JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, transported U.S. Coast Guardsmen assigned to the Port Security Unit 305 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, to a deployed location, Feb. 8, 2017.
The Coast Guardsmen accompanied security boats and essential equipment aboard the C-17 Globemaster III, while other members of the unit joined them the following week.
“Overseas deployments for the Coast Guard as a whole, are minimal, especially for a reserve unit,” said U.S. Coast Guard Machinery Technician 1st Class Eric Zupan, PSU 305 crewmember. “Our port security unit and our sister unit are the only ones who do it, so it’s fairly unique to our service.”
A joint force between the Coast Guard, members of the 733rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, 1st Operation Support Squadron and 732nd Airlift Squadron allowed the coordination of assets to be transported quickly and efficiently for the deployment. For this specific deployment, the PSU 305, with the help of JBLE, brought an aircraft to the flightline, which needed to move cargo downrange.
“This area is a wealth of resources, opportunities for joint training and provides the ability to learn more about the other services,” said U.S. Coast Guard Chief Machinery Technician Rocky Ricapito, PSU 305 chief. “The other services can also learn more about what we can do. The opportunity to interact helps us promote the Coast Guard and our unique unit.”
According to Ricapito, Coast Guardsmen are trained to be flexible to perform under a broad spectrum of crafts, and the partnership with JBLE allows the unit to hone these necessary skills. Ricapito commends his unit’s readiness and determination to use the skills they gained during their joint training exercises.
“These guys have worked extremely hard for this,” said Ricapito. “They go through an immense amount of training to be qualified to do this mission. Just like any deployment, everyone in the military, we put ourselves out there and this is no different.”
For more information about the USCG Port Security Unit 305, call 757-878-5922 or visit www.uscg.mil.