Friday, October 2, 2009
VADM Vivien Crea's Retirement and Gold Ancient Albatross Change of Watch
Shipmates,
We had a busy day on Thursday. We traveled to Elizabeth City, NC for several events including the retirement of Vice Admiral Vivien Crea (relieved as Vice Commandant on 7 August), the relief of the Gold Ancient Albatross, the ribbon cutting for the first MH 60 T operational unit, and a brief by the Aviation Logistics Center leadership on their outreach efforts to recruit a diverse workforce. These events coincided with the Annual "Roost" of the Ancient Order of the Pterodactyl (the Coast Guard Aviation Association). We will be blogging about each of the events over the next day or so.
The following report was carried in the Daily Advance in Elizabeth City.
Blore replaces Crea as Ancient Albatross
USCG commandant attends ceremony
By DIANA MAZZELLA
Staff Writer
Thursday, October 01, 2009
On any other day, it might be strange to see a Coast Guard vice admiral donning a crown of flowers or another admiral being handed a Pterodactyl egg. But at Ancient Albatross Change of Watch ceremonies, just about anything goes.
Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen, who was in attendance for Thursday's Change of Watch ceremony, said as much when he commented about the diversity of Coast Guard uniforms being worn for the event at Air Station Elizabeth City.
"Thanks for joining us at one of the more unique events in the Coast Guard where any uniform can be worn," Allen said.
Some of the hundreds of active and retired Coast Guard personnel wore the regular Coast Guard blues, while aviators wore green flight suits.
Vice Adm. Vivien S. Crea, however, had on the costume attracting the most attention.
As the outgoing holder of the Ancient Albatross award, Crea wore a knee-length leather flight jacket, white scarf, goggles, leather helmet and accompanying earrings of helicopters and airplanes.
Crea retired shortly before the ceremony after 36 years in the Coast Guard. One of the first female Coast Guard pilots and the first female Ancient Albatross, she served as vice commandant until a few months before her retirement.
The Ancient Albatross award is presented to the longest-serving active duty Coast Guard aviator. The Ancient Order of the Pterodactyls, a Coast Guard aviation fraternity, in town this weekend for its annual meeting, funds and coordinates the Change of Watch ceremony.
Allen stressed the importance of remembering Coast Guard aviation's beginnings and celebrating the Coast Guard's aviation past that includes traditions like the Ancient Albatross ceremony and humanitarian service through daily missions. The traditions and history have led to new milestones such as the Coast Guard’s assistance to the U.S. Navy by providing marksman and observers in naval helicopters.
"So it's really, really important to understand the significance of this beyond the weirdness of it," Allen said.
And there was a lot of weirdness.
As Crea handed off her Albatross garb to Rear Admiral Gary T. Blore, she put on the symbols of her new post-Coast Guard life as a flower child. Dressed in tie-dyed T-shirt, blue flight suit, beaded necklaces, sunglasses and flower crown she prepared to take on her future while celebrating her time as an aviator.
Though she has served in the second-highest job in the Coast Guard, it wasn't her time in command as a bureaucrat or flight officer that she enjoyed most. She loved any flight she took whether it was over ice sheets near Greenland spotting whales, striking birds on takeoff or the hair-raising experience of teaching a co-pilot to land.
"The reigning Ancient Albatross has surpassed all of his or her contemporaries in longevity, surviving a career in aviation begun with ulcerated instructors and terror-stricken crews," the program read.
Blore, commander of the Coast Guard's 13th District in Seattle, Wash., is now the 22nd Ancient Albatross since the award was first handed out in 1965.
Enlisted aircrew members began to receive a separate Ancient Albatross award in 1990. It is now held by Senior Chief Petty Officer Pete MacDougall.
Aside from the gear, Blore was given a Pterodactyl egg by the aviation association to represent the young and future aviators that he must nurture. The Foundation for Coast Guard History presented him with a print of an early Coast Guard airplane to remind him to share the agency's history with those who step inside his office.
Blore lauded Crea for her efforts of promoting professional development while serving as the Ancient Albatross. He encouraged new and experienced pilots to relish their role in this exciting time in Coast Guard aviation in which the C-130, CASA, and helicopters join the Coast Guard's discussion of deploying unmanned aerial vehicles.
Following the ceremony, the air station held a second brief ceremony in a nearby hangar to mark the first operational MH-60T Jayhawk in Coast Guard service.
An updated version of the HH-60J, the helicopter has updated communications, glass cockpit, and law enforcement and sensing equipment, according to a Coast Guard release. The helicopter, stationed in Elizabeth City has been sent out on missions since May 2009. It includes ground mapping technology, advanced weather radar that differentiates between heavy and light rain, and a moving map that allows pilots to be more aware of surrounding hazards.
Doris Creps, public affairs officer for the Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, said the upgrade to the Jayhawks began a few years ago with a prototype. By the project's end, all 42 of the Coast Guard's Jayhawks at eight air stations will have the improvements.
Creps said the new package includes five touch screens that replaced panels of dials.
