Alameda, CA – A retirement ceremony will be held to honor the service of “Hawk”, one of the Coast Guard’s K-9 members. After four years of Coast Guard service with Maritime Safety and Security Team San Francisco, “Hawk” is being retired due to a spinal defect, which causes him severe pain.
The ceremony will be held at Gresham Hall on Coast Guard Island Thursday morning. It will include a bag pipe player and will include over two dozen canine teams from various federal, state, and local agencies.
This rare ceremony will pay tribute to both the service of “Hawk” and his partner Petty Officer Sandor Csitar. Some of the accomplishments of Csitar and “Hawk” include:
- Petty Officer Csitar was the first canine handler in the MSST
- Responded to over 60 motor vehicle accidents
- Responded to more than 10 bomb/suspicious package threats
- The first Coast Guard canine team to arrive in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
- Provided security for the 2007 All-Star Game at AT&T Park
- Provided security for President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, Senators Barrack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, and various foreign dignitaries.
