ALAMEDA, Calif. - First Lady Michelle Obama, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Robert J. Papp and Capt. Charles L. Cashin III, commanding officer of the Cutter Stratton deliver remarks during the ship commissioning ceremony Saturday, March 31, 2012. The Stratton is named for Coast Guard Capt. Dorothy C. Stratton, who served as director of the Coast Guard Women's Reserve - also known as the SPARs - during World War II. The Stratton is the third of eight planned National Security Cutters and is the first of its class named for a woman. A commissioning is a formal ceremony where a ship is placed into active service and begins to function as a command. Video includes interviews with SPARs who attended the ceremony. U.S. Coast Guard video by District 11 Public Affairs.
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