SEATTLE — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Midgett is scheduled to hold a change of command ceremony Wednesday at 1:00 pm at Coast Guard Base Seattle.
During the ceremony, Capt. Laura Dickey will transfer command to Capt. Brendon McPherson. Vice Adm. Charles Ray, commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area, will preside over the ceremony.
Dickey has been the commanding officer of Midgett since July 2012, and will be transferring to Washington, D.C., to serve as the special advisor for homeland security to the vice president of the United States. The cutter sailed on four deployments during her tenure as commanding officer and conducted Coast Guard missions from the Arctic to Central America.
McPherson is reporting from the 7th Coast Guard District office in Miami, where he was the response division chief. His past afloat assignments include commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous and Coast Guard Cutter Baranof, and executive officer of Coast Guard Cutter Bear and Coast Guard Cutter Nantucket. In addition to his afloat assignments, McPherson served as the press assistant to the commandant of the Coast Guard from 2005 to 2008.
The change of command ceremony is a time honored tradition deeply rooted in Coast Guard and Naval history. The event signifies a total transfer of responsibility, authority and accountability for the command. All members of the unit attend the ceremony to witness the transfer of leadership.
