Millville native selected as finalist in Coast Guard Cadence Contest 2013

Photo By Lt. Donnie Brzuska | U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Barry Hollenbeck, a native of Millville, N.J., poses for a photograph Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013, at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J. Hollenbeck is a finalist in the Coast Guard Cadence Contest, which solicits original jody calls from Coast Guardsmen across the service so the public can chose the Coast Guard's Top Cadence of 2013 by "liking" their favorite on the training center's Facebook or YouTube pages. (Coast Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer Donnie Brzuska)  

CAPE MAY, NJ, UNITED STATES

09.26.2013

Story by Chief Warrant Officer Donnie Brzuska 

U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May

CAPE MAY, N.J. – A Millville, N.J., native has been selected as one of the Coast Guard’s Top 5 Cadence authors of 2013, and his cadence will be released Friday at 8:30 a.m.

Chief Petty Officer Barry Hollenbeck, a company commander at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, was selected for his cadence entitled “In the Coast Guard.” Each year Training Center Cape May, the service’s only enlisted basic training facility, solicits original marching cadences from across the service.

“The Coast Guard Cadence Contest allows service members from across the Coast Guard to educate our recruits,” said Capt. Todd Prestidge, the commanding officer of Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. “Everything we do here is aimed at educating and preparing future Coast Guardsmen for the rigors of service, and that includes when they call cadence.”

Hollenbeck’s cadence was inspired by experiences during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spil response in Hopedale, La., where he led the Decontamination Assessment Team. “In the Coast Guard” is also unique because it divides the company of recruits into a mezzo-soprano section for females and a baritone section for males. While difficult for a marching company to learn and execute, the contrasting voice types result in a catching and rhythmic cadence.

While Hollenbeck wanted to create a cadence to improve his recruits’ morale and educate them on Coast Guard missions, his Jodie call has a more important lesson for the future Coast Guardsmen.

“No matter what rate you are or what you do in the Coast Guard, your day never really ends,” says Hollenbeck. “We’re always standing by, and when our Nation calls for help, you have to flip on the switch and answer the call.”

The Coast Guard will release the Top 5 Cadences throughout the week of Sept. 23, and the public will be given the opportunity to vote on their favorite cadence by “liking” it on Facebook and YouTube. The Top Coast Guard Cadence of 2013 will be announced the week of Oct. 14.

Training Center Cape May prepares more than 80 percent of the Coast Guard’s entire workforce to conduct the service’s frontline missions around the world. The Coast Guard is among the most selective and recruits the most qualified applicants of the five armed services. This rigorous training program educates future Coast Guardsmen in everything from basic water survival to marksmanship, and many graduates will be conducting Coast Guard missions just days after basic training.

• Date Taken: 09.26.2013
• Date Posted: 09.26.2013 14:16
• Story ID: 114322
• Location: CAPE MAY, NJ, US
• Hometown: MILLVILLE, NJ, US