Hey there, stranger! Feels like it was practically last month that I was writing this column! I know, I know, it seems like you were JUST reading our April issue on the vaccinations, and here we are again… with another issue. As I say to my wonderful hierarchy of supervisors, it feels like I cram every small story idea and piece of news into each issue, and I always wonder if there’ll be anything left for us to print in three months. Somehow, we never come up with less than 60 pages. It’s because the world doesn’t stop, and neither does the Coast Guard Reserve. After four years in this seat, I still love my job, because I get to tell the stories of the reservists. There’s a common thread to these stories—namely, their humility, lack of self- promotion, and gratitude for the opportunity to serve the country and contribute to the Coast Guard’s missions in their own unique way. I always joke that when I get story ideas from the field, it’s never people calling to tell me about themselves; they’re calling to let me know about a shipmate who’s inspired them. These leaders are not always in a position of leadership, and they’re rarely in the limelight, but they’re quietly, steadily, keeping the Coast Guard on track. They’re starting new projects, bridging the transition of a program, identifying needs and filling gaps. They are the outside set of eyes viewing an old system and bringing their industry knowledge to bear. I got to meet a few of these wonderful people recently over a few drinks. Some at coffee, some at happy hour—I’ll let you guess. But among them, I met a real estate agent, a casino dealer, a military mechanic and a school principal. If you’d come across them in uniform, you’d see chiefs, petty officers, and lieutenants, but when I dig a little deeper, their skills and talents are revealed. Getting to uncover those diamonds are why I love my job. Reservists are never solely what they appear to be from their ranks, paygrades, ratings, ribbons and insignia; you have to be willing to ask, to dig—their humility and dedication to the mission make them chameleons. They blend with their active duty brothers and sisters. Telling their stories is like being a wedding photographer. It’s easy to put out a great product when the subject matter was already fantastic. Nowhere to go but up. That’s why we’re glad to be bringing you FOUR issues this year! Yes, that’s correct. With the government shutdown, a change in publisher, the last 16 months of a pandemic, and my own deployments as a reservist, we’ve been putting out three issues annually. But, as they say, 2021 is going to be a good year. “Find the good and praise it.” — Chief Petty Officer Alex Haley Anastasia Devlin Editor-in-Chief RESERVIST MAGAZINE FROM THE EDITOR RESERVIST Celebrating Our 68th Year! Volume LXVIII . . Issue 2 • 2021 reserve.uscg.mil/magazine [email protected] MAGAZINE Anastasia M. Devlin Editor Chris S. Rose Creative Director COMMAND Adm. Karl L. Schultz Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Todd C. Wiemers Assistant Commandant for Reserve Capt. Alexander C. Foos Chief, Office of Reserve Policy and Requirements Integration Cmdr. Marie E. Watson Chief, Reserve Policy and Strategic Communications Division 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 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.
