MOBILE, Ala. - Huntsville, Ala., native and Coast Guard Lt. Delyte Montoya, a reservist with Coast Guard Sector Mobile, recently returned from an extended tour of duty for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response.
Montoya was called to active duty in May 2010 and remained on active status for the 36 months following her report date.
Answering the call to duty, she served as part of the stand-up crew for Incident Command Post Mobile, and supervised 15 members of the Critical Resources Unit, which immediately developed check-in processes and procedures for the training and deployment of more than 1,000 Coast Guard personnel to the front lines of the response.
While serving as the ICP Mobile Resource Unit Leader, Montoya identified a need for better resource tracking. She spearheaded the development of a comprehensive personnel tracking software program to ensure accountability for all Coast Guard response personnel.
This software has remained in use by the Gulf Coast Incident Management Team for the duration of the response. She facilitated strategic plans for installation of GPS devices on skimming equipment, resulting in strict accountability of 150 pieces of critical equipment and allowed more effective allocation of resources.
Montoya was then assigned the role of Mississippi Branch Planner where she maintained oversight of more than 2,000 contractors and 3,000 pieces of response equipment.
She successfully drafted and presented an efficiency plan that reduced the response footprint from 2,000 to 1,100 personnel, reduced equipment from 3,000 pieces to 1,760, and streamlined contract tiers, which resulted in a reduction in monthly spending of $1.7 million.
“In the Coast Guard, the range of our missions, responsibilities and operations demands that we make the most out of every dollar entrusted to us,” said Montoya. “Efficient utilization of resources was critical to the overall success of this response.”
In January 2013, Montoya was selected to establish the position of the deputy operations section chief for eastern states. In this role, she successfully coordinated clean up operations and responses to re-oiling reports for more than 300 miles of coastline.
“This has been a very challenging but also very rewarding experience,” said Montoya. “Out in the field, you saw immediate results for your work. I’m leaving at the precipice of the eastern states’ transition into a final phase of the response. I’m grateful to have had the experience and am looking forward to be heading home to spend more time with my family.”
Montoya was awarded the Coast Guard Commendation Medal and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal for her work on the response.