This 418-foot cutter, which is homeported in Charleston, South Carolina, is named after Master Chief Charles Calhoun, the first master chief petty officer of the Coast Guard (MCPOCG). Calhoun originally joined the Navy in 1943 at 17 and was trained as a torpedoman. He served on the USS Lunga Point in the Pacific Ocean theater during World War II. He participated in many of the bloodiest battles, including the battles of Leyte Gulf, Luzon, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. <strong>The</strong> Lunga Point’s crew received the Navy Unit Commendation for “extraordinary heroism and action against enemy Japanese forces in the air, ashore, and afl oat” following a kamikaze attack on the ship. Calhoun was honorably discharged from the Navy on Feb. 21, 1946. Originally from Ocean City, Maryland, Calhoun returned home and went to work for the postal service. On Sept. 20, 1946, Calhoun joined the U.S. Coast Guard. His notable accomplishments include working on the board that led to the creation of the cutterman insignia, implementing a program of local advisors who reported to the MCPOCG offi ce to hear enlisted personnel issues, and starting the movement toward the Coast Guard wearing its own style of uniform instead of Navy uniforms. “Master Chief Calhoun was a trailblazer in many ways,” said Vince Patton, the eighth master chief petty officer of the Coast Guard and friend to Calhoun. “He was the first MCPOCG. He came into the job facing some tough challenges. <strong>The</strong>re was a population on the enlisted side that didn’t want that kind of oversight to happen and there was the other side that welcomed it. He dealt with the opposition, and he changed the culture.” Of the many incredible objects stowed on the USCGC Calhoun, one stands out. Up until February <strong>2024</strong>, the crew have been stewards of Master Chief Calhoun’s dress uniform, which was kept on board. <strong>The</strong> effort to receive Calhoun’s uniform was coordinated with Coast Guard Training Center Left: Master Chief Petty Officer Charles L. Calhoun's uniform. Right: Portrait of Master Chief Petty Officer Charles L. Calhoun, the first master chief petty officer of the Coast Guard. Calhoun, 76, died Feb. 24, 2002, in Santa Rosa, Calif. He was born April 20, 1925, in Ocean City, MD, and enlisted in the Coast Guard in September 1946. During a career that spanned almost 30 years, he served on board six different cutters, accumulating more than 14 years of sea time. He also served in Vietnam. 26 SPRING <strong>2024</strong> THE LONG BLUE LINE
THE LONG BLUE LINE SPRING <strong>2024</strong> 27
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- Page 23 and 24: Somehow, someway the placard was re
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- Page 39 and 40: A FAMILY AFFAIR By Beau Bridges In
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TINSTMAN, LAWRENCE TISCHER, JACE TO
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BOYLE, DAVID SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH CDR
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FRIER, WALTER GARLAND, TX YNC RET.
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MIZELLE, TIMOTHY COLERAIN, NC SKCS
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TAPS TURNER, THERON DEPTFORD, NJ CW
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NOAA TAPS ALDERMAN, RICHARD TUCSON,
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CHAPLAIN'S CORNER EMBRACE EVERY SEA
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NEW USCG RETIREE MENTORING & TRANSI
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COAST GUARD LEGAL ASSISTANCE Coast
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CG PAY & PERSONNEL CENTER, RETIREE
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