For Coast Guard reservists, duty keeps calling

By Melissa Robinson

Associated Press

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba – Except for the antics of “Buddy” the iguana, there is little diversion at the hot, dusty roadblock to the Navy’s camp for detainees from the war in Afghanistan.

Petty Officer Doug Adams, a Coast Guard reservist guarding the checkpoint to Camp X-ray, is philosophical about the post-Sept. 11 assignment.

“I’m tired,” said the 50-year-old history teacher and father of six from Buckingham, Va. “But some things you just have to do. Freedom has a price.”

For many Coast Guard reservists, that price has been active duty assignments. From Boston and New York harbors to San Francisco and Guantanamo bays, the Coast Guard has undertaken its largest port security operation since World War II, when it had six times more personnel than the 35,000 now on duty.

To handle additional duties brought on by the terrorist attacks, the Coast Guard has called up more reservists than at any time in recent history.

Some, like Adams, serve in a Port Security Unit. Each of the six units is staffed by 140 reserve and five active-duty personnel. The squads are specially trained to deploy quickly and secure shipping and ports in times of crisis or heightened security.

For Adams’ unit – No. 305, based in Fort Eustis, Va. – the past seven months have been hectic.

Sent to patrol New York Harbor in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, the unit stayed for over a month. After being sent home, it was called to duty in Cuba in January to help the Navy guard Guantanamo Bay.

It is unclear when the unit will be replaced by other Coast Guard or Navy personnel.

“I willingly have served my country, but I’m ready to go home,” said Petty Officer Dave Davis, 35, of Yorktown, Va., a firefighter, paramedic and rock musician who misses his 10-year-old son, Andrew. Davis’ job is to maintain guns mounted on patrol boats.

The Coast Guard is responsible for law enforcement and rescues along the 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline. More than one-third of the 8,000 reservists were activated right after Sept. 11 to bolster security and 1,800 remain on duty – more than were activated during the Persian Gulf War.

The plan is to gradually reduce that number over three years as the Coast Guard adds 6,000 active-duty personnel.

But that is contingent on getting more money.

President Bush has requested $7.3 billion for the Coast Guard, a 36 percent increase from the current year. But many believe that will not be enough to make the improvements that were needed before Sept. 11 and cover new assignments prompted by the attacks.

“I don’t think anyone really understands how profound the crisis, in terms of resources, was for the Coast Guard prior to Sept. 11,” said Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., a longtime Coast Guard supporter.

To plug gaps, some reservists may be converted to active-duty status for one, two or three years. Or reservists may be asked to fill openings for shorter periods until active-duty replacements are found.

Either way, “There’s going to be long-term employment required of the reserves,” said Rear Adm. Carlton Moore, the Atlantic area’s senior reserve officer.

In the past decade, Coast Guard reservists mostly have been activated for 90 days or less to help mainly with natural disasters. Calling on them more often, and for longer periods, can lead to burnout or resentment, Coast Guard officials acknowledge.

None of the reservists at Camp X-ray expressed that sentiment, though many said they are anxious to go home.

“I’ve got a new baby who turned 6 months yesterday. I’ve only seen her about two months of it,” said Petty Officer Greg Peck, 31, a detective from Hopewell, Va.

Lt. Cmdr. Lee Handford, second-in-command of Unit 305, left behind his wife, toddler daughter and a job as a lawyer in Norfolk, Va.

“Extreme times call for extreme measures,” he said.

Despite the sacrifices, an assignment to a high-profile post like Guantanamo can be fulfilling, the reservists say. The work may get tedious, but shifts typically are only four or six hours, and there is snorkeling, swimming and fishing in off-hours.

Master Chief Petty Officer Jeff Smith said he tries to boost morale among younger reservists by reminding them of the importance of their role. Smith, 50, from Orleans, Mass., said he tells them, “History is unfolding around you. You’ll look back in five or 10 years and say, ‘I was part of that.’ “