Transcript of U.S. Coast Guard Change-Of-Guard Ceremony

Release Date: 03/18/05 00:00:00

Washington, D.C.
March 18, 2005

Commandant Collins: Secretary Ridge, Secretary Chertoff, distinguished guests, members of the Department of Homeland Security, ladies and gentlemen, good morning and welcome to this ceremony to commemorate the passing of responsibility of the Service Secretary of the United States Coast Guard from Secretary Ridge to Secretary Chertoff. This ceremony gives us the opportunity to reaffirm one of our country’s great ideals: that of civilian control over our Nation’s military. This ceremony is also one of mixed blessings. We must say goodbye to Governor Ridge, the first Service Secretary of the Coast Guard in the Department of Homeland Security. We will miss his leadership, his diligence, and his tremendous support of the Coast Guard. We welcome Judge Chertoff as our new Service Secretary. We look forward to working with him and introducing him to the great men and women of the Coast Guard and the remarkable missions they accomplish each and every day to safeguard American lives, sustain our freedoms, and protect our economy and environment.

Both these men understand the rigors of public service and the sacrifices that such service entails. In Secretary Ridge, we were very fortunate to be led by a Service Secretary who took to heart his responsibilities to this branch of the armed forces. Secretary Ridge made certain his brave men and women in uniform had the right tools to perform their demanding missions. The Coast Guard has come a long way under his leadership – we have new capabilities such as Airborne Use of Force and Maritime Safety and Security Teams. We have a new security regime in the Maritime Transportation Security Act. And during his tenure, Secretary Ridge demonstrated visionary stewardship of the future of the Coast Guard as a champion of Deepwater and the Coast Guard Academy.

Secretary Ridge, because of your outstanding leadership, America’s maritime border is more secure. Because of your continued backing, we have a better equipped and more capable Coast Guard to ensure America’s security and safety. As our Service Secretary, you upheld that special charge to safeguard the men and women entrusted to your care and we thank you for your tremendous loyalty and dedication.

Secretary Chertoff, welcome aboard, sir. From your efforts and statements to date, it’s clear that you understand the maritime security risks that confront us. We look forward to working with you and our DHS partners to continue reducing those risks by promoting transparency, accountability, and control on our Nation’s waterways. We also are privileged to have your family join us today. We frequently use the term “Coast Guard family” -- meaning not only those serving in the Coast Guard, but all of their families, too. We have long known that those “on the front lines” couldn’t do their jobs as well as they do without the love and support of their families, so today we are honored to welcome you to the Coast Guard family.

Secretary Chertoff, in a few moments, you will receive the Coast Guard’s service flag. On it are 34 battle streamers, representing Coast Guard combat in our Nation’s battles, dating back to the days of our founding. These streamers represent a legacy of selfless service in defending our great Nation. By accepting this flag, you join the long, storied history of our Service and over time, will leave your own indelible mark on the pages not yet written. The Coast Guard is proud to welcome you as our Service Secretary. Be confident, knowing that the men and women of the Coast Guard are on watch and that our military, maritime, and multi-mission Service stands, always ready to protect America from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Now, Secretary Ridge, would you please join me at the podium?

[Change-of-Guard takes place]

Secretary Ridge: Secretary Chertoff, Mrs. Chertoff, your fine young family, to Commandant Collins, distinguished guests; it's a great pleasure to join you in this time-honored tradition of changing of the command. I am kind of overwhelmed by the public recognition; when somebody puts a medal on your chest for the work that other people did, it's pretty humbling, but I'm grateful for this recognition and will cherish it enormously.

I think Secretary Chertoff will discover soon that while we've got some extraordinary people working in the federal government that he's been associated with, many agencies and many of those people, he'll run across no finer group, more dedicated group, more selfless group, more committed to task group than the United States Coast Guard. These men and women know what to do, they know how to do it, and when they get done with one job, they move on to the next, and it's an honor to be associated with each and every one of you. Thank you.

I'm very honored to participate in this Change-of-Command ceremony. Little did I know at the outset how gratifying, extraordinary, and I would say inspirational was the opportunity to serve as Secretary of the United States Coast Guard. Some of us have served in the service before, in the United States Army many years ago, and all of us heard many attributes and qualities attributed to men and women in the service and their commitment to duty, honor and country. And I thought I might add just a few additional words that I think protect not only -- that project not only those characteristics of the men and women of the Coast Guard, but I think -- but I've witnessed and seen time and time again other qualities that I've come to admire greatly and that has enhanced considerably both the safety and the security of this country and that really speaks to the heart of what the Coast Guard is all about; and it's service, courage and excellence.

One of the remarkable things about the United States Coast Guard is that the men and women of the Coast Guard and most of the equipment that they use is really available to perform multiple tasks. And so everybody in the operation is trained to do many, many things and they're trained to do them all very well and they're trained to do them together with the same equipment.

Now, the streamers on the flag will show that they've certainly been engaged in our military efforts overseas, the 34 streamers representing decades of sacrifice and courage. But that's just been one part of the mission. I was surprised to learn, Secretary Chertoff, that when the Navy sends in their minesweepers, they normally have the Coast Guard showing them the way. Think about it. So we know full well that when it comes to bearing a burden, in terms of conflict, these men and women have done it, will do it, and they are front and center.

During our tenure, we did a lot of things together, and again, this recognition really reflects everything that all of you have done during the past two years. But whether it's the military, I can recall seeing pictures of a freighter breaking in half up in Alaska, very vivid pictures. One picture I saw was -- the vessel was intact and couple hours later was broken in half. And then there was another picture a little bit later with the captain and one or two Coasties on the bow waiting to get lifted off. Service is their mission; rescuing people on high seas is certainly part of that overwhelming, overwhelming mission.

Every single day, they're engaged with our other friends and allies within the federal government but also around the world in interdicting drugs. And as the Admiral previously said, last year was a record year. So in addition to rescuing people on the high seas and doing everything else you did last year in terms of drug seizures, chasing the go-fast boats, tracking down these people who have been responsible for the chemical warfare that we've been engaged in for decades. It is a chemical war. We like to think of it in post-9/11 terms, but we've been fighting this chemical war for a long time and it's called drugs. And the Coast Guard, again, is front and center with their service and their courage and their sacrifice to get that job done.

Flash forward to another scene, and you might be in the Gulf or you might be off the shores of Florida or closer to Haiti and Cuba and you're dealing with thousands and thousands of refugees and those who seek to come to a better place. Unfortunately for them, but responsibility is ours; we have to preserve the integrity of our borders. So in addition to rescuing some of these men and women and children who are in perilous, perilous paths of death on the high seas, they have to treat them with the kind of compassion that only the Coast Guard can appreciate when you know that these folks want to work their way to freedom but they have a job to do. They've got to return them to their country of origin, but they do it with a certain grace and compassion that speaks to the dignity of all human beings and the special commitment of the Coast Guard to doing it the right way.

Environmental spills, well, there's unfortunately too many of those, and when it's an environmental spill, the same folks, maybe the same vessel that was up there rescuing the people out of the high seas will be chugging along and up dealing with that environmental spill. We had -- Philadelphia Harbor, we had it off the coast of California. Protecting our fishing rights. I remember, Admiral, you bringing in the photos, we were chasing down that Russian trawler, or was it the Chinese trawler, or was it the Japanese. The fact of the matter is, we have certain fishing rights that we are entitled and must protect and the Coast Guard's there to do it. Might have been the same vessel and the same group of people that were doing something a couple of months before, but now they're doing something else. That's the Coast Guard. That's what they do.

Oh, and by the way, homeland security is now part of that mission. And you heard about it, 36,000 flights, the maritime security teams, the vulnerability assessments, both domestic and internationally. This is an incredible group of men and women, who every single day in so many different ways take that notion of service and elevate it to, I think, a level that is unparalleled in the federal government. Unparalleled. I'm kind of reminded, you know, every once in a while you're in a hotel when they're particularly service conscious and you pick up the phone and they say, "How may I help you?"  Well, they don't give you a litany of things, but it's like the Coast Guard. You give them -- they'll say, "How can I help you?  What do you want us to do for you today, America?"  And they're ready, willing and boy, are they able to do it.

Courage. You probably all remember the book, Profiles in Courage, but there's a -- courage was once defined as "grace under pressure."  And think the environment that I just told you about. You're chasing drug runners, you're dropping some of your Coasties into 20-, 30-, 40-foot seas to pull people out of the water or jumping on board a ship that's breaking in half or helping these illegals during a storm or during a homeland security mission, the list goes on and on. Grace under pressure. We had an awards ceremony earlier this year, Mr. Secretary, and some of the most outstanding men and women that we recognize for their service to their country in very unique ways, where men and women of the Coast Guard have put themselves in very hazardous positions, risking their lives. To them, it's a matter of routine. We think it was exceptional to recognize. But they were just the mirror image of the kind of work that the Coast Guard does.

So service and courage. It's really rather remarkable. And excellence. Coast Guard has an attitude. They've got one of the most incredible attitudes I've ever encountered in my 25, 30 years in public service. They have an attitude that says everything we do we must do it better than anybody else, and when we're done with that task, we're going to look for something else to get done at the same level, at the same high level and standard of excellence. No excuses within this group. None. I've seen them do their work with patched up vessels, with helicopters that have engines that have been retrofitted too doggone many times and we're going to keep pushing, I'm sure you're going to keep pushing deep water. And nobody makes excuses; they just do it. And frankly, because of this President's empathy and recognition of the Coast Guard's mission and the talent of the men and women, we see that significant infusion of dollars to support them on their mission. But this is a commitment to excellence. It is an attitude that pervades this entire organization and begins from the time they enter the Coast Guard, at all levels, all the way up to their Commandant, a series of Commandants who have commanded the respect and have demanded excellence of their colleagues and their peers within the Coast Guard.

So this is quite a remarkable organization. I can recall, and I repeat the story again just to make sure everybody understands, that from the first day I was in the White House, the agency that came front and center over and over again to assist us in building our team in the White House and then helping us build the headquarters unit in the new Department was the United States Coast Guard. They don't know how to say no. They say just, "Yes, sir, we'll get it done."  And they do it and come back in the next day and say, "What else can we do for you, America?"  That's just what they do.

If there was a philosophy that we try to generate and a culture we try to generate in the Department, Mr. Secretary, it's one of integration and of collaboration and of partnership. And boy, I'll tell you what, this is something the Coast Guard's been doing since day one. They work with the other services, they work with the private sector. They know all about integrating capacities and they know all about collaboration. And more importantly, I think they know better than most how critical it is to this country's future that they partner, they partner with other federal agencies, but they partner with the private sector.

You're going to see, from that first trip to one of the first ports, when you sit down with the port command and you have that table surrounded by folks from the private sector with the Chamber of Commerce and the maritime industry, and they're going to tell you that the glue to that port operation is the United States Coast Guard. You have Fortune 500 companies there, and they've got all the money, but Coast Guard's got all the talent. And the glue that holds that port security together and that integrates both security and the economy is the Coast Guard. And the first trip you take overseas, one of the first organizations they're going to talk to you about, Mr. Secretary, is the United States Coast Guard. There's something about their service to these other countries -- and it's not just the service they provide, it's how they provide it. It's an attitude, a commitment to excellence and understanding of the need to partner and the need to integrate and work with the domestic or their international counterparts.

So I'm honored to have the opportunity to say these words in public again by -- in front of the men and women who I've grown to love and respect enormously. I've checked with the protocol officer, and I now understand that when I go to these functions where they play the themes and the anthems and the various services, not only will I stand up with great pride with my service to the United States Army, I'll be able to stand up with great pride as a former Secretary of the United States Coast Guard.

It has been an honor -- it has been an honor to serve with you. And I can't say enough about that, except I wish you and your families a future -- because I know the sacrifices a family makes, and Judge Chertoff's family knows it as well because his family's been making a sacrifice like that as well. It's been an honor to serve with you, and my wish for each and every one of you and your families is continued success in your mission, but to the extent that you can enjoy the little personal life you have, that that brings you both peace and happiness in your lives as well. It's been a great honor to serve with each and every one of you. I'm proud of that, and I look forward to standing up the next time I hear that wonderful theme as a former Secretary of the United States Coast Guard. Thank you very much.

(Change-of-Watch and passing of the U.S. Coast Guard flag.)

Secretary Chertoff:   Thank you. Secretary Ridge, Admiral Collins, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen of the Department of Homeland Security and members of the Coast Guard, it is with a deep sense of honor, privilege and gratitude that I accept the responsibility to serve as the new Service Secretary of the United States Coast Guard.

I'm proud to join your ranks and consider it a high honor to be part of the important work that you do each and every day to secure and protect the United States of America. I'd like to thank my predecessor, Governor Tom Ridge, who did a superb job both in launching this new Department and in supporting the unique needs and responsibilities of the Coast Guard. In addition, I have to say a special word of thanks to now a fellow Coastie and former Commandant Admiral Loy who was a tremendous help to me during the first few weeks of my transition as Department of Homeland Security Secretary. I'm very well aware that to the extent I am able to achieve anything during my tenure it is because I will stand on the shoulders of Tom Ridge and Jim Loy and all those who have served and currently serve at the Department and in the Coast Guard.

Moving forward, my task, all of our task, will be to build upon the exceptional work of the first two years of this Department as we confront and manage the threats to the United States that exist today and that we must prepare to meet in the future. And we can do that in no small part because of the very fine cornerstone laid by this United States Coast Guard. As the government's newest Department, we are very fortunate to have the experience and tradition of the Coast Guard to be part of our team. Although the notion of what homeland security is was transformed by the attacks of September 11th, the truth is that the mission of homeland security has been, in the very broadest sense, part of the mission of the Coast Guard for 214 years. A few days ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Port of Charleston and see a little bit of what the perspective is of the port from the air in a Coast Guard helicopter, on a 47-foot Coast Guard boat, and talking with men and women who were serving at that port. I know the Coast Guard makes a very good first impression, but it also makes a very good second impression and lasting impression. And the best thing about the Coast Guard, the most impressive thing, is not just the equipment, but it is the people, the men and women who make up its service.

Now I am well aware, of course, and that's partly based on my prior experience, that the Coast Guard has responsibilities that go beyond the very new and urgent tasks of confronting possible terrorist threats to the homeland. In the area of drugs, in the area of maritime safety, in the area of prevention, in the area of environmental response, Coast Guard has taken the lead time and again, and will continue to do so. In fact, it's a testament to how easily and well you do your job, how gracefully you carry out your extraordinary efforts, that your dedication to these missions continue even as you take up the very new and tremendous responsibility of being the pivot of our maritime defense against an attack by terrorists. In 2004 alone, you prevented nearly 11,000 undocumented migrants from illegally entering our country, conducted more than 36,000 port security patrols, saved the lives of nearly 5,500 mariners in distress and safely secured over 200 military sealift departures in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. That is a tremendous record.

In fact, I want to congratulate you, Admiral. Just yesterday I saw in the news that a seizure was made at sea of almost 10,000 pounds of cocaine, which is, again, just business as usual, extraordinary business as usual, as part of the daily routine of the United States Coast Guard. Serving overseas in support of our military operations, embarking on critical homeland security missions, the Coast Guard has proven again and again that it is Semper Paratus -- "Always Ready" -- ready to do what it takes to support this Department, to support the American people and to protect our homeland. And so I consider it a particular honor and a particular privilege, as I assume my new responsibilities in the Department of Homeland Security, to assume the mantle of the newest Service Secretary of the United States Coast Guard. I, too, look forward to joining Governor Ridge in standing up now when the Coast Guard anthem is played at events. In fact, I can say that although I've been part of many fine organizations in the United States over my past 20 plus years of public service, in different departments, in fact in different branches of government, none has made me more proud to join than the United States Coast Guard. And I look forward to becoming one of you and getting to know you and seeing in real time the way you conduct your exemplary service.

The fact of the matter is, I know that there is no greater resource that we have in this country than your diligence, your courage, your hard work and your fidelity, your fidelity to the rule of law and your fidelity to the country. And that is something which gives me a great deal of comfort, and which I hope to communicate again and again to the American public so they understand how blessed they are in having the United States Coast Guard standing watch at our seas, at our ports, in our waterways, in the past and in the future years to come. As you continue to carry out these duties in the exemplary fashion that you have done up to now, I will do my duty to ensure that you continue to receive the support, the technology and the resources you need to carry out the implementation of our maritime strategy, one that is layered, one that is aggressive and one that is comprehensive in its approach to stopping and defeating our enemies.

Again, I thank you for the opportunity to serve alongside each and every one of you, and to devote my full energy, strength and resources to the duty we all share, the preservation of our nation, and the liberties we cherish. I accept the flag with a sense of humility, a sense of dedication and a sense of optimism. And I very much appreciate the warm welcome you have given me to the Coast Guard family. Thank you very much, one and all.

###

This page was last modified on 03/18/05 00:00:00