GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba — U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Detachment Guantanamo Bay is always prepared to support air, land or sea operations 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The aviation detachment, part of U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Miami, was established in 1981 shortly after the Cuban Exodus of 1980. AVDET GTMO has been a key member of the Guantanamo Bay community providing mission-critical support to deployed aircraft and cutters as well as supply and logistical support to Joint Task Force Guantanamo port security units.
"Originally AVDET GTMO consisted of approximately 35 personnel, officer and enlisted," said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Corey Sidlo, AVDET supervisor.
"These days, we're down to six [enlisted members], with two of the six members specifically deployed to support the JTF."
The two Coast Guard reserve members who support the JTF are storekeepers who manage procurement and logistics for all the supplies that come and go from the island. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class John Platts works locally to support the port security unit, and Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Jackson remains stateside to support the GTMO mission from Miami.
"Jackson recently departed Guantanamo and returned to Air Station Miami. His primary duty is to manage stateside logistical support and balance the books for the money spent here," Sidlo explained.
Locally, Platts processes procurement requests to purchase supplies and parts that the port security unit needs. He makes sure they have the tools and supplies they need to maintain the new boats they have.
"I manage finances, supplies, logistics and property for the PSU," said Platts. "All supplies and monies work through [the storekeeper]. If the PSU needs anything, they have to come to me first."
With Platts at the storekeeping helm for the PSU, Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Carlos Rodriguez takes care of the AVDET supply needs, with special care toward the proper handling and shipping of hazardous materials.
"As a storekeeper, I deal with a lot of sensitive and [hazardous] materials," Rodriguez said. "When the PSU needs to ship any hazardous materials, I prepare the material safety data sheet and ensure all the paperwork is [in order]."
In addition to providing necessary supply support for the PSU, the AVDET also provides round-the-clock maintenance support for any equipment that breaks down.
"My main job is to make sure that ground support equipment is always ready to go," said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony Lopez. "At any given time, an aircraft can come in or break down and my equipment must be ready. If my equipment is down, that aircraft is down. If that aircraft is down, then it can't complete its [mission]."
Lopez maintains the facilities in addition to the ground-craft support equipment for the AVDET. He also operates a fork lift to support supply missions for the AVDET and JTF port security.
The AVDET keeps busy providing support to ground and water operations but also keeps an eye on the sky, supporting fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
"We typically have HU-25 Falcon Jets deployed here from anywhere in the Coast Guard Atlantic Area," Sidlo said. "There's also a chance that you'll see an HH-65 Dolphin Helicopter deployed here specifically, or here for repairs before returning to the cutter they are assigned to."
The AVDET supports Coast Guard drug interdiction missions, migrant operations and acts as a liaison to inbound Troopers by coordinating with departments like the naval station hospital, supply, port operations, air terminal and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
"We have cutters that [arrive at GTMO] and we support logistical operations for them by getting cargo on and off the island as well as personnel," Sidlo added. "Although we're not out there in the trenches, we're there providing the tools they need to [support their mission]."
Despite the small staff, the AVDET proves it's not the size of the team that matters; rather, it's their ability to perform under pressure.
"We're a small unit but we make a big impact in the community," Lopez said. "We support everything from the cutters to aircraft, to the JTF."
Date Taken: | 04.24.2009 |
Date Posted: | 04.27.2009 14:27 |
Story ID: | 32921 |
Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
Web Views: | 595 |
Downloads: | 169 |
This work, Aviation Detachment Guantanamo Bay: Semper Paratus, by Emily McCamy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.