US COAST GUARD SECTOR HOUSTON-GALVESTON
GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR
US COAST GUARD SECTOR FIELD OFFICE GALVESTON MULTI-MISSION BUILDING
FEBRUARY 27, 2009
1300
HISTORY OF SECTOR FIELD OFFICE GALVESTON
Coast Guard Base Galveston 1938 Coast Guard Base Galveston 2003
The Coast Guard began it's service to the Galveston Bay area in the year 1878, when the United States Government acquired a lot upon which was erected a Lifeboat Station on Pelican Island. This was destroyed by the Hurricane of 1900. The new station was torn down and rebuilt in 1909. At this time in history, the Life Saving Service was a separate organization. It was not until 1915 that the Life Saving and Revenue Cutter Services combined to become the U.S. Coast Guard. The Lifeboat station was once again destroyed in the great hurricane of 1915, so it was relocated to the old immigration station on Pelican Island. The station remained on Pelican Island until it was moved to its current location at Fort Point in 1938. The increased need for a Coast Guard presence resulted in creating Group Galveston in the 1960’s and the Station was attached to the Group. After being attached to Group Galveston for over 26 years, Station Galveston became an independent unit with a command of its own in 1994, but remained under the hierarchy of Group Galveston.
Group Galveston had 12 subordinate units (subunits), including Station Galveston, operating in an area from Matagorda, Texas to Marsh Island, Louisiana including the inland waterway at Lake Texoma. The Group provided operational guidance and logistical, administrative, material, engineering, and technical support for all subunits. The subunits performed missions within the five principal roles of the Coast Guard: maritime safety, maritime mobility, maritime security, protection of natural resources, and national defense. In the late 1990’s, these units responded to over 1400 search and rescue cases a year, repaired over 1500 aids to navigation a year, and participated in numerous law enforcement missions throughout the Gulf, including the interdiction of illegal drugs along the Texas coast, as well as enforcing fisheries law on average.
Sector Field Office Galveston was established on December 16, 2005. All the subunits from Group Galveston were merged with multiple Marine Safety Units to form what is now called Sector Houston-Galveston. Sector Field Office (SFO) Galveston retained the logistical, administrative, material, engineering, technical, and base security support functions from the former Group Galveston. Today, Sector Field Office Galveston has 51 active duty, 15 reservists, 7 civilian, and 10 contracted employees providing specialty support and services to over 2100 Coast Guard Personnel throughout two Sectors, including 8 cutters and 68 small boats. Support is also provided to hundreds of Department of Defense, dependents, and retirees throughout Sector Houston-Galveston. SFO Galveston is the host command for the following tenant units: CGC DAUNTLESS, CGC HARRY CLAIBORNE; CGC MANOWAR; CGC SKIPJACK; CGC HATCHET; CGC CLAMP, Station Galveston, Aids to Navigation Team Galveston, Electronic Support Detachment Galveston, and the ATON Buoy Yard Detachment.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
COMMANDER ERIC J. FORD
Commanding Officer, Sector Field Office Galveston
OFFICIAL PARTY ARRIVES*
NATIONAL ANTHEM*
INVOCATION*
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER BRYAN K. CRITTENDON
United States Navy Chaplain Corps
REMARKS
CAPTAIN WILLIAM J. DIEHL
Commander, Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston
GUEST SPEAKER
SHAY ATLURU
President, DTC Engineers & Constructors, LLC
CONSECRATION
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER BRYAN K. CRITTENDON
United States Navy Chaplain Corps
GROUNDBREAKING
*Guests are requested to rise
Reception to follow in THE Station Galveston Boathouse
CAPTAIN WILLIAM J. DIEHL
Commander, Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston
Captain Diehl is a 1982 graduate of the U. S. Coast Guard Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He holds a Master’s of Science degree in Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is also a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Virginia.
Captain Diehl’s first assignment was as assistant engineer on the USCGC SHERMAN in Alameda, California. He entered the Marine Safety field in 1984 as a marine inspector of commercial vessels in the shipyards and bayous around New Iberia, Louisiana.
In 1987, Captain Diehl attended graduate school at the University of Michigan. This was followed by a naval architect tour at the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center (MSC) in Washington, DC. While at the MSC, Captain Diehl helped establish the MSC’s salvage team, and later led the response to major marine casualties on the tank ships Mega Borg and Jupiter.
In 1993, Captain Diehl began three consecutive field tours with assignment to the Marine Safety Office (MSO) in Corpus Christi, Texas as Chief of Inspections and Chief of Response Operations. In 1996, he moved to MSO Detroit where he served as the Executive Officer. In 1999, he assumed command of MSO Duluth.
From July 2002 to April 2004, Captain Diehl was assigned to the Fourteenth Coast Guard District in Honolulu, Hawaii where he managed the international and domestic marine safety regulatory programs in the Asia-Pacific region.
Captain Diehl served as the Coast Guard Liaison to the Panama Canal Authority and worked with the operational managers on all aspects of security, maritime transportation, and environmental protection. He sat on the Canal’s operational board, ensuring its staff of 9,400 was organized, trained, and equipped to move 14,000 vessels per year safely through the Canal.
Captain Diehl is currently the Houston-Galveston Sector Commander. His area of responsibility extends from the Lake Charles, Louisiana to Freeport, Texas and includes seven major ports, including Houston, the largest petrochemical port in the nation. He is in charge of 15 Coast Guard units and over 950 Active and Reserve personnel and 400 Auxiliary members. Together they carryout all Coast Guard missions from law enforcement, and search and rescue operations to marine safety and security missions.
Captain Diehl wears several military decorations including two Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medals, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and a Coast Guard Achievement Medal.
Captain Diehl was born and raised in Olean, New York. He is married to the former Annette Shea of Denver, Colorado. They have a daughter Rachel, and two sons Daniel and Michael.
COMMANDER ERIC J. FORD
Commanding Officer, Sector Field Office (SFO) Galveston, TX
Commander Ford graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) with High Honors in May 1991, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. He subsequently obtained Masters of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in June 1995.
Commander Ford was first assigned to the USCGA Waterfront in May 1991 as the senior Ensign, where he trained over 400 cadets and civilian personnel in sailing, water safety and instruction. He then reported aboard the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) DURABLE (WMEC 628) as the Student Engineer and later became the Damage Control Assistant and Assistant Engineer Officer.
Following graduate school, Commander Ford was designated as the USCG Technical Agent at the Program Manager’s Representative Office to oversee the $370 million contract for the design and construction of the USCGC HEALY (WAGB-20) at Avondale Shipyards. Commander Ford returned to the USCGC DURABLE (WMEC 628) in June 1999 as the Engineer Officer, where he managed $3 million in required and emergency maintenance and repairs of an aging cutter and significantly improved the supply chain logistics and operational readiness for the entire Coast Guard and Navy fleet of aviation capable ships.
Commander Ford reported back to the USCGA in July 2001 and taught in the Mechanical Engineering section of the Engineering Department as an Assistant Professor until July 2005. He was the faculty advisor for multiple senior projects; two which directly contributed to Homeland Security research included the design and fabrication of an underwater dive aid and the use of biodiesel fuel in CG small boats. Commander Ford was then assigned the Executive Officer of the Naval Engineering Support Unit in New Orleans, LA. He was a primary leader for the vessel support unit maintaining and repairing over 130 cutters and small boats during the response and recovery operations for Hurricane Katrina.
Commander Ford reported to Sector Field Office (SFO) Galveston in May 2007 and used his past experience to organize the newly formed unit and provide the necessary logistics support for the response and recovery operations to the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike.
Among Commander Ford’s military awards are the three CG Commendation Medals with the Operational Distinguishing Device, one CG Achievement Medal, two CG Unit Commendations with the Operational Distinguishing Device, four CG Meritorious Team Commendation Ribbons, two CG “E” Ribbons, three Humanitarian Service Medals, two National Defense Service Medals, and the Armed Forces Service Medal.
Commander Ford is from West Paterson, NJ and is married to the former Kelly Fusco of Clifton, NJ. They have two children, their son Jared and daughter Zoe.
SHAY ATLURU, PRESIDENT
DTC ENGINEERS & CONSTRUCTORS
Mr. Atluru is an engineer and construction professional with 20 years of experience in government contracting. He has led the design and construction of nearly 1000 government projects in 26 states, Puerto Rico, Central America, Asia, and the Middle East for DHS and DOD. The total projects' value exceeds $500,000,000. Notable projects include new Army Reserve Centers in California and Arkansas, 2 Buildings for CBP and ICE at FLETC, Restoration of the Home of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hurricane Recovery for Naval Air Station Key West, and 3 Army Reserve Centers in Puerto Rico.
Recently completing the design and construction of a new Sector Command Building for Long Island Sound, Mr. Atluru is most proud of the collaborative approach DTC has taken with FDCC, where Sector Long Island Sound was called the "finest facility in the Coast Guard's inventory". Galveston will be the natural continuation of his personal belief in providing exceptional facilities to the Federal Government, and to those men and women that protect our nation.
Mr. Atluru holds degrees in Engineering and Business Administration from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. He sits on the Board of Directors for several national non-profits, including THE REUSE PEOPLE (www.thereusepeople.org), an organization commited to sustainable development, material reuse, and workforce training. He authored numerous publications in the fields of government contracting, sustainable design and construction, and youth mentoring.
Coast Guard Station Galveston Boat House and Administrative Building, 1939
Elevation Plans of Sector Field Office Galveston’s Multi-Mission Building, 2009