PORT ANGELES, Wash. - It's been said that it takes a village to raise a child, and in much the same way, it takes an entire Coast Guard unit (and often multiple units) to fulfill a mission. Some of the work is not as glamorous as other work, but all roles are vitally important.
This photo essay focuses on Air Station Port Angeles and the dedicated Guardsmen who are both the visible components of various missions and those who work humbly behind the scenes.
When you see a bright orange Dolphin helicopter on its way to a rescue or patrolling around the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound, think of Air Station Port Angeles and the honorable and skilled men and women who both fly and do their part on the ground. The face of these missions may be the pilots, and the rescue swimmers, but the skeleton of all missions are the support Guardsmen: yeomen, storekeepers, as well as avionics electrical technicians and aviation maintenance technicians who also serve in-flight as, basic aircrew, flight mechanics and aerial gunners.