***Rear Adm. Castillo REMARKS **
Good morning, and thanks for being here today. Y'all had a choice, and you could have gone somewhere else, so
thanks for choosing here. Well, all right, some of you didn't have a choice, but thanks anyway!
I know CAPT Prince has recognized our Distinguished Guests, and I appreciate you all being here and I look
forward to talking with each of you after the ceremony. Let me give a special welcome to my mom and my dad, a
retired Navy officer (and former Chief) up from Southern California; our son Jon from Tennessee; our other son
Matt and his wife Jenn from Virginia - with our grandson Ben! Monte and Yvonne - my aunt and uncle who traveled
here from FL - and who welcomed Heather and our pets for a month and a half when she evacuated from Hurricane
Katrina; my cousin Tresa, cousin Lori and her husband Bob, their son Robert and grandson Carmine;family friends
George and Mary who we first met when I lived here in Alameda as a kid; and of course the great class of 78!
Brooke Winter, Mike Vincenty, Jim Hoeft, Pat Layne, Bill Meyn, and Mike Seward – y’all look better every year!
RDML Schultz, a big welcome to you, Dawn, Kelsey, Lindsey, Annaliese, Eric, and Zach. I can see already that
you’re a terrific and outgoing family, and you’re all going to love it here.
VADM Zukunft, I appreciate you officiating today, and Fran, thanks for coming as well.
Admiral, thank you for the recognition. As you know, the work of a district is done by the many people in the
trenches who set the aids, carry out the boardings and inspections and rescues – people who work hard to prevent
bad things from happening, and who respond swiftly and decisively when trouble erupts. And also by the program
elements on staff who spend long hours ensuring those in the field have the tools, training, and direction needed to
accomplish the mission, and by the support elements who make sure people get paid and supplies get purchased –
again, so the people in the field can make good things happen. On all their behalf, thank you for recognizing the
work of the Eleventh District.
And I’m looking forward to coming and working for you again – it’s been a number of years and a few promotions
since we served on the Atlantic Area staff together. I guess the detailers figured that if we could do good together
for Atlantic Area, they might as well put us together to do good for Pacific Area!
A special thank you to the Band, and to the Project Officers for today’s event - LCDR Kerry Karwan, LCDR Mike
Stone, and LT Allison Collier. And also to Ms Desiree Parker for leading us in the National Anthem.
Today is a true Coast Guard day. We often praise the really bad weather when it comes during a Change of
Command, pointing out that bad weather makes it a Coast Guard day - because so often, we're heading out when
others are heading in. But there are many more days like today, than there are the bad weather days. And our Coast
Guard men and women are standing the watch during each and every one of them – protecting those on the sea,
protecting the nation from threats by sea, and protecting the sea itself. And sometimes those days are harder, because
it seems like too nice a day for something to go wrong. But it often does, and we're there to take care of it. We’ve
been catching the bad guys, saving lives, and protecting the mariner and the environment since the days of “humanpowered” small boats – like the whale boat here on my left. And we do it still today with more technologically
advanced equipment - like the response boat on my right. Personally, I’m glad someone invented the engine!
When I arrived here 3 years ago, I was the 5 th District Commander in 5 calendar years. I was relieving then RADM
Zukunft, and D11 was performing well by every measure. One of my first decisions was that I would keep a steady
course, and change nothing that didn’t absolutely need to be changed for at least a year. Then over time, we would
make incremental improvements.
So that’s what we did. A very high performing District became a bit better over time as the magnificent people of
the district identified things we could do a little bit better. And the people behind them identified things that could
be just a little better still – as we maintained a steady course towards operational and personal excellence.
Along the way we cried with Air Station Sacramento and with the city of San Diego, and we dug deep into our
reserves of personal and personnel strength as we supported the 7 th District during the response to the Haitian
earthquake, and the 8th District during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We were a knight in shining armor to small
groups of one, two, and five people here and there - hundreds of miles offshore in the worst of weather in the dead
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of night…and we were a beacon of hope and light to 4,500 people on a broken cruise ship drifting without power off
the CA and MX coast.
When Japan was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami last year, some harbors in CA were torn apart by the
tsunami as well – and we were there to help. We saw the largest ship ever to call in the Port of Oakland arrive
safely, as well as the Battleship IOWA in Los Angeles. We wrote Traffic Separation Schemes to improve ship
traffic safety, and helped ensure those who protested in the ports did so safely, and commerce kept moving. We
helped keep drugs off our shores and drunken boaters off our waters. We kept the aids to navigation winking and
blinking so maritime transportation could flow, and we handled ship inspections and casualty investigations to help
keep the mariners safe. We cleaned up oil spills, and we began the planning and operations to support the very first
America's Cup to be held in a bay where people will be able to watch from shore - right here in San Francisco.
But Eleventh District units did not do these things by ourselves. I owe a great deal of thanks to the California
Emergency Management Agency; to Nancy Ward at FEMA Region 9, I appreciate you being here; and to the
California National Guard –COL Spano. Because of our work together we are better prepared to serve the people of
this state when – not if – but when, a major catastrophe happens. Within our Department of Homeland Security, in
addition to FEMA we have enjoyed a great working relationship with Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Air and Marine, and Border Patrol. Chief Beeson,
thanks for your support, and save me a saddle –I’m still going to get down there for a ride along the border on
horseback!
And a special thanks to the 129th Air Rescue Wing of the National Guard. They’ve been there to cover for us when
our planes were down, and we’ve worked a number of Search and Rescue cases where we were able to pool our
unique capabilities and create a joint package that saved people’s lives. I was privileged to be able to present a
Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation to them last month for a case we worked together – just a fantastic
group of airmen..
On the hazardous materials front, the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response has been a great partner in
protecting the environment – Scott Shafer, thanks for your support.
Our relationships with maritime industries are crucial to understanding the mariner and continually achieving a safer
work environment, and I appreciate the Pacific Maritime Association, American Waterways Operators, the Pilots
Association, and those who have permitted me to ride on your tugs and ships to gain a better perspective of your
operations, and the impact of CG regulations and policies.
One of the most important teams we’ve maintained has been with Joint Interagency Task Force South, under RADM
Chuck Michel’s command, and the international friendships and partnerships that I have been privileged to share. I
am truly honored to have several representatives from some of our key partner nations here today – VADM Uribe
from Mexico; Commissioner Lopez from Panama, and CDR Thowinson from Colombia. Thanks for making very
long trips to join us today. I appreciate the friendship, professionalism, and mutual respect we share – together we
are making a difference for all our countries. I think I can sum up what our relationship means with a well-known
Spanish saying – “Dime con quien andes, y te diré quien eres.” Tell me who you walk with, and I’ll tell you who
you are.
I appreciate the constant support of the many Navy League Councils for all of our district units, and the City of
Alameda, Sea West Credit Union, and Navy League for always being here on Coast Guard Island to recognize our
folks at our Sailor and Civilian of the Quarter ceremonies. If you don’t know it, Alameda is one of only a dozen
Coast Guard cities – Mayor Gilmore, we appreciate all you and the city do for us.
The East Bay and North Bay Spouses Clubs and unit ombudsmen have done a lot to help our families, and the
Enlisted Association, Chief Petty Officers Association, and Warrant Officers Association have supported our crews
and our families – and have done much outside the Coast Guard, working in the local communities to be great
neighbors.
Thanks also to my family for your support. Heather, as I took command three years ago, I told you that you knew
there'd be many absences and many long nights - and that wasn't the half of it! Your support and encouragement has
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meant the world to me, and your compassion and caring for our Coast Guard families has made more of a difference
for our people and our units than you will ever realize. Bartles and James…
I’ve been blessed with a front office staff that has kept me on track and on time – well, mostly on time. When I’ve
been late, it’s been my fault – not theirs. Michelle Garciaguzman, YN1s Whilhite, Whaley and Mullins;YN3 Burke,
SN Mattison and FN Brown; LTs Bixler, Smoak, and Tufts; CAPTs Metruck and Prince; and Command Master
Chiefs Vanderwerf, Bushey, Adams, and Seeley – thanks for working hard to ensure we take care of the people of
the district. If you’re wondering how all those people fit into that little front office, they weren’t all there at once –
when you stay in this job for three years, you get to work with a lot of people! Master Chief Vanderwerf, it’s great
to see you and Laura come all the way from Washington DC to be here.
And most importantly, to the men and women of the Eleventh District – active duty, reserve, civilian, and
Auxiliarist. From the deckplates and hangerdecks, to the command centers and command suites of the field units,
you performed magnificently. I asked for your best effort, and you gave it. As I’ve traveled the district and met
with you, I’ve continued to be impressed with the pride and professionalism I’ve seen on your mess decks, and in
the Chiefs Messes and wardrooms. And I had the chance at an all-hands here on the island two weeks ago, to tell
those of you on the district staff what a tremendous impact you have had, in more detail than time permits me this
morning. Simply put, I could not have asked for more. Together, each of you has made it happen – thank you.
It has become pretty common at changes of command to say you have the best crew in the Coast Guard. With
dozens of changes of command happening this summer alone, that can't possibly be true each time. So I'm not going
to say it. I may think it, but I’m not going to say it! What I am going to say, is that I'll put this crew up against any
other crew...any time, anywhere. And I'm confident that I know which crew is going to prevent the most bad things
from happening, and which crew will respond the fastest and the best when something bad does occur. I'm
confident I know which crew is going to show the highest professionalism, and which crew is going to look out for
each other the most.
I’m confident that you in the Eleventh, can tackle any challenge, surmount any obstacle, and will always be the
epitome of Coastguardsmen. It has been my privilege to be your District Commander.
Karl, you inherit a great team which is focused on each other and the mission. Give them some direction, the
training and resources they need, and then get out of the way before they run you over! Invest yourself in them, and
they’ll do you proud.
To all, as always - be safe, get the job done, and have fun! Thank you, and semper paratus.
...pause...
---------------------------------------------------------------------I will now read my orders……pause……
From: Commandant
To: RADM Joseph Castillo
Subj: ORDERS, NEW ASSIGNMENT
Upon relief as Commander, 11th Coast Guard District, proceed and report for duty as Deputy Commander, Coast
Guard Pacific Area and Maritime Defense Force West, Alameda, California.
(GO TO “H” – Chief of Staff, haul down my flag!)
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