 |  |  | |
An up close and personal interview with U.S. Coast Guard Veteran and Togetherweserved.com Member:
GMC Daniel L Winstein U.S. Coast Guard (Ret) (1966-1996)
PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE COAST GUARD?
My dad was in the Coast Guard as Commanding Officer of the USCGC Woodrush (WLB-407) and USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83). While dad was CO of the Woodrush back in 1957/1958 in Duluth, MN he would take me out on Buoy Runs in the summer when I was about 10 years old.  I enjoyed that. When I was in my teens he did the same thing when he was the CO of the Mackinaw,
My dad was Chief of Aids to Navigation in the 7th District and was able to get me on the USCGC Hammer (WLIC-75302) for a two week trip down the Inter-coastal Waterway to the Florida Keys. Another was a three weeks on the USCGC Bramble (WLB-392) to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Nassau Island in the Bahamas.
He often told me about when he was on the Cutter USCGC Campbell (WPG-32) during WW II when they forced a German U Boat to the surface with depth charges. Having sustained heavy damage (U-606) surfaced in the midst of the convoy attempting a surface attack. Campbell struck the sub a glancing blow that gashed its hull in the engine room below the waterline. That did not stop the Campbell which continued to attack, dropping two depth charges that exploded and lifted the sub out of the water. The crew brought all guns to bear on the sub, fighting on until water in the engine room shorted out all electricity. As the ship lost power and the searchlights illuminating the sub went out, the U-Boat commander ordered the sub abandoned. Campbell ceased fire and lowered boats to rescue the sub's survivors. Campbell, disabled in the attack, was towed to port nine days later, repaired and returned to escort duty.
The Coast Guard was already in my blood and still is to this day.
WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK.
 I received my Oath of Enlistment from my Dan Capt. G.D. Winstein on August 4, 1966 with my mother looking on. A Rear Admiral whose name escapes me was also present. It was a great day: one I had waited for years to come.
From my first duty station was aboard USCGC Woodrush (WLB-407) the same cutter my dad had commanded years before. One my duties as a seaman was the Armory. I was responsible for the ships small arms. That is when I knew I wanted to stay in the Ordnance field.
DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN COMBAT OPERATIONS? IF SO, COULD YOU DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH WERE SIGNIFICANT TO YOU?
The Combat Operations I was involved with was the War on Drugs. While attached to the USCGC Diligence (WMEC-616) the ship was credited with over 15 drug bust.
We intercepted one drug boat that would not stop. We fired two rounds of BL&P (Blind Loaded & Plugged) used for training  purposes or for target practice across its bow with our 3"/50 deck gun. The Diligence fell back to regroup. We came at the drug boat again firing .50 cal. machine gun rounds across the vessel's bow yet it still would not stop. The Diligence once again fell back to regroup.
Due to threats from the drug boat captain that he would shoot anyone who set foot on his boat, our CO ordered all windows and port holes to be batten down and all weather decks secured with the exception of the gun crews manning the .50 cal. machine gun forward and the MK-19 40mm Machine Gun aft. In between the machine gun station there were ten M-16 riflemen with orders to "shoot to kill" if guns on the drug boat were seen. Two fire hoses were manned with the intention of putting water down the stack of the drug boat. The drug boat came to a stop and the drug crew surrendered after being rammed twice and water forced down the stack.
The drug crew was secured on the weather deck with the scrappy captain separated from his crew. The Diligence then returned to Base Miami where the drug crew and evidence were turned over to the proper personnel and Agencies.
OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH ONE WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
The USCGC Woodrush was my best memory of all my duty stations. I can still remember names of those with whom I was stationed. The USCGC Woodrush was home-ported in Duluth, Minn. and it was there that I met the girl I wanted to marry. She lived right across the street from where the Woodrush docked. Her name was Pam and we married in 1982.
The USCGC Rush (WHEC-723) was my least favorite. I would rather not go into details as to why it is my least favorite.
FROM YOUR ENTIRE SERVICE CAREER WHAT PARTICULAR MEMORY STANDS OUT?
 Being station at Guantanamo Bay Cuba with the US Navy Fleet Training Group and then with The US Navy Afloat Training Group in Mayport Florida as a Ship Rider training and working with two 378-foot Cutters on the East coast and all the 311-foot CG Cutters more than once.
I have fond memories of training US Navy ships from Air Craft Carriers, Troop Carriers to destroyers as well as training Columbia and Dominica Republic Naval vessels.
Also I remember all the range details I was involved with from being a GM3 all the way to just before retiring. Those details covered 9th District Range Training at Grand Haven, MI, all the Afloat and Shore units under Group Woods Hole including Reserves, range training in San Francisco at Petaluma CG Training Center, various units in Corpus Christi, TX and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
IF YOU RECEIVED ANY MEDALS FOR VALOR OR AWARDS FOR SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT, PLEASE DESCRIBE HOW THESE WERE EARNED.
First: COAST GUARD ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL received at Group Woods Hole, MA from August 1979 to June 1983 as the only Gunner's Mate attached to one of the larges operational groups s in the Coast Guard for training over 800 personnel with the .45 Cal. pistol, M-16 rifle and shotgun. I  also helped train over 800 personnel in Judgmental shooting as well as assisted four 82-foot patrol boats in .50 cal.MG exercises and 15 units with law enforcement duties.
Second: COAST GUARD ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL for superior performance of duty while serving at the Fleet Training Group, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Afloat Training Group, Mayport FL from January 1993 to May 1996. In total, I conducted ordnance Training on over 17 Coast Guard Cutters, thirty Navy ships and 4 foreign naval vessels. This involved supervision and coordination over 220 live fire exercises by training on misfire and ordnance safety procedural training.
The tour length for Refresher Training Instructor duty is usually only 2 years. This was shortened to one year when families were evacuated from GTMO. I served in billet for over twice the expected tour length then volunteered to remain with the Fleet Training Groups the unit moved from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Mayport, FL.
OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, QUALIFICATION BADGES OR DEVICE YOU RECEIVED, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE ONE(S) MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
 The two Coast Guard Achievement Medals reflected the work I did in Small Arms Training for my fellow Coasties in trying to help them carry out their duties safely with small arms And the second Achievement Medal reflected the work I did in trying to help maintain a state of readiness to protect the United States.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
GMC Jackson, my Chief at the 9th District Armory in Sault Ste. Maire,MI. When I arrived at the Soo as an SNGM he taught me a lot about Ordnance and how to run Small Arms Ranges He also told me it didn't if it was a .22 cal. weapon or a 5"/38 deck gun, the first thing you think about is SAFETY and don't aim it at something unless you are going to shoot at .what you are aiming at.
CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
The funniest thing I remember that still bring a smile to me was when I was at Tippler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, HI with a broken neck. I was in a Striker bed that was used to flip a person to their back or front every two hours to  prevent bed sores. I had a "C" clamp screwed into each side of my skull with a 12 pound weight attached to keep my neck in traction.
Two Army Nurses were told to give me a sponge bath. The bath ended up being a full body bath. As they continued to bath me they were talking back and forth with each other about bathing fully. One said she had a brother the other said she had a husband. It was the way they were talking trying to justify the job they were doing. I just laid there and didn't say a word or show any emotion. Later I just started laughing so hard the Striker bed started to shake. I didn't get any more full body baths after that.
The one place I visited that was not funny was when the Diligence pulls into Port-a-Prince, Haiti. It was my first time of seeing how poor a nation could be. While on liberty, very skinny, 5 & 6 year old children were carrying their younger brothers or sisters in their arms begging for money. My first trip to Haiti I could not bring myself to take any photos of anything I saw. It was just so sad.
My second trip to this country I knew what to expect and was able to look past the poverty and see and understand the people for who they were and what they could do with what they had.
WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
I was not ready to leave the Coast Guard when I retired. I was still enjoying the work. For two years after I retired I worked as a volunteer at my Church cutting grass and doing other jobs. I kept thinking .the Coast Guard was going to realize their  mistake that they retired too many experienced personnel that helped train the younger people coming into the Coast Guard. There was no call back of course.
1. My first paying job after retirement was with the State of Florida as a Vehicle Emissions Inspector which only lasted about six months before the exhaust fumes got to me.
2. I then took a job as a Proctor giving test via computers. I left that job after the third time I showed up for work on time after driving 16 miles one way and they told me they didn't need me that day.
3. I then got a job at Blockbuster Video. After 6 years I quit when my wife Pam got a job at Faulkner University in Montgomery, AL. Initially I stayed behind in Jacksonville, FL until I was able to sell our house and pack up everything and moved to Alabama.
4, In Montgomery I got a job on the Security Force at Faulkner University. In January I will be starting my eighth year at Faulkner.
When former President George W. Bush visited Faulkner University we were lucky enough to have are picture taken with him.
IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER?
 When I see a person in military uniform or wearing a retired hat showing what Branch of Service they were in I speak to them and thank them for serving or having served. I look at them now as a brother or sister of the U.S. Armed Forces. Each Branch including the National Guard is a spoke in the wheel designed to protect the people of the United States.
I believe this way of thinking is still valid with my job as Security on Faulkner. We are here to protect the students, faculty, staff and property at Faulkner.
BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE COAST GUARD?
Listen with an open mind to those who are trying to teach and show you the way things are being done. Work hard; be on time for work/watches. As you learn and gain experiences you to will begin to teach new people.
IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
 I am so pleased to have found this wonderful site. It brought back many memories of my Coast Guard career.
I remembered all of the units I was attached to and places I was stationed at but the memory of what I did was fading. Yes I knew I did a lot of Small Arms training and rode as a ship rider and did a lot of gunnery practice but I am forgetting the details.
Thank you for this program. I am very proud of my service to the Coast Guard, the Navy, and the United States of America. I am happy I was a part of helping to make the U.S Military the greatest and strongest military forces in the world.
|
Read Other Interviews in the TWS Voices Archive
| Share this Voices Edition on:
  |
|
TWS VOICES
TWS Voices are the personal stories of men and women who served in the US Military and convey how serving their Country has made a positive impact on their lives. If you would like to participate in a future edition of Voices, or know someone who might be interested, please contact TWS Voices HERE.
This edition of Coast Guard Voices was supported by:
CoastGuard.Togetherweserved.com
For current and former serving Members of the US Coast Guard and US Coast Guard Reserve, TogetherWeServed is a unique, feature-rich resource enabling Coast Guardsmen to re-connect with lost Shipmates, share memories and tell their Coast Guard story.
To join CoastGuard.Togetherweserved.com, please click HERE.
| |
