RESERVIST MAGAZINE DECKPLATE SOUNDINGS R emember the power in a positive example. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone doing something right. I get to see those examples in action, and hear about the impacts, nearly every week. I’m humbled and active duty folks who rotate routinely, the real krewe of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were the reservists who had lived in, worked in, and knew everyone up and down the Mississippi River, across the Atchafalaya Basin, and darn near everywhere in between. I earned five marine safety qualifications during this assignment, all credit to observing their positive examples. Following 9/11, as our country, our military, and our Coast Guard responded, the Reserve led the way with years of activations and recalls to duty under both Titles 10 and 14. Again, I experienced the power of positive examples while assigned (beginning in 2003) to the Marine Safety Office in Anchorage, Alaska, with reservists training, equipping, and operating our security teams, both shoreside and waterside all around Alaska. During the long hours on watch, on both local and distant deployments, Devotion to Duty was eminent. As the unit’s command senior chief, my life was made all the easier with the integration within our Chief’s Mess, providing both Reserve and Active perspectives. These lessons (among many more) formed my work philosophy of, “Take care of the crew who will take care of the missions.” My personal philosophy parallels this: “Take care of yourself; take care of each other.” As a new master chief petty officer, I was assigned to Sector Boston in 2006 where I was more than ably mentored by Command Master Chief Jack Downey. He often said, “Do the right thing, the right way, at the right time, for the right reason.” With his 40-year career, under both Reserve and Active enlistments, he truly was a force to be reckoned; the example to others. These past two years, as Command Master Chief for the Director of Operational Logistics, I've had the honor to serve with and work for Shipmates, both Active and Reserve, across our Nation. I tend to ask myself two questions: “Is what I’m doing effective?” and “Can it be more efficient?” Not every day do I find that I can answer these affirmatively, but, by beginning with this thought, I have found more success than not. And over the past couple of years, following hurricanes and wildfires, around the Great Lakes or along the Southwest Border, during steady-state or contingencies, and now, especially during our pandemic response and recovery, my shipmates continue to provide powerful, positive examples. This summer, as I transition from military status to that of an exceptionally proud veteran, I do so humbled and privileged to have served alongside those shipmates from both Active and Reserve, so many of whom provided positive examples. My challenge to you is stay focused on the positive, be the example. This can be truly powerful. Take care of yourself. Take care of your shipmates. Semper Paratus. inspired by the tremendous examples of my Reserve shipmates, witnessed over the past 30 years of my career. I’d like to share a few observations with my reflections. Once I had enlisted, company commanders at Training Center Cape May, N.J., set the conditions that resonated throughout all my assignments. On our uniforms, there’s no difference between the Active and Reserve components, unless that mark is earned. I quickly realized this over discussions with fellow recruits as we adapted and learned critical lessons to make us ready, to support disparate duty stations, to begin learning our trades. We all wore the uniform, had the same fears, experienced the same excitement about the challenges ahead. Only upon advancement to second class petty officer, newly reported to the Marine Safety Detachment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, would the value proposition of our Reserve be best understood. At the time, under the focus of Team Coast Guard, Reserve commands nationwide were disestablished, integrating reservists into local Active commands. Ours was no different, really, but for the leadership by my command, which set the vision of an optimized Team, enabling us to leap through the stages of storming, forming, norming… into performing. Our reservists set the standard, in both technical capabilities and mission capacity. Unlike Master Chief Petty Officer Sean McPhilamy Command Master Chief, Director of Operational Logistics "Our reservists set the standard, in both technical capabilities and mission capacity. Unlike active duty folks who rotate routinely, the real krewe of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were the reservists who had lived in, worked in, and knew everyone up and down the Mississippi River, across the Atchafalaya Basin, and darn near everywhere in between." Issue 2 • 2020 � RESERVIST 7
