Tulelake, Calif., native receives first Coast Guard advancement of the decade

Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer NyxoLyno Cangemi | Petty Officer 2nd Class Taylor Farris (left) and Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Drawdy pin second class petty officer insignias on the collar of Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Cureton during an advancement ceremony Jan. 1, 2020, aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, about 200 miles north of McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Due to the proximity of the icebreaker to the International Date Line, Cureton's advancement to second class petty officer marked the first Coast Guard advancement in the 2020 decade. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Senior Chief Petty Officer NyxoLyno Cangemi  

ANTARCTICA

12.31.2019

Story by Senior Chief Petty Officer NyxoLyno Cangemi    

U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area

Story and Photos by:
Senior Chief Petty Officer NyxoLyno Cangemi, U.S. Coast Guard

SOUTHERN OCEAN – A Tulelake, California, native became the first Coast Guard individual to advance in the 2020 decade aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star approximately 200 miles north of McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Cureton, 23, was advanced to second class petty officer during an advancement ceremony aboard the Polar Star, which, because of the ship’s proximity to the International Date Line, was the first Coast Guard unit to usher in the new year.

Cureton is one of 159 crew members aboard the Polar Star, a 399-foot heavy icebreaker, and he serves as an electrician’s mate aboard the ship, repairing and servicing the diesel electric power plant and auxiliary electrical systems aboard the 43-year-old icebreaker.

“It’s always an honor to recognize the achievements of the hard-working men and women of the Polar Star,” said Capt. Greg Stanclik, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star. “The opportunity to recognize petty officer Cureton as the first Coast Guard advancement of the decade is truly a unique and remarkable occasion, and I’m proud to have been a part of that moment.”

As unique as the event may be, that sense was initially lost on Cureton.

“This feels like a rare opportunity,” Cureton said. “It’s like all the stars aligned in some kind of weird way, and to be honest, it caught me by surprise. I didn’t really think of my advancement that way until someone brought it up and mentioned what a big deal it is.”

Cureton and the rest of the Polar Star crew are working to escort three refuel and resupply ships to McMurdo Station as part of Operation Deep Freeze – a joint service, inter-agency support for the National Science Foundation, which manages the United States Antarctic Program.

The 2019-2020 ODF season marks the 60th Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty and the 64th year of military dedication, ingenuity and labor in support of the Antarctic mission.

ODF is unlike any other U.S. military operation. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, most inhospitable continent on Earth. Each trip to Antarctica requires careful planning and coordination. As weather changes quickly at the bottom of the world, conditions are continuously monitored to ensure safety of aircraft, ships, cargo, passengers and crews supporting ODF.

The Polar Star must navigate through ice fields for up to three days before reaching a solid ice mass 10-40 miles offshore. The crew will then cut a channel and turning basin through the ice to allow ice-strengthened resupply ships to reach McMurdo Station.

The Polar Star is the only operational heavy icebreaker in the U.S. fleet. The cutter, which was commissioned in 1976, has a crew of 159 people, weighs 13,500 tons and uses 75,000 horsepower to break ice up to 21 feet thick.

The U.S. military began its Operation Deep Freeze mission in 1955.

Cureton is a 2014 graduate of Tulelake High School.

• Date Taken: 12.31.2019
• Date Posted: 12.31.2019 11:55
• Story ID: 357693
• Location: AQ
• Hometown: TULELAKE, CA, US