Photo By Sgt. Amber Bohlman | Lt. Trevor Blount ensures there are no more leaks during his introductory unit...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - Ready to move on a moment's notice, the Atlantic Strike Team is one of three Coast Guard teams designed to support and respond to a wide variety of emergencies.
“The Atlantic Strike Team is a surge force of personnel specially trained to respond to disasters in the maritime throughout any of the United States' ports and internationally as well,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Eric Doucette, commanding officer of the AST.
The AST consists of 45 Coast Guardsmen who work diligently every day preparing themselves for the possibility of being deployed on a moment's notice.
“We stay ready through a lot of hard work, and a lot of training and a lot of being gone from home,” said Chief Petty Officer Michael Goglia, training chief for the AST.
On average, members will spend about 140 days on the road responding to disasters or training. When they are not on a field assignment, they are at their unit conducting maintenance on equipment or training to be proficient at their jobs.
“We have a team that is always ready to deploy from the unit within two hours when called,” Doucette said. “All of our members can deploy out at once, or they could be on a two-hour standby.”
Although the team has an impressive resume including: Responding two hours after 9/11 to Ground Zero, Hurricane Sandy relief and are responsible for the coverage of 22 states and the Atlantic Ocean, they still maintain a certain amount of anonymity.
“It’s a very technically specialized unit,” Goglia said. “The rest of the Coast Guard doesn’t really do what we do here at the National Strike Force.”
Most Coast Guard units are isolated and on their own, the AST is located among four other branches and JB-MDL is a unique base for a unit like this.
“We think it is a very special home for us to be apart of the joint environment,” Doucette said.
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 10.08.2014 19:38 |
| Story ID: | 144664 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 132 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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