Cmdr. Brian Anderson, former commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Alert, receives the Meritorious Service Medal from Vice Adm. Charles Ray, the Coast Guard Pacific Area commander, for his service aboard the Alert during a change-of-command ceremony in Astoria, Ore., May 22, 2015. Anderson took command of Alert in June of 2013 and will continue his Coast Guard service at the Command, Control and Engineering Center in Portsmouth, Va. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Klingenberg)