THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 22, 1995 TAG: 9510200199
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
The timing couldn't have been better.
On Thursday, just two days after the U.S. Coast Guard announced that Portsmouth will become the center for its 40-state East Coast operation, the Portsmouth Divison of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce honored ``Today's Coast Guard'' at its annual Armed Forces Appreciation Luncheon.
The speaker, scheduled long before this week's announcement, was Vice Adm. James M. Loy, commander of the Atlantic Area of the Coast Guard.
Hundreds of Rotarians, Kiwanians, city officials and Chamber members crowded into the Holiday Inn to hear Loy speak.
``This is a wonderfully warm crowd,'' Loy said. ``I will take this information back to New York and remind them (folks in the office who are being transferred out of Governors Island) they have a pleasant experience in store.''
Loy said the New York folks should be pleased that the Coast Guard picked Portsmouth for the center. About 600 military and civilian jobs will be transferred from New York to Portsmouth. About 160 of the total will be moving to the 5th District space in the Federal Building on Downtown Crawford Street.
The remainder of those transferred will be in leased space somewhere - hopefully in Downtown Portsmouth.
Loy spoke of the ``serendipity'' of his appearance Thursday.
``I didn't think I'd be speaking to MY Chamber of Commerce,'' he said.
Loy said he has not been stationed here since he was an ensign fresh out of the Coast Guard Academy 30-some years ago.
But he'll be moving back shortly.
Loy spoke of the past glory of the Coast Guard and seemed as interested in history as Capt. Bill Klemm, commander of the Naval Shipyard, is in shipyard history.
For Portsmouth, where the past has become an economic development tool for the future, it's nice to have these guys with a feeling for the military history here.
The addition of the 400 active duty and 200 civilian jobs next month will increase the Coast Guard numbers here to more than 2,500 active duty and 800 civilians. That makes Portsmouth the Coast Guard capital of the world!
Now if we can just get a bunch more of them living here.
In fact, School Board chairman Tommy Benn told Admiral Loy that he and Mayor Gloria Webb would like to take their ``dog-and-pony show'' to Governors Island to meet the people the Coast Guard will be transferring.
Benn said he and Webb have put together a program they are going to give in Charleston to some 150 families being transferred to the Naval Shipyard here from the South Carolina yard.
The annual ``appreciation'' day always has the top brass at the head table but honors the Sailors of the Year and Coast Guardsman of the Year chosen at the city's three bases.
But this year's audience also was loaded with brass.
The commanding officers of all the units of the 5th Coast Guard District were in town for a meeting.
``Talking about timing, by coincidence, we had scheduled a meeting of all the C.O.'s of the district here today,'' said Rear Adm. William J. Ecker, commander of the 5th District. ``Many of them are here in the audience too.''
``This is first time the Coast Guard has ever outnumbered the Navy anywhere,'' Navy Capt. Thomas R. Cullison said. Cullison is deputy commander of the Naval Medical Center.
And, the Coast Guard also outranked the Navy on this particular day, said Captain Klemm, noting the vice admiral and rear admiral from the Coast Guard at the head table.
However, in the audience there were several retired admirals - three Navy and one Coast Guard - who are retired here.
The timing of the day was perfect and the Navy and Coast Guard folks were happily involved with the community.
Maybe that experience will prod them all to talk favorably about living in Portsmouth.
KEYWORDS: U.S. COAST GUARD by CNB