Guard was severely lacking; our country and our Service failed to understand the value and power of diverse ideas. Someone raised the Confederate Battle Flag in place of the National Ensign as we pulled away from the pier one day. It was a hateful act that eroded trust. [SN breaking in QM] When I left that cutter I went to Command a patrol boat. A young, high performing Seaman wanted to qualify as a Quartermaster. I approved his request and told the Leading Petty Officer to add him to the watch bill. The LPO said, “we don’t want those people” on the bridge. The Seaman was African American. After I made it clear to the LPO that the SN would be added to the watch, he acquiesced. The young SN ultimately became an excellent Quartermaster. He later told me “he never expected anyone to stand up for him, let alone a white man.” BIAS / CURRENT STATE OF THE NATION I know that the Coast Guard has come a long way. But I am also painfully aware that serious problems still exist. I want to believe that incidents as blatant as those just mentioned are eliminated from our Service. But, all I have to
Guard was severely lacking; our country and our Service failed to understand the value and power of diverse ideas. Someone raised the Confederate Battle Flag in place of the National Ensign as we pulled away from the pier one day. It was a hateful act that eroded trust. [SN breaking in QM] When I left that cutter I went to Command a patrol boat. A young, high performing Seaman wanted to qualify as a Quartermaster. I approved his request and told the Leading Petty Officer to add him to the watch bill. The LPO said, “we don’t want those people” on the bridge. The Seaman was African American. After I made it clear to the LPO that the SN would be added to the watch, he acquiesced. The young SN ultimately became an excellent Quartermaster. He later told me “he never expected anyone to stand up for him, let alone a white man.” BIAS / CURRENT STATE OF THE NATION I know that the Coast Guard has come a long way. But I am also painfully aware that serious problems still exist. I want to believe that incidents as blatant as those just mentioned are eliminated from our Service. But, all I have to
NNOA_CCG%20Keynote%20Address_19JUL16.docx