quality has advanced significantly.

From an early age he discovered an aptitude for computers and would regularly take them apart to learn how they work.  This innate talent allowed him to work as an information technician at the age of 16 and eventually an Information System Technician for the Coast Guard.  These days, his skills carry over into the recording studio as he makes music that he hopes will reach as many people as possible.

While stardom would be a great reward for his efforts, as illustrated by his song Like a Star, McClean’s primary motivator is a simple, deep love for what he does.

“With music, that’s my main thing,” explained McClean, “to maintain that love for the music and to work to get better day by day.  If you put in the effort it takes to do that, you’ll inevitably end up somewhere big.”

SAN PEDRO, Calif. – Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Beach has the immense responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of one of the busiest port complexes in the world. The station crew employs various tools to get the job done, and on December 9, a new tool arrived at the station’s docks.

The new 45-foot response boat is a sleek, fast, multi-mission vessel designed to replace the aging 41-foot utility boats that are currently in service here.

“The 41-foot utility boat has served us well since the ‘70s,” explains Senior Chief Petty Officer Richard Cheyney, officer-in-charge of Station LA-LB. “Just like us, as we age we need more attention, more maintenance, and that has been our biggest challenge; keeping up with maintaining a 30-year-old boat.”

The new response boat offers a number of advantages to the station crew, who is charged with many important duties including search-and-rescue, maritime law enforcement and port security.

 “(It has) seats for the entire crew, a climate-controlled cabin, integrated navigation systems, infrared capabilities and internal communications,” says Cheyney. “All these systems will improve crew endurance, but most importantly, crew safety.”

On an average search and rescue case, the new boat will respond further and faster. The shock-mitigating seats will keep the crew from stumbling and sustaining possible injury during inclement weather. The forward-looking infrared system will aid crews in locating people in the water. The climate-controlled cabin will provide a safer, healthier environment for the rescued or injured while being transported.

Crewmembers will undergo specialized training to become qualified to pilot the new addition. While much of the radar and chart-plotting equipment remains the same as that of the current boats, the 45-foot boat will present its own unique learning opportunities.

“It’s a jet-drive boat,” explains Cheyney. “It’s going to handle completely different. There is no helm, there is no throttle. Everything is on the armrests.”

Cheyney has faith in his crew and plans to have everyone qualified to operate the new boat by March, when two more 45-foot response boats are scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles.

The new boat is an attractive and impressive addition to the Coast Guard fleet in Los Angeles, but for Cheyney and the station crew, it all comes back to ensuring the safety and security of the crew and the public which they serve.

“Everyone needs to understand how dangerous the water can be,” says Cheyney, “and everyone needs to be prepared for emergencies with radio, fire extinguisher, life jackets and flares.”

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. - A five-man team of Coast Guardsmen had the rare opportunity to play an exhibition match against two decorated professional volleyball competitors in Redondo Beach, December 4, 2010. 

Two crewmembers from Maritime Safety and Security Team Los Angeles-Long Beach, Petty Officer 1st Class Dugan Mcelroy and Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Haldeman and three air crewmen, Lt. Joel Cooper, Petty Officer 3rd Class Aaron Biesel, Petty Officer 2nd Class David Hetticher, from Air Station Los Angeles played in an exhibition match against Olympian Kerri Walsh and her husband Casey Jennings. They wanted to see if they had what it takes to stand in against a Gold Medal winner for the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s exhibition volleyball match. 

Between the two champion athletes, they have a volleyball resume that is a mile long.  Walsh is one of the best female volleyball players of all time.  She has twice received the Association of Volleyball Players Most Valuable Player award, brought home a Gold Medal from the 2004 Athens Summer Games, and has won many titles over her seven-year professional career.   Jennings also has multiple awards to his credit and is one of the top male professional volleyball players, ending 2010 with a Gold Medal at the Swatch FIVB World Tour. 

After a warm-up match with the Redondo Beach Police Department team, it was time for Team Coast Guard to take on the professionals.  While the team of Coasties had the advantage of four players on the sand and a fifth as a substitution, the husband and wife tandem won the first match rather quickly.  Walsh and Jennings then proposed a friendly bet to encourage the overmatched Coast Guardsmen a little.   The pros would give them 11 of the 15 points needed to win, but the loser would have to take a dip in the cold Pacific Ocean.  They shook on the deal. 

It was a furious battle as the pros evened the score at 14, when Walsh let her fear be known.

“I really don’t want to get in that cold water!” 

And with that motivation, Walsh and Jennings spiked their way to a 16-14 victory over Team Coast Guard.  

With smiles on their faces, team members succumbed to the terms of their lost wager and headed to the water’s edge.

“It was exactly what I expected and more,” said Biesel, an Aviation Maintenance Technician. 

“Never did I expect to win, but I was glad that I got to take a couple of points from them,” said Lt. Joel Cooper, a pilot with the Royal Australian Navy currently assigned to Air Station Los Angeles.

“Getting a block on Kerri was the highlight of my day,” added Cooper.

The afternoon at the beach served as a welcome break from the stressful day to day life of a Coast Guardsman and provided the crewmembers with a once in a lifetime opportunity … to get sand in their shorts and an impromptu swim in the ocean.

Feature Story

- Photo links at bottom of page -   

Story and photos by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cory J. Mendenhall    

      On a small island in the middle of America’s largest port complex is a simple scene that appears uncharacteristic for this utilitarian environment: row after row of potted herbs and culinary plants that both please the eye and bring pleasant aromas to this otherwise industrial landscape. It may not be something one is used to seeing adorn a military galley, but this quaint garden is just one of the things that make the Base Support Unit San Pedro galley stand out.

    Whether it be the delicious entrees (ranging from chicken paprikash to chipotle-glazed salmon), the immaculate condition of the kitchen, the pleasant demeanor of the cooks, or the bounteous culinary garden, any visitor to the BSU San Pedro galley will instantly notice that this is no ordinary dining facility.

    The herb garden, which boasts an impressive 150 plus varieties of culinary plants, did not exist before Petty Officer 1st Class Barry Wildman, the galley’s Food Service Officer, arrived in 2007. But this garden serves a higher purpose than simply pleasing the eye.

    “I do it to teach cooks diversity in nature,” explains Wildman. “It gives the cooks a chance to use fresh herbs. I want to teach them about layers of flavor. I teach them about proper technique, the fundamentals of cooking. Fresh herbs are a huge part of it.”

    The idea for a culinary herb garden first came to Wildman while serving at the Sector Key West galley in Key West, Fla.

    “They told me we couldn’t afford fresh herbs,” says Wildman, “so I said if you won’t let me buy herbs, let me plant an herb garden.”

    The garden at the Sector Key West galley eventually grew to include about 180 potted herbs, an elaborate irrigation system and a deck and patio to accommodate outside seating. The BSU San Pedro galley crew has similar plans for their galley, starting with the herb garden that is already thriving.

    Planting a successful garden was not something Wildman had ever done before. “I was never into plants,” admits Wildman. “I just started planting and talking to people at nurseries, I’m still learning.”

    Wildman says Food Service Specialists that come to this galley not only learn about the proper applications and benefits of using fresh herbs, but they learn the essentials necessary to become great chefs.

    As the galley’s FSO, Wildman is charged with setting policy in the galley, including maintaining the cook’s schedules and creating the menus. He uses these responsibilities as opportunities to teach the junior cooks in the galley.

    “Ninety percent of what I put on that menu is based on giving the crew practice in cooking technique,” explains Wildman. “I make sure that there is an equal amount of roasting, an equal amount of sautéing, an equal amount of braising. And we use fresh vegetables so they learn about vegetable cookery.”

    The culinary skill of the cooks in the BSU San Pedro galley is apparent to those at their home base as well as those they serve when temporarily assigned elsewhere.

    “Every one of these cooks is a good cook,” explains Wildman. “They are all talented cooks. Every time they go TDY, they are asked to either come back or the host units ask to keep them.”

    Wildman admits he can’t do it alone and takes great pride in the crew he serves with. “I am only able to teach because they take care of their day-to-day jobs so well,” says Wildman.

    “Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Rainstar is as purely talented a cook as I have ever served with,” says Wildman. “Petty Officer 2nd Class Crystal Wiggins is a gifted cake decorator and exceptional at everything dealing with paperwork. Petty Officer 3rd Class Luis Noriega is one of the hardest workers I have ever served with.”

    The galley receives great support from the command as well. Lt. Cmdr. Dennis Svatos, Executive Officer of Base Support Unit San Pedro, has provided over $75,000 in funding for galley upgrades over the last two years, allowing the crew to learn and perfect their craft in a state-of-the-art facility.

    Aside from cooks learning valuable skills while in the kitchen, the galley crew at BSU San Pedro has various field trips planned to expose them to Southern California’s rich culinary culture.

    “We’ll go to the La Brea Bread Factory, the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market, various wineries,” says Wildman. “They will be educational trips to say, look, what you guys are doing is every bit as good as what’s out there.”

    Wildman hopes to inspire the younger cooks in his galley in the same way he was inspired as a young cook serving alongside an influential chief petty officer aboard Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw, homeported in Cheboygan, Michigan.

    “He never used military recipes,” says Wildman about his first Chief. “He had great cookbooks, taught proper techniques and did everything right and cooked everything fresh.”

    Wildman hopes to instill in his crew the same passion for cooking by teaching them to cook correctly with top-of-the-line ingredients and to have pride in the meals they create.

    Wildman is not alone in his goal to improve the skills of Coast Guard cooks, as well as the quality of the meals they create. “The rate is moving in the right direction,” says Wildman. “I think the people in charge of the rate have been moving in a more culinary direction over the last five years.”

    This is apparent upon visiting the BSU San Pedro galley and witnessing first-hand the culinary activity that goes on, and tasting the benefits of using the freshest herbs and ingredients in meal preparation.

    Whether members stream in from Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, Station LA-LB, Aids to Navigation Team LA-LB, Base Support Unit San Pedro, Maritime Safety and Security Team 91103, Port Security Unit 311, or the various surrounding agencies in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, when lunchtime comes, everyone knows they can count on a great culinary experience at the BSU San Pedro galley.

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