U.S. Coast Guard Seaman Logan Keenan, Petty Officer 1st Class Kory Williams, and Chief Petty Officer Sydney Niemi, stationed aboard Coast Guard Cutter Hawser, discuss their experiences underway during icebreaking season, Feb. 19, 2025. Coast Guard Cutter Hawser, a 65-foot harbor tug, is homeported in Bayonne, New Jersey. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Sydney Phoenix)
Rear Adm. Francis “Stash” Pelkowski is a veteran, merchant mariner, maritime industry business leader, licensed attorney and a professor at SUNY Maritime College. To say the 58-year-old father has accomplished a lot in life is a gross understatement. However, to hear him describe his early adult years leading to his enlistment in 1980, his present-day success and many achievements were far from predictable.
Thirty-eight years later,...
The Coast Guard prides itself on honor, respect and devotion to duty for the men and women in its ranks. Once a year, a member of the Coast Guard is selected as the top performer in the service for the active duty and the reserve component through the enlisted person of the year program.
