Periodically, I am an on site supervisor for The Creighton Company during times that the owner is occupied in performing other duties. The company is primarily in commercial building framing and drywall construction.
Best Moment Initially, I was assigned to receive and ship lights to the Lighthouses. Group Mobile had a repair facility that would do maintenance on aids returned from the Station Keepers. The Captain of the Port was a function (at that time) of the Group Mobile Command. We had a member asssigned to COTP go to Vietnam to be a part of the Explosives Detail. I was selected to fill his billet. Spent a month at CGTC Yorktown in PSLE school. COTP Mobile had responsibility for ports located in Mississippi, Alabama & the panhandle of Florida. While asssigned to the team, GM1 Bobby Wilkes was medically discharged and suddenly I was the senior enlisted on the team.
Worst Moment One of the Group Mobile members was operating a crane on the dock, traveling backwards. Apparently, he did not remember that the boom had been removed. As he cleared the building, he turned the crane forward and the counterweights in the rear caused the crane to topple into the water. The command designated me to take pictures of the scene and when the crane was lifted from the water, BM1 Hawkins was in the crane with his hands still on the control handles. His wife, Theresa, had been notified and she was constantly crying and wanting to jump into the water where "Hawk" was. Several of us went to New ORleans for his funeral.
Chain of Command The Group Commander Mobile/COTP Mobile was CDR Daniel Charter. The XO at Base Mobile was LT Larry Myhre while the Deputy Group Commander was CWO James Comerford.
Other Memories Since retiring, I have become friends with CWO Tom Schmidt that was at Mobile, but assigned to the CGC Salvia at the same time. Both of us live in the Nashville, TN area and quarterly have a luncheon with other Coasties living the area.
