CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi will hold a change of command ceremony at 10 a.m. June 17, 2010, at Hangar 41 located at Air Station Corpus Christi.
The change of command ceremony is a time-honored event preserved by the rich heritage of naval tradition. It is a formal custom that is designed to strengthen the respect for authority, which is vital to any military organization. The climax of the ceremony is reached when both officers read their orders, face one another, salute and transfer responsibility for the command. This provides the entire command with the knowledge that the officer directed by proper authority is taking command and an opportunity to witness this transfer of responsibility.
The current Sector Corpus Christi commander, Capt. Robert Paulison, arrived at Sector in June 2007. He led Sector Corpus Christi through numerous response efforts, including the response to the devastation of Hurricane Ike. As caption of the port of Corpus Christi he worked tirelessly and built essential partnerships with local federal and state civil services and industry personnel to ensure the port of Corpus Christi was operated as efficiently and safely as possible.
Capt. Paulison holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Coast Guard Academy and a Master of Science degree from the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University. His military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and various unit and service decorations.
Capt. Paulison is happily married to his wife Debbie Noble and is the proud father two daughters, Emily and Sophie.
Capt. John Pasch, recently departed from the Planning and Force Readiness Divisional duties in the Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans, La., will assume the role of Sector Corpus Christi commanding officer. As commanding officer of Sector Corpus Christi, his area of responsibility will extend from Palacios, Texas, to the Mexican Border, and includes the entire state of New Mexico. Sector Corpus Christi includes the commercial ports of Corpus Christi, Port Lavaca/Point Comfort, Victoria, Harlingen, and Brownsville. Corpus Christi is the nation’s sixth largest port by tonnage, fifth in international traffic and is the third largest petrochemical port. It is also the third largest port for shipping military supplies and equipment to and from Iraq. Sector Corpus Christi contains 60% of the Texas coastline, 370 miles of which is environmentally sensitive and over 400 miles of intracoastal waterway. He will be in charge of 14 Coast Guard units and detachments and over 620 Active and Reserve personnel and 275 Auxiliary members. Together, they perform all Coast Guard missions from law enforcement, and search and rescue operations to marine safety and security missions with the exception of ice breaking.
Capt. Pasch is a 1985 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree. His military decorations include four Commendation Medals, three Achievement Medals, and a Meritorious Service Medal. He has over 4000 flight hours and holds a FAA commercial license in both fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
Capt. Pasch is married to the former Jeanne Marie Dodge of West Palm Beach, Fla. They are proud parents of two teen-agers: Alexandrea and Johnathan.
