On the sun-drenched bow of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Haddock last month, Auxiliarist Marlene Williams, CA1, was awarded the Cutterman’s Pin in the presence of the crew, her husband, and fellow auxiliarists. Williams is the only woman in District 11 to earn the award and one of three women nationally within the Auxiliary. The Cutterman’s Pin is awarded to active-duty members who have acquired a total of five years of sea time and auxiliarists who serve a minimum of 52 days over two years, with at least 24 of those days underway.
Williams has spent much more time than this on a range of U.S. Coast Guard vessels since joining the Auxiliary in 2016, including a mission on the USCGC Healy, an icebreaker operating in the Arctic Circle, and missions on the USCGC Narwhal, USCGC Robert Ward, and USCGC Galley. Additionally, she has held virtually every key position within the flotilla that operates out of Sector San Diego while mentoring others seeking to find their place within the voluntary service component of the Coast Guard. Overall, Williams has logged over 7,500 hours of service to the Auxiliary.
Williams joined the Coast Guard originally in 1986 as a seaman and married fellow shipmate Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric Williams in 1987. The two went wherever duty called, including assignments in Newport, Ore., Port Townsend, Wash., Puerto Rico, Key West, Fla., Norfolk, Va., New Haven, Conn., and finally, San Diego. While Eric’s career advanced with each new assignment, Marlene left the service to raise two daughters, Jordan and Amanda. Eventually, Jordan joined the Coast Guard as well. "It has always been important for me to have relevant things to talk to my kids about,” said Williams.
“When Jordan decided to go to Culinary Specialist A-school, I decided that I would qualify as an AUXCA hoping that we might be able to serve together at some point.” They did, on the USCGC Healy, in 2019.
To earn the Cutterman’s Pin, one must complete the personal qualification standards for basic damage control and support the cutter in a minimum of one watch quarter station bill. But the Coast Guard’s training requirements would never intimidate Williams, who has earned her AuxOps certification, among other qualifications she brings to the various roles she has played within the Auxiliary.
That’s a particularly long list. Within the Sector San Diego flotilla, she has served as Vice Cmdr., Cmdr., Flotilla staff officer for both training and marine safety, and has the qualifications to serve as vessel examiner and telecom operator. At the division level, she has served as secretary of record, and at the district level as staff officer for culinary assistants and assistant district Staff officer for emergency management.
But for all her achievements, perhaps the single most important has been Marlene’s ability to bring the active duty and auxiliarists together with a shared vision and purpose. To that end, she has served as auxiliary sector coordinator for the San Diego Sector and as auxiliary unit coordinator for the Haddock.
"With Marlene's assistance and guidance, many members of the flotillas in the San Diego area have become qualified to stand watches and work together with active-duty Coast Guard personnel," noted George Glover, USCG Sector San Diego Auxiliary Flotilla Commander.
Williams is not done adding credentials; she is currently awaiting her security clearance to join the Joint Harbor Operations Center as a Watchstander while seeking more opportunities to support the missions in the Sector San Diego area of operations.
“Through the love of her work, Auxiliarist Marlene Williams has become a shipmate to everyone at Sector San Diego, and we are able to operate at such a high level because of Marlene and others like her,” stated Capt. James Spitler, Commander Sector San Diego. “Marlene’s dedication to the women and men in the Coast Guard is extraordinary. Auxiliarist Williams continues to set the standard for others by making everyone around her better.”
| Date Taken: |
07.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: |
07.16.2024 10:16 |
| Story ID: |
476306 |
| Location: |
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: |
44 |
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0 |
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