Coast Guardsmen presented Army awards for supporting transportation mission

By Julia ShenkOctober 22, 2008

Coast Guardsmen presented Army awards for supporting transportation mission
(From Left) Coast Guardsmen Petty Officer 1st Class Faith Matuschek, Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Morehouse, Chief Petty Officer Charles Carroll, Lt. Barbara Gowdy, and Chief Petty Officer Diana Shores pose with Lt. Col. Ralph Riddle outside the 832... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Aca,!" Honoring a long-standing tradition of joint cooperation, the ArmyAca,!a,,cs 832nd Transportation Battalion recently presented awards to members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Jacksonville Military Outload Detachment (MOL).

Lt. Col. Ralph Riddle, commander, 832nd, awarded eight Army Achievement Medals and one Army Commendation Medal to Coast Guardsmen for their outstanding work in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom sealift operations in a ceremony Oct. 16.

The 832nd, a Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command unit under the 597th Transportation Terminal Group, relies on the expertise of the Coast Guard during sealift missions at the Port of Jacksonville.

Aca,!A"We coordinate Coast Guard assets to provide pier and vessel inspections, vessel escorts for inbound and outbound vessels, and point protection of vessels carrying military cargo,Aca,!A? said Lt. Barbara Gowdy, Sector Jacksonville MOL supervisor.

In addition to force protection, the Coast Guard ensures proper classification, certification, packing, and shipping of military cargo, to include general cargo and hazardous materials. Coast Guard personnel also deploy to Army installations to expedite this process for deploying units.

Aca,!A"Our Coast Guard partners are an integral part of our operations here at Port of Jacksonville,Aca,!A? said Riddle. Aca,!A"The benefits they consistently bring to our port security and customs enforcement efforts are tremendous."

Petty Officer 1st Class Meredith Burns, Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicholas Wiltgen, Chief Petty Officer Diana Shores, Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Morehouse, Petty Officer 1st Class George Juaristic, Chief Warrant Officer Bruce Jones, Chief Petty Officer Charles Carroll, and Petty Officer 1st Class Faith Matuschek received Army Achievement Medals. Gowdy received the Army Commendation Medal.