Reservists from Sector New York at the Ciudad Juarez Overlook in El Paso, Texas, while on Title 10 orders in support operations, Aug. 1. Coast Guard uses regional model for T10 reservist recalls to support Southwest border operations In late 2018, the Coast Guard began receiving requests from the Department of Homeland Security for support of Southwest border operations. Earlier this year, the active duty supplied most of the support for this operation, but last spring, the Reserve Component answered the call, breaking a request for 500 reservists into several six-week waves of personnel. At a town hall meeting held in August, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl L. Schultz said the Coast Guard was providing support to DHS, in various forms "from translation to meal prep to escorts to medical care," which allowed Border Patrol agents to remain on the front lines. Master Chief Petty Officer Sean McPhilamy, command master chief for the Coast Guard's Director of Operational Logistics, said the Coast Guard employed a new mobilization model for the involuntary recalls that would pull reservists regionally. "We wanted that structure of members who have worked together, drilled together, handled issues together and would watch out for each other," said McPhilamy. "This gave us some quick wins in this process, because we built a structure that was able to get to work fast." Even though there wasn't a true "command" going to support the Southwest border operations, each wave would also be supported by a senior enlisted leader, a "point of contact who would facilitate the network that would be needed while they were far from Coast Guard resources," said McPhilamy. One of those leaders, Senior Chief Petty Officer Heather Sands, had just finished the Senior Enlisted Leadership 20 RESERVIST � Issue 2 • 2019 Course when she was contacted by her unit, Sector Columbia River, Ore. As the unit’s silver badge, Sands volunteered to deploy with almost two dozen reservists from Marine Safety Unit Portland, Ore., on 60-day Title 10 orders to spend six weeks in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Along with the Portland reservists, Wave 5 comprised an equal number of reservists from Sector San Diego, a dozen from Sector Ohio Valley, and more than 50 others from Districts Five, Eight and Nine, who deployed to locations in El Paso, Texas, and Deming, N.M. Each regional team was also maintained by a single Servicing Personnel Office to coordinate medical and administrative procedures, leading to fewer mistakes in orders and greater family support before, during and after deployment. As part of her job as the senior enlisted leader, Sands made trips to the different facilities where Coast Guardsmen were employed, ensuring members were engaged with DHS partners, as well as checking on their safety and health and well-being. Sands designated other senior chief petty officers to be her eyes in both locations, employing the chiefs' network McPhilamy lauded. "We are here to get whatever our people need—we’re linked in with the chaplains and with CISM [Critical Incident Stress Management], and we take care of our members while they’re taking care of the mission,” said Sands. “The chiefs’ mess speaks the same language when it comes to looking out for our members. You have to stay in Coast Guard mode when you’re here, even though we’re not doing typical Coast Guard things.”
