ST. LOUIS — Coast Guard crewmembers hosted 900 students from Mascoutah Middle and Elementary schools as the students toured and interacted with their MH-65C Dolphin helicopter and 25-foot Response Boat – Small, Wednesday.
The Coast Guard displayed the response boat and the helicopter to students from kindergarten to eighth grade to help them better understand the many important roles of the Coast Guard. The children were able to interact with the crews of each asset and ask questions about the Coast Guard and their missions while taking turns sitting in the pilot seat and on the bow of the boat.
The Dolphin helicopter crew, based out of Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans, are flying preplanned standard operations in conjunction with boat forces from Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River.
Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River is the largest Coast Guard sector in the lower 48 states with an area of responsibility comprised of 11 states and 2,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways which constitute the upper portion of the Mississippi River, the Illinois River, the Missouri River, and their tributaries. The waterway systems include over 33 locks and dams, 238 bridges and seven major population centers. The sector is staffed by more than 277 active duty, Reserve, and civilian personnel and has a variety of unique assets including five cutters and three marine safety detachments.
