CLEVELAND — A Coast Guardsman who is originally from Indiana, and also stationed there, represented the service in the joint military honor guard before the start of Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis on Sunday evening.
Seaman Aaron Such, 30, who is currently assigned to Coast Guard Station Michigan City, Ind., carried the Coast Guard Standard into the stadium and rendered honors while entertainer Kelly Clarkson sang the national anthem.
“To me, it was an honor to carry the Coast Guard Standard on the Super Bowl field,” said Such, who is married to Brittney Such. They have one daughter, 18-month-old Kaydence Olivia Such.
Such, who currently resides in Danville, Ind., is a native of Planfield, Ind., and graduated high school there in 1999. After high school, Such enlisted in the Army National Guard in 2000 and served on active-duty since 2007. He left the Army as a sergeant and joined the Coast Guard in August of 2011.
He reported for duty at Coast Guard Station Michigan City on Oct. 22, 2011, where he serves as a radio watchstander and is working on ice rescue and boat crewman qualifications. He is on the waiting list to attend the Coast Guard’s school for its operations specialist rating.
The Army Reserve unit at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind., that was coordinating the honor guard contacted the command at Station Michigan City to acquire a Coast Guard representative. To make things fair, all the interested station crewmembers put their names in a hat to decide who would represent the unit and the service, said Senior Chief Petty Officer Rebecca Polzin, officer-in-charge of Station Michigan City. Such’s name was the one that was picked.
“Seaman Such was a great candidate for this opportunity,” said Polzin. “He represents the station and the service exceptionally well and has been doing some really great work since he reported here in the summer.”
Following the pre-game ceremonies, Such and the other members of the military honor guard were able to watch the game from the stands. Although his favorite team is the Denver Broncos, Such said he was rooting for the New York Giants and was happy to see them beat the New England Patriots, 21-17.
