St. Augustine Salutes the Coast Guard

Over 4000 Floridians in attendance

Article submitted by William Korach
Photographs by Mark Helfer

The 50-foot, 1000-hp speedboat with a suspected drug shipment was hiding in an inlet off the Inland Water Way between Daytona and St. Augustine. It was spotted by a Coast Guard HM-65C helicopter from the HITRON Drug Interdiction squadron. The crew noted suspicious activity aboard the boat. Armed with an M240 machine gun and a .50 cal rifle, the chopper is a formidable foe. The drug boat ran for daylight, but the chopper stuck with the boat like an eagle on a mouse. The “drug runners” knew they were finished, and threw down their submachine guns. A Coast Guard 25-foot Defender patrol boat sped in for the capture and arrest.

The “drug runners” were actually Coast Guard personnel, and the entire event was one of the action-packed demonstrations from HITRON and Sector Jacksonville. This fantastic demo was one of several viewed by, according to police estimates, over 4000 Floridians at Florida’s first ever “Salute the Coast Guard” event on a beautiful April Saturday at Bing’s Landing.

The action-packed salute included a full day of activities and excitement including the Navy 27-piece Southeast Ceremonial Band, special recognition for three veterans of WWII, and Coastguard personnel, static displays from HITRON and Sector Jacksonville, and dramatic search-and-rescue and drug interdiction demonstrations. Sector Jacksonville also demonstrated Rescue 21, a new rescue communication tool designed to pinpoint a distressed vessel’s location at sea during a Mayday call.

Sector Jacksonville’s support of the “Salute” was fantastic. They provided a flyover by an HU-25 Falcon from Clearwater, a demonstration of a search and rescue at sea by an SAR team from Savannah, and a demonstration of a drug-sniffing dog team (MSST) all the way from King’s Bay, Georgia. The Coast Guard aids to navigation tender, CGC Hammer, alone drew over 1,500 eager visitors. In addition, there were four 25-foot Defender Class boats available for visits and demonstrations.

The purpose of “Salute the Coast Guard” was to ... celebrate some of their less well-known, but critical missions.

Council President Ted Turowski said, “When I learned that HITRON has seized over $8 billion worth of drugs at street value, I felt that this was something the public needed to know, and they needed a demonstration to drive the point home. Sector Jacksonville is critical in protecting and policing our waterways and shipping from terrorists. When you combine that fact with the over 1.5 million lives Coast Guardsmen have saved since the founding of the service, and the work they do for Homeland Security in keeping our harbors safe from terrorists, I felt the Navy League needed to salute them; that they needed their own special day.”

CAPT Paul Thomas, CO of Sector Jacksonville, was in clear agreement with Ted when he wrote, “Ted, Just a quick note to extend my personal thanks to you and the St. Augustine Navy League for the SPECTACULAR Salute to the Coast Guard at Bing’s Landing on Saturday.  It was a beautiful day, a perfect setting and a huge success.

Your motto ... ‘Civilians supporting the Sea Services,’ could not have been more dramatically displayed than it was on Saturday. Not only did you provide my crew with ... well-deserved recognition and thanks, you helped to educate thousands [of] the general public on the vital role our Coast Guard plays in ensuring safety, security and stewardship in our ports and on our waters.”

The Coast Guard also saluted the veterans of the "greatest generation." Following the playing of the National Anthem and the service anthems by the Navy Band, Council VP and former P-3 squadron leader, Claude Caveness, gave a moving tribute to three warriors of WWII: Col. Ed Taylor, USA, the most highly decorated Army officer in the Central Florida area; Staff Sgt. Wilfred Dennis, the sole surviving crew member of his B-17; and Dr. Giles McCoy, USMC veteran of the 1944 battle of Peleliu, a survivor of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and a veteran of the Korean War.

The Council also presented their Sailor of the Year Awards to YN1 Jennifer Crane, USCG, and YN1 Faith Matuschek, USCGR.

Council President Turowski said, “We are a hands-on, hard working council that supports 54 Sailor of the Year awards, four JROTC scholarship awards, adoption of two Navy ships and the Marine Blount Island Command. We are thrilled to be able to honor the Coast Guard with “A Salute to the Coast Guard.”