Late in the year of 1897, an urgent letter was dispatched to Capt. Francis Tuttle, commander of the Revenue Cutter Bear. Tuttle and his crew had just returned to Seattle following a long summer spent operating in Alaskan waters, when the letter was received informing Tuttle that eight whaling vessels and 265 crewmen were trapped in the ice of the Arctic Ocean near Point Barrow.

Tuttle along with an all volunteer crew turned the ship around as soon as it was resupplied and headed for the ice bound north. Speed was a crucial factor; every day lost meant that the ice would be further south, adding days and miles to their efforts to reach the whalers.

When the cutter encountered heavy ice in the Bearing Sea, it was determined they could go no further north than the vicinity of Nome. It was here the desperate plan to use dogsleds on an overland rescue would be started, and it is here where the first ever Coast Guard sponsored musher, competing in the 2010 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, crossed the finish line in 4th place.

The Iditarod, which follows another great historical story of delivering life saving small pox vaccines to Nome, challenges mushers and their teams against nature, against the wild and sometimes treacherous Alaska wilderness. The Iditarod race is a 1,049-mile race that extends from its ceremonial start in Anchorage across Western Alaska to the gold sands of Nome.

The 2010 Iditarod was the 38th running of the race, with 71 teams entering the field. The race places men and women mushers on the same playing field, with 16 women running this year’s race.

Teams have come from all over the world, from across the United States, Canada, Scotland, Belgium and even Jamaica, each braving the late winter Alaska weather and striving to cross beneath the burl arch finish line in Nome.

“This is the one event that galvanizes Alaskans,” said Stan Hooley, executive director, Iditarod Trail Committee, as he addressed a crowd at a pre-race meeting.

With the unifying strength of this race in mind, Cmdr. Darryl Verfaillie, commander of Marine Safety Unit Valdez, approached Coast Guard Recruiting Command about sponsoring a musher and his team in the race.

“The Coast Guard has a proud history here in Alaska,” said Verfaillie. “In our early history here in Alaska, dog sleds were used to help perform pivotal rescues of trapped whaling ship crews. We are proud to pay respect to a rich Alaska Coast Guard history by participating in this great race.”

Once having received the green light by Recruiting Command, Verfaillie approached the Education department of the Iditarod, asking them for a recommendation of a musher to sponsor. The Education department helps school teachers use the race to teach and promote school studies to students across North America and around the world.

According to Iditarod.com, thousands and thousands of students, preschool — through university level complete Iditarod related school projects, practicing their skills in math, science, social studies, reading, writing, technology, and other curriculum areas.

Preschool teachers use the race to help develop beginning math and reading skills, university professors use the race to inspire students to use real time math data from real events to gain skills in statistics class, and all curriculum areas in between, help students build basic skills through the Iditarod activities.

The education department responded to Verfaillie’s request and suggested Ken Anderson, a nine-time veteran of the race.

“It is an honor for me to be able to team up with the Coast Guard and help support a great organization,” said Anderson about his sponsorship.

Anderson, who owns Windy Creek Kennels just north of Fairbanks has finished the race as high as fourth and has had two top five finishes. The 2010 race was his 10th time running the grueling marathon.

“It is exciting to be sponsored by the Coast Guard,” said Anderson. “I think it is kind of a neat relationship, that we share some similarities. In the Iditarod (like in the Coast Guard), it doesn’t matter the weather, it doesn’t matter the conditions, when you are called out you go.”

The Coast Guard has a long proud history of working in Alaska, and as the summer Arctic ice melts further and further north, the Coast Guard finds its self once more focused north.

“This is a great opportunity for the Coast Guard to partner with the Iditarod as the Coast Guard continues its outreach into the north,” said Verfaillie. “What better way to get the word out than to join forces with the Iditarod.”

The Coast Guard’s Alaska heritage was a factor in the decision to sponsor Anderson in the Iditarod. “The Coast Guard has a proud history here in Alaska,” said Cmdr. Darryl Verfaillie, commanding officer at Marine Safety Unit Valdez. “In our early history here in Alaska, dog sleds were used to help perform pivotal rescues of trapped whaling ship crews. We are proud to pay respect to a rich Alaska Coast Guard history by participating in this great race.” As part of the contract sponsorship agreement with Coast Guard Recruiting Command, Anderson’s equipment and clothing displayed the Coast Guard logo and his sled flew the Coast Guard banner throughout the race.

Anderson began the race March 6 at the official starting line in Willow in the outskirts of Anchorage and crossed the finish line at 9:25 p.m., March 16. He faced several setbacks, including being catapulted over his sled after hitting a tree stump and spending time on sled repairs. However, he was able to jump ahead in the standings by splitting the run from Old Woman Cabin to Koyuk, which traditionally takes three runs, into two roughly equal runs. A 10-year veteran of the Iditarod, this is the second time since 2008 he has placed fourth.

Anderson and Coast Guard personnel made pre-race visits to Herman Hutchins Elementary School in Valdez and Fire Lake Elementary School in Eagle River, where he talked with children about mushing and the race and let the children meet some of his sled dogs. “It is an honor for me to be able to team up with the Coast Guard and help support a great organization,” he said. Anderson will be visiting other schools across Alaska, speaking about his mushing and race experiences and the Coast Guard’s core values.

Anderson, now a 10-time veteran of the race, started more than nine days ago in Willow with 16 dogs. Anderson finished the race with 10 dogs crossing the finish line at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday.

According to statements by Anderson’s wife on their website, Anderson experienced some setbacks during the race. While running across glare ice Anderson was blown sideways causing him to hit a stump that was sticking out of the ice. It catapulted him over the handlebars, ripped out both of the cross pieces and did major damage to the bed of the sled as well. He had no choice but to turn around and go back to the checkpoint where he spent some time on repairs.

Despite the setbacks, Anderson also flourished and jumped ahead in the standings by splitting the run from Old Woman Cabin to Koyuk into two, roughly equal runs, which meant bypassing both Unalakleet and Shaktoolik. This distance has traditionally taken three runs.

Anderson will be working with the Coast Guard and visiting schools across Alaska. Anderson will visit with the children speaking about his mushing and race experiences and the Coast Guard’s core values.

“Command of a Coast Guard unit is one of the most demanding assignments in the service and it is essential that I have complete trust and confidence in anyone holding such a position,” Castillo said. “This action does not reflect on the operational performance of the air station’s crew, which has been outstanding.”

Air Station Sacramento operates four long-range HC-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft used for search and rescue as well as law enforcement, pollution response, and fisheries patrols.

In October, the air station suffered the loss of seven crewmen when one of its aircraft and a Marine Corps helicopter collided off the coast of Southern California. An investigation into the collision is ongoing, but Castillo noted that the relief is not connected to the crash. “The tragic loss of the Air Station Sacramento C-130 crew is still fresh in our minds; however, my decision regarding the relief of the commanding officer is based on issues unrelated to that incident,” Castillo said.

O’Connor has been temporarily reassigned to the Eleventh District staff in Alameda.

A 114 years ago Coast Guard Lieutenants Jarvis and Bertholf along with Coast Guard surgeon Dr. Samuel Call ran an even more important race than the Iditarod. In what was called the “Overland Rescue Expedition,” an enthralled Nation closely followed the exploits of this small team of Coast Guardsmen. Between December and March of 1897-98, Jarvis’ team mushed over 1,000 miles from Nunivak Island to Cape Wales then on to Point Barrow pushing a herd of 300 reindeer and eventually rescuing 265 starving men stranded on whaling ships beset in the ice. For many years this was considered the greatest Coast Guard rescue ever.

Excerpts from Lieutenant Jarvis’ log:

“I thought the ice we recently passed over had made a rough road, but this was even worse, for here were all the crushings of the straits shoved up against the mountains that ran abruptly into the sea, and over this kind of ice we had to make our way. Darkness set in long before we had come to the worst of it, and a faint moon gave too little light for such a road. It was a continuous jumble of dogs, sleds, men, and ice–particularly ice—and it would be hard to tell which suffered most, men or dogs.”

The finish line near Point Barrow:

On March 26, 1898, a beautiful clear day, the relief party sighted the most westerly of the icebound whaling vessels. Jarvis describes the vessel, the BELVEDERE, as banked up with snow with little visible except her spars and rigging.

“We drew up alongside at 4 P.M., and going aboard announced ourselves and our mission, but it was some time before the first astonishment and incredulousness could wear off and a welcome be extended to us.”

Both Jarvis and Bertholf currently have large Coast Guard cutters named after them. Bertholf served as the first commandant of the Coast Guard.

“As Ken Anderson begins his final push to the finish line I am reminded of Lieutenant Jarvis’ heroic rescue,” said Rear Adm. Christopher Colvin, commander of the Seventeenth Coast Guard District. “Let’s hope Ken’s finish is nearly as rewarding.”

Subj: Death of a distinguished CG Veteran

It is with deep regret that I announce the passing of Lieutenant Herbert M. Collins, USCG (REt.), a legendary Coast Guardsman and the last surviving crewmember of the all-African American Pea Island Life Saving Station. Lieutenant Collins succumbed to cancer on Sunday evening, March 14th, surrounded by family and friends.

Surfman Herbert M. Collins, a member of the Pea Island Lifesaving crew who served there during World War II. US Coast Guard Archives, Photo courtesy of his daughter, Ms. Joan Collins.

Lieutenant Collins service to the Coast Guard and our nation alone is significant, especially in light of the challenges that African Americans faced as the service was integrated. Yet his legacy runs even deeper in our collectie heritage as he was alos the grand nephew of Dorman Pugh, one of seven Gold Life Saving Medal recipients form the Pea Island Rescue of the crew of the stricken schooner E.S. Newman in 1896. When Lieutenant Collins retired in 1976, he and his family set the bar for the longest continuous family service inthe Coast Guard, a record that began with his grandfather, Joseph H. Berry, in 1880.

Born in 1921 in Manteo, North Carolina, Lieutenant Collins enlisted in the Coast Guard and attended boot camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. First assigned to the Cutter Tallapoosa in Savannah, Collins served as a Mess Attendant. He then served at stations from Florida to Virginia, including aboard cutter Mendota in Norfolk, Virginia, alongside renowned author and Coast Guardsman, Alex Haley. Lieutenant Collins then transferred to the all-African American Life Saving Station at Pea Island where he served as a Surfman for the duration of World War Ii. He and his fellow Surfmen carried out vial search and resuce responsibilities and responded to a distressed shio that had been hit by a torpedo between Pea Island and Chicamacomico Coast Guard Sations. In 1947 Lieutenant Collins ended an historic era in Coast Guard history as he handed over the keys when the Pea Island Station was decomissioned. He later received his commission and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant before retiring in 1976.

After serving in the Coast Guard, Lieutenant Collins continued to be an outstanding advocate for our service. He shared his personal experiences and highlighted the proud history of African Americans who have served. Photos of Lieutenant Collins and additional information on Coast Guard African American history are available here. The extraordinary story of the heroes of Pea Island is the subject of a new film title The Rescue Men, to which Lieutenant Collins contributed. More detail is available here or at www.rescuemenfilm.com

A memorial service will be held at 1330 on 26 March 2010 at the Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home located at 11800 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20904. In lieu of flowers, the Collins family has requested that donations be made to the Montgomery Hospice Inc, 1355 Piccard Drive, Site 100, Rockville MD, 20850. Details of interment remain to be determined.

Adm. T.W. Allen, Commandant, United States Coast Guard, Sends.

The Cadets are specifically assessing Coast Guard requirements and capabilities for the Arctic and identifying the potential for enhanced cooperation and engagement with Native Alaskans and multilateral partners. The team will conduct interviews with Coast Guard and Alaskan officials in Anchorage and Barrow.

They will observe the Canada and U.S. North pollution response exercise Tuesday in Anchorage where responders and stakeholders will be reviewing plans for response to significant pollution spills in the Arctic.

Arctic domain awareness flights are conducted approximately every two weeks. Flights throughout the 2010 season will be conducted from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. The Wednesday flight to Barrow will be making a stop at Elmendorf Air Force Base to embark and disembark passengers.

Flight Standardization Instructors from the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., will be arriving on Monday to evaluate aircrew flight proficiency and procedures. This will result in a significant increase in daily flights and an increase in helicopter traffic at Eureka’s Murray Airfield, Samoa Airfield and Arcata Airport over the next two weeks.

These evaluations are required annually by the Coast Guard to test the ability of pilots and aircrew to perform during search and rescue cases and react to in-flight emergencies. The evaluators will be ensuring that procedures are being performed to the Coast Guard’s standard. These annual evaluations help maintain the unit’s readiness to respond to missions and emergencies safely and effectively.

Normal Coast Guard emergency response capability will not be affected.

Honolulu – The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook Haiti Jan. 12, 2010, caused thousands of buildings to collapse in Port-au-Prince, trapping untold numbers, killing many and leaving more than one million people homeless. The quake was the worst in the region in more than 200 years.

According to the American Red Cross, the Haiti relief operation involved more emergency response teams than any other single-country disaster in global history; more than $67 million has been sent to meet the most urgent needs of earthquake survivors in Haiti.

More than 3 million pre-packaged meals were delivered by boat and aircraft to survivors, and more than 800,000 gallons of water were distributed. Shelter items, such as blankets, tarps, sleeping mats, and tents were also provided to families left homeless.

During the response to this major natural disaster, more than 30 nations, hundreds of non-governmental organizations, and more than 13,000 military personnel came to offer assistance.

From the thousands that responded, the U.S. Coast Guard sent more than 1,000 members from a variety of units. Of the nine cutters and 28 aircraft sent during the relief efforts, 14 Coast Guard aircrew members from Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii traveled more than 5,400 miles to join the multi-agency relief support in Port-au-Prince.

The Hawaii-based aircrews flew an HC-130 Hercules aircraft more than 14 hours to assist in air surveillance assessments, transporting medical and security personnel, relief supplies and evacuees.

“I’m just grateful that we were able to extend a helping hand in the Haiti relief efforts,” said Lt. Andrew Paszkiewicz, a Hercules pilot. “Just four months ago we helped in the tsunami response efforts in American Samoa; that’s why I joined the Coast Guard — to have the chance to help those in need and make a difference.”

With only three Hercules and four HH-65 Dolphin helicopters at Air Station Barbers Point, aircrews stood ready to help in any mission that came their way.

“It’s amazing that our air crews serve in such far flung places and that they were literally on opposite sides of the earth on the same day,” said Capt. Anthony Vogt, the air station’s commanding officer, “and yet we were still ready to assist the residents of Hawaii in the event of an emergency here at home in the islands.”

Days after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that the Department of State was establishing a joint task force with the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to streamline the process of adoptions, and to ensure that these families are united as quickly as possible, the air station crew flew 20 Haitian orphans to Homestead, Fla.

“If someone were to ask me about the earthquake that shook Haiti, the image that comes to mind are the orphans we flew back to south Florida,” said Paszkiewicz. “They were so tiny, so vulnerable, so quiet. Many were in wheelchairs or had limbs that had been crushed.”

The two crews completed 29 missions to and from Haiti and transported more than 120 relief personnel, 20 orphans and evacuated more than 200 injured from Port-au-Prince, and flew approximately 100 hours to support relief efforts.

Once the word was out about the earthquake, Coast Guardsmen were the first ‘boots on the ground,’ and paved the way for a joint task force of military and volunteer members. As soon as supplies became available, aircraft and vessels gave the highest priority to the shipment of water and medical supplies.

“Every flight involved hundreds of people helping load supplies and making sure we were within weight standards, carrying as much as and as many people as possible,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Burgess, an air station maintenance technician. “Every flight consisted of at least 20,000 pounds of relief supplies, gear, humanitarian assistance personnel, and evacuees.”

“We’re often known as the first responders in these tragic events,” said Paszkiewicz. “In this case, every crewmember fulfilled the ‘Always Ready’ motto by putting people and cargo on time and on target.”

“Because of the type of aircraft we fly, the missions we perform rarely allow us to be in physical contact with those we help,” said Paszkiewicz. “Seeing and hearing the appreciation in the people we helped made all the endless flight hours and no sleep more than worth it.”

The Long Island conducted patrols, boardings and professional exchanges with Navy cruisers, destroyers, multi-agency aircraft and other Coast Guard units such as high endurance cutters, patrol boats, Maritime Safety and Security Teams and the Maritime Security Response Team.

The crew transited more than 2,500 miles roundtrip for the mission including underway maintenance and port calls to Washington state, Canada and Southeast Alaska.

According to Lt. John Christensen, Long Island Commanding Officer, the crew enjoyed taking part in a joint international task force between the U.S. and Canada to enforce border security and safety for the athletes and spectators of the games. They maintained full accountability of vessel traffic transiting from the U.S. to Canada during the Winter Olympics and conducted periodic law enforcement boardings to ensure vessels are in compliance of all U.S. laws and regulations to assist their Canadian counterparts.

The Coast Guard was the lead for all U.S. maritime military naval forces supporting the 2010 Winter Olympics and had the dual responsibility of supporting Canadian Maritime operations while contributing to the larger Canadian government communications effort in promoting public confidence and security.

Vancouver, British Columbia, hosted the 2010 Olympics from Feb. 12 to 28. The Olympic events drew large crowds from around the world.

The Long Island is a 110-foot multi-mission patrol boat operating in an area within the coastal waters of Central and Southeast Alaska.

Comments and photos from the crew’s deployment are available at www.uscgalaska.blogspot.com, choose Long Island from the unit list on the right.