| Sector Lake Michigan U.S. Coast Guard |
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| Press Release | Date: July 14, 2006 Contact: LTJG Boris Montatsky |
CHANGE OF COMMAND AT SECTOR LAKE MICHIGAN Milwaukee, WI. - A change of command ceremony for Coast Guard Captain Scott LaRochelle, Commander of Sector Lake Michigan, formerly Group Milwaukee, will be held at the Coast Guard Base in Milwaukee at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, July 14. During the ceremony Captain Bruce Jones, Commander of Air Station New Orleans will assume command. The change of command ceremony is steeped in the rich heritage of naval tradition and recognizes the legal transfer of authority and responsibility from one commander to another while preserving the continuity of command vital to any military organization. Since Captain LaRochelle began his tour at Sector Lake Michigan in August 2003, he has been responsible for all Coast Guard units on Lake Michigan from north Indiana to Northern Wisconsin including 18 small boats stations, 3 aids to navigation team and one cutter. Under his command, Sector Lake Michigan crews conducted over 3,000 search and rescue cases, saved 320 lives and more than $12 million in property. They also completed 13,851 law enforcement boardings and issued 443 Boating Under the Influence citations. Captain LaRochelle has become the first Commanding Officer for Sector Lake Michigan, marking the completion of the absorption of Group Milwaukee, Marine Safety Offices Chicago and Milwaukee, and Group Grand Haven at Sector Lake Michigan, as Sector Lake Michigan formally assumes full operational and administrative control of almost the entire Lake Michigan region. Captain LaRochelle was integral in the transfer, which is a part of the Coast Guard's national sector realignment plan, which places all operational units within a given locality under a single command. The attacks of September 11th brought sweeping changes to the operational environment, which reinforced the importance of a unified command that increases interaction and close coordination between operational commands, develops a common operating picture, and shares information and intelligence more rapidly than before. Upon his relief, Captain LaRochelle and his wife Marilyn of Houston, Texas., and son, Eric will relocate to Washington D.C., where Captain LaRochelle will assume the duties of Chief, of the Coast Guard's Search and Rescue office.
For more information contact the Sector Lake Michigan Public Affairs Officer at (414) 747-7193.
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