Galloway honors those who serve during 12th annual Salute to Our Veterans program
Last Updated on Thursday, October 04, 2012 10:59 am Written by Steve Prisament Thursday, September 20, 2012 12:19 pm
GALLOWAY – Lt. C.K. Moore, commanding officer of Coast Guard Stations Atlantic City and Small Great Egg, said he often gets the same response when he tells people the Coast Guard is in Africa, Bahrain, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Malta and the Netherlands.
“What part of ‘coast’ in Coast Guard don’t you understand?”
At Galloway’s 12th annual Salute to Our Veterans, Moore proceeded to tick off trouble spots around the globe where there’s a Coast Guard presence and explain why it’s there.
The stations Moore commands operate five small boats with 47 active duty personnel and a reserve crew of 17.
The boats conduct approximately 150 search and rescue cases each year in an area of responsibility extending 30 miles offshore from Little Egg Inlet to Corson’s Inlet and all back bays and waterways.
Moore enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1995. A 2003 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Officers Candidate School and a former petty officer second class, he has served more than 16 years in an array of operational and administrative units.
A 2003 graduate of American InterContinental University with a bachelor of information technology degree, he also has a master’s degree in quality systems management.
Moore’s decorations include a Coast Guard Commendation Medal, four Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and numerous unit awards and citations. In 2010, he was bestowed the NAACP Roy Wilkins Renowned Service Award.
A native of Harlem, N.Y., Moore is married to the former Lakisha Williams of Queens, N.Y. They have two children, Sydney Alexa and Dominic Jacob.
“When my children and future generations ask why America is still free, why our waters are still safe and why the heyday of radical extremists were counted in days rather than in centuries, I will tell them that our hometown heroes – our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coast Guardsmen and Marines faced all threats and all hazards to protect millions both home and abroad,” Moore said.
He closed by saying on behalf of the men and women of the Coast Guard, “This is our chosen profession. This is our way. This is what we do.”
Deputy Mayor Tony Coppola served as master of ceremonies for the event, which included a picnic free to veterans.
Rev. Bruce Weaknecht, pastor of the Moravian Church of Egg Harbor City, delivered the opening prayer. Rev. Philip McClelland, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Galloway, gave the final blessing.
Jim Craine sang the national anthem, and Cheryl Breitzman led the Absegami High School Senior Select Choir in “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Absegami student Heather Berchtold played taps.
She took up the bugle a year ago and has joined Bugles Across America, which has her playing the traditional bugle call at veterans’ funerals.
Local physical education teacher Jennifer Sawhill accepted applause for her son, Cody, who decided 12 years ago that Galloway should honor its veterans in a day other than those celebrated nationally. With his Middle School civics teacher, David Evans, he brought his idea to life.
Cody Sawhill, now a college graduate, recently enlisted in the military and was away at basic training during the event.
Coppola concluded the ceremony by asking everyone to pray for those serving in today’s military.
Members of the township’s Veterans Advisory Board present were Evelyn Evans, Russ Connor, Ike Rucker and Chairman Herb Davis.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|