LT Angel Hughes talks leading an aircrew on a challenging nighttime search for a distressed vessel and the aerial delivery of supplies to aid the rescue effort, flying in hurricane conditions, earning her wings on the HC-144 Casa Ocean Sentry, and performing the many missions of the Coast Guard from these fixed wing aircraft. She also tells of founding ‘Sisters of the Skies’, a non-profit whose mission is to mentor and aid children in pursuit of aviation careers. Learn more at http://www.sisters...
Apr 05, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 61
Crossover episode with Jeff Bayless, a Chief Boatswains Mate in the US Navy and host of ‘The Evolution Podcast’, who talks his journey to resiliency and how he’s working to share his story and the lessons learned to the benefit of the fleet and beyond. Listen to other stories of resiliency on the ‘The Evolution’ now on your favorite podcast platform.
Mar 30, 2020•55 min
A crossover episode to help pass the time in quarantine with the host of Don’t Give Up the Ship Podcast. Unique episodes released on both shows have the hosts talking enlisted leadership, advancement panels, and the differences and similarities between the greatest sea service the world has ever know... and the U.S. Navy! Listen to crossover episodes on both @dgutspodcast and @theyhadtogoout - available now on your favorite podcast platform and at http://www.theyhadtogoout.com and http://www.dgu...
Mar 29, 2020•47 min
Former Boatswain’s Mate Second Class Darin Bibeau talks leading a cutter boat in the response to an offshore plane crash, running boats at station vacation in Burlington, Vermont, jumping the gunwales of go fasts to seize tons of narcotics with TACLET South, and how lessons from his service have influenced his business success. Darin also reveals details about his new book, “Back to Bulletproof: A Warriors Tactical Guide to Success” available now for pre-order on Amazon. Learn more about Darin a...
Mar 25, 2020•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 60
Rear Admiral Cari Thomas (Ret.) talks taking her first command as the CO of a 110 ft patrol boat, responding to a mass migration in the Florida Straits, leading recruit training at Cape May, commanding the 14th District, and her work as CEO of Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA). Learn more and donate to CGMA now at http://www.cgmahq.org
Mar 18, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 59
23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard Thad Allen (Ret.) talks being trapped by fire in the radio room of his first cutter, responding to his first mass casualty event when a plane went down in the Florida Everglades, a surf rescue in blizzard conditions off the New Jersey coast, playing a leading role in the national response to 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, and the leadership lessons he considers most important for those who now serve.
Mar 06, 2020•51 min•Season 2Ep. 58
Retired Boatswain’s Mate First Class Mike Underwood talks leading a boat crew into 30 foot seas, 80 knot winds, and dense fog to rescue those aboard a burning tug and barge in a case that earned him the Coast Guard Medal, running jet drive lifeboats across the Chatham bar, and the leadership lessons gained from his time as command cadre.
Feb 26, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Season 2Ep. 57
10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles ‘Skip’ Bowen talks the capsize of a marijuana laden sailboat while under tow, the failure of his small boat’s engine during a rescue attempt in a fierce storm, saving the crew of his cutter’s small boat following a failed attempt to board a suspect vessel, and lessons learned from his time in command. He also talks his new book ‘Breaching the Summit: Inspiring Leadership Lessons from Six Military Journeys to the Top”, available now from ...
Feb 19, 2020•51 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Captain Albert ‘Bud’ Buechler talks the heroic response of his cutter crew to the capsizing of an overloaded Haitian sailing freighter, the unique relationships between Chief Petty Officers, the deckplate and the wardroom, taking command of his first cutter, and the lessons learned while in commanding crews at sea.
Feb 12, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 55
Boatswain’s Mate Kevin Grant tells of his first assignment aboard a 378 High Endurance Cutter, responding to a devastating earthquake on Haiti and the potential mass migration in its aftermath, being recalled from a port call to interdict a drug sub in the Pacific, leading crews as a boat coxswain to rescue the crew of a foundering sailboat, and leading boarding teams over the gunwale to enforce laws at sea. He closes by sharing his own lessons learned on making the transition from active duty, ...
Feb 03, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 54
Retired Chief Boatswain’s Mate Russell Burress tells making the decision to risk a boat in an attempt to save a life, serving on deck under the leadership of service legend BMCM Donald Horsley, setting a buoy to reopen a strategic port in the midst of a typhoon, towing a downed Coast Guard helicopter, and a tough decision during a mass rescue in the aftermath of a sudden thunderstorm.
Jan 27, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate John Gagnon (Ret.) talks the search for a fisherman who fell overboard in monstrous surf off the Oregon coast, how towing and searching are performed in the surf by motor lifeboat crews, and the most impactful lessons learned from his years in command of Coast Guard stations.
Jan 21, 2020•44 min•Season 2Ep. 51
Holiday Special: 8th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Vince Patton (Ret.) shares a holiday message, talks the short lived music career of the E-10s on the USO’s Overseas Holiday Tour, and encourages all who can to help get the National Coast Guard Museum built with a donation during their Matching Gift Challenge. Visit http://www.coastguardmuseum.org/out/ to become a plank owner today!
Dec 23, 2019•24 min
Captain Steven Craig (Ret.) talks the dangers of walking a cutter’s deck in storm tossed seas, rising in the ranks from Seaman to mustang Captain, and being activated thirteen times as a reservist in response to major events and disasters including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, Deepwater Horizon, and the 7.0 earthquake centered on Haiti. He also talks the dramatic story behind his new book “All Present and Accounted For”, which tells how the USCGC Jarvis grounded then nearly san...
Dec 18, 2019•49 min
Former Boatswain’s Mate Dan Shirey talks pitchpoling a 44 ft Motor Lifeboat on the Chetco River bar, responding to a sinking fishing vessel despite knowing he lacked enough fuel to make it back to shore, escorting a listing cargo ship hundreds of miles to reach a safe port, qualifying as a diver, using the skills gained through his service to pursue underwater treasure hunting, and diving on the wrecks of the same whaling ships that were the cause of the 1897 Overland Relief Expedition where som...
Dec 12, 2019•58 min
Former Radioman Mark Holmes talks heading out and into a storm so severe it forced the Navy into port, responding to a foundering sailing vessel with a skeleton crew aboard CGC Courageous, procuring a replacement deck gun for a cutter from the front lawn of a VFW, surviving waterspouts and tornadoes, and how his experiences in the service caused him to begin writing.
Dec 05, 2019•52 min
Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Gerry Rohrer (Ret.) talks the lifesaving efforts to retrieve and MEDEVAC an elderly couple from a sailboat breaking apart on the rocks of a Michigan jetty, responding to hard water emergencies with an ice rescue team, deploying overseas to train Middle Eastern maritime forces with Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), and finishing off his career as an advisor to the Kiwis.
Nov 25, 2019•50 min
Former Boatswain’s Mate Doug Johnson provides a travelogue of exotic locations he served at throughout the Pacific, including his time at a remote LORAN Station on Marcus Island nearly 700 miles from the nearest point of land. He also tells of responding to the aftermath of a typhoon in Guam and a few highlights from leading crews on search and rescue and law enforcement cases as a coxswain on 30 and 40 ft wooden hull boats and on the brand new 41 UTB at stations in Honolulu and Kauai. For the m...
Nov 13, 2019•49 min
Commander and helicopter pilot Tim Schmitz talks the daring effort to rescue nearly fifty victims after their vessel, the ‘Alaska Ranger’, sank in the Bering Sea 180 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. A nighttime takeoff from the storm swept and frozen deck of the cutter Munro, a flight plan with no possibility of reaching shore and no margin of error to make it back to the cutter, only dim strobe lights to guide the crew to those treading water, the loss of a victim despite the determined effo...
Nov 08, 2019•58 min
Retired Quartermaster and Boatswain Kevin Gilheany talks a search and rescue case involving a commercial fishing vessel that was poised to play out like a Greek tragedy until he took action to establish a viable search area and direct assets to locate and save the survivor. He also talks heavy seas in a newly commissioned 270 foot medium endurance cutter, taking celestial fixes aboard America’s tall ship, and his work to form the USCG Pipe Band.
Oct 31, 2019•59 min
To celebrate Halloween our hosts tell of their experiences with haunted Coast Guard cutters and stations. They also make an incredibly weak attempt to start a new legend about their favorite waterway.
Oct 26, 2019•26 min
Former Boatswain’s Mate Chris Costa talks counter narcotics along the southern border, becoming an instructor and deploying worldwide to train partner nations, and how his service set the stage for later success as a trainer with Magpul Dynamics and now Costa Ludus.
Oct 15, 2019•1 hr 37 min
Retired Aviation Electronics Technician and Helicopter Flight Mechanic Ashlee Leppert talks earning the Air Medal for flying with her crew into the midst of Hurricane Harvey to rescue desperate survivors from rising flood waters, unknowingly hoisting a basket packed with babies up and into the safety of a helicopter, and how responders overcome the emotional trauma of disaster by leaning on their crews. Now the author of the new book “The Hurricane Within”, she shares what motivates her writing ...
Oct 08, 2019•56 min
Thirty-nine years ago in the Pacific Ocean 330 miles off the coast of Valdez, Alaska, a fire engulfed the engine room of the Prinsendam, a cruise ship carrying over 300 passengers. As the fire raged, the captain gave the order to abandon ship. Recalled from liberty, the crew of US Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell turned into an approaching typhoon and responded to the scene. Along with the efforts of other cutters, ships, and aircraft, the responders managed to save the lives of every passenger befor...
Oct 03, 2019•54 min
Retired Chief Maritime Enforcement Specialist Mike Vecchione talks risking his first coxswain letter with a search for survivors from a capsized vessel based on his own local knowledge rather than the algorithm used by a command center computer, deploying worldwide with the International Training Division, and losing a member of his team during a high risk training exercise. Now the owner of a cigar shop and partner in a coffee company, he also tells how they are supporting veterans and their fa...
Oct 03, 2019•56 min
Retired Captain Ron LaBrec talks being on the bridge of a 270 during a search for survivors from a wrecked vessel, leading law enforcement detachments on deployments worldwide to counter maritime smuggling, and his toughest duty while in command. Now on the staff of the Coast Guard Foundation, he also talks how the nonprofit serves to help those in uniform and their families, especially in times of need and loss.
Sep 25, 2019•48 min
Retired Boatswain’s Mate Wesley Jansen talks a faint call for help and reviving a heart attack victim in dense fog off the Washington coast, a white knuckle day in Alaskan waters and the speed conversation all coxswains have with their crews, standing up the “Fighting Otters” and MSST Anchorage to protect the Alaska oil pipeline post 9/11, and how one of a company commander’s most effective tactics is simply telling others they’ve been a disappointment.
Sep 18, 2019•52 min
Former Machinery Technician Amelia Presley talks search and rescue “Cajun style”, standing duty as an engineer on the Coast Guard’s newest boat types, being on watch during the search for the crew of a downed USCG helicopter, and how she’s carrying on the family legacy (yeah, that Presley) by making music influenced by her service.
Sep 11, 2019•56 min
Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate Michael Ellis talks the rescue of a fishing vessel captain held hostage off the coast of Guam, his first case as a certified coxswain, leadership lessons from a decade in command, and how he’s using his own podcast to better connect with and inform the Coast Guard’s enlisted workforce.
Sep 04, 2019•34 min
On this 14th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall along the Gulf Coast, we talk with Aviation Survival Technician Sara Faulkner (Ret), the first woman to graduate from the Coast Guard’s own Rescue Swimmer School, about the immediate response of Coast Guard aircrews to what has become known as “The Super Bowl of SAR.” She tells of the sights and smells of a flooded major city, rescuing a newborn in mid air after the mother hands the baby to her from a hi-rise balcony, and the mass rescues ...
Aug 29, 2019•1 hr 11 min
