RESERVIST MAGAZINE FROM THE EDITOR RESERVIST Celebrating Our 69th Year! Volume LXIX � Issue 3 • 2022 reserve.uscg.mil/magazine [email protected] MAGAZINE Anastasia M. Devlin Editor Chris S. Rose Creative Director COMMAND Adm. Linda L. Fagan Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Miriam Lafferty Assistant Commandant for Reserve Capt. Susana Lee Chief, Office of Reserve Policy and Requirements Integration Cmdr. Katy Coombs Chief, Reserve Policy and Strategic Communications Division Lt. Cmdr. Samantha M. Block Chief, Reserve Strategic Communications CONTACT INFORMATION [email protected] Commandant (CG-R55) Attn: Editor, Reservist 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE (Stop-7721) Washington, DC 20593-7721 http://reserve.uscg.mil FB: @uscoastguardreserve Twitter: @uscgreserve #uscgr 2 RESERVIST � Issue 3 • 2022 RESERVIST (COMDTPUB 1001.29) is published by the Assistant Commandant for Reserve, U.S. Coast Guard. It is intended for information only and is not authority for official action. Views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or Coast Guard. The editor reserves the right to select and edit all materials for publication. We continue to strive for perfection, yet unattained. At the end of summer, I got a call from my friend Cmdr. Todd Remusat, the commanding officer of Port Security Unit 309 out of Port Clinton, Ohio. He let me know the PSU was doing their two weeks of active duty in a real-world way that was a little on the robust side. I was invited to jump in for a few days if wanted to come check it out. “All you have to do is get yourself to St. Louis airport,” he said. “I’ll take care of the rest.” Once at the exercise site in Missouri, I unpacked my stuff in a PSU tent (those double- zipper doors were the bane of my existence!) and started talking to as many people as I could. I don’t want to tell you too much about the exercise yet since it’s the feature in the next issue, but suffice it to say… these guys work hard, and this exercise tested everyone’s skills in a dynamic way. I didn’t realize how much I needed this trip. As the editor of this magazine, I’ve been reading and writing about PSUs for years, but it was all black and white. When I spent time with PSU 309 in September, it was like color washed into my mental picture. Until you’ve met these people, heard their stories, lived where they live, watched how they train, seen their level of intensity… you really know nothing of PSU life. The job they do is one thing, but the camaraderie in this unit is unlike any other unit I’ve ever been to or been stationed at. This was a family looking out for each other and working together to get the mission done. So rare. I guess I’ve always known the PSU community was out there, but now I can appreciate what makes it so special. Now I understand why most people who get stationed at a PSU never want to leave. So, to the crew of 309, thanks for including me and making me feel part of your unit for a few days. You take seriously the mission and your training, and as any coach knows, you play how you practice. You guys practice hard, and I’m looking forward to doing that story justice in the next issue. Much obliged. Anastasia Devlin Editor-in-Chief
