They Had to Go Out
104 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 204 ratingsGet ready to whiten those knuckles and hold fast as we get underway to talk with Coast Guard veterans about the most daring, dangerous, and epic sea stories ever told. Whether facing ruthless men who prey on other mariners or storms that turn calm seas into graveyards, those who go down to the sea and cast off lines enter the most challenging and dangerous environment on earth. Only here will you hear their stories and the lessons gained through their experience. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
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Episodes
Episode 90 - Sandra Stosz - Vice Admiral (Ret.) - Icebreaking - Cutter CO
November 23, 2021 02:46 - 1 hour - 81.6 MBVice Admiral Sandra Stosz (Ret.) talks twelve years at sea aboard six different cutters ranging from red to white to black hulls, icebreaking as a newly minted ensign, command of a cutter defending the approaches to New York after 9/11, running high seas search and rescue aboard polar icebreakers, leading the service’s recruit training center and its academy, serving at the highest levels of leadership as the aid to the Secretary of Transportation, and her new book “Breaking Ice and Breaking ...
Episode 89 - John Marks - Captain (Ret.) - Chief Yeoman
November 15, 2021 23:08 - 1 hour - 100 MBFor this episode we welcome our first ever Yeoman to the show and he does not disappoint. CAPT John Marks (Ret.) talks adventures in the South Pacific including visits to the leper colony on Molokai and a murder at a remote LORAN station, running a Miss Ocean Station contest with flight stewardesses from the middle of the North Atlantic, how the concept of “member’s responsibility” developed along with the Yeoman correspondence course, the punches and sponges of the first ever Servicewide Exa...
Episode 88 - Lee Fanning - LCDR - Flight Surgeon - Sikorsky HH52A
October 20, 2021 13:48 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBFormer LCDR Lee Fanning talks service as a Flight Surgeon at Air Station San Francisco, responding on his first day of duty to the crash landing of a 747 with 300 souls aboard, dodging pine trees and traversing coastal cliffs to save the life of an injured hiker, a violent air hijacking, and flying missions as aircrew aboard the Sikorsky HH52A. To hear more check out Doc Fanning’s book “Rescues from the Sky” available now at https://rescuesfromtheskybyleewaltersmd.com/ #uscg #coastguard #they...
Episode 87 - Jeff Rusiecki - BMC (Ret.) - Surfman - FV Sea King - National Motor Lifeboat School
September 28, 2021 21:23 - 1 hour - 67.4 MBChief Boatswains Mate Jeff Rusiecki (Ret.) talks being at the helm for the attempted rescue of the fishing vessel Sea King as she foundered on the Columbia River Bar, how that case connected him to the survivor of a similar tragedy from the 1960s involving the loss of three motor lifeboats and several crewmen; servicing aids to navigation along the remote Alaskan coastline, seizing the first go fast under the Zero Tolerance policy, and training a new generation of surfmen at the National Moto...
Jim Morphew - MK - Patrol Boat Sailor - War on Drugs - Mariel Boatlift - PTSD
November 20, 2020 23:08 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBFormer MK Jim Morphew talks a near decade of service on the Gulf Coast, two tours at one of the service’s least requested duty stations in Grand Isle, Louisiana; interdicting tons of marijuana in the opening days of the War on Drugs; the sights, sounds, and emotions of the mass migration from Cuba known as the Mariel Boatlift; cruising aboard a prototype Surface Effect Ship (SES); and overcoming post traumatic stress with the help of Veterans Affairs. --- Support this podcast: https://anc...
Episode 86: Jim Morphew - MK - Patrol Boat Cutterman - War on Drugs - Mariel Boatlift - PTSD
November 20, 2020 23:08 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBFormer MK Jim Morphew talks a near decade of service on the Gulf Coast, two tours at one of the service’s least requested duty stations in Grand Isle, Louisiana; interdicting tons of marijuana in the opening days of the War on Drugs; the sights, sounds, and emotions of the mass migration from Cuba known as the Mariel Boatlift; cruising aboard a prototype Surface Effect Ship (SES); and overcoming post traumatic stress with the help of Veterans Affairs. --- Support this podcast: https://pod...
Episode 86: Jim Morphew - MK - Patrol Boat Sailor - War on Drugs - Mariel Boatlift - PTSD
November 20, 2020 23:08 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBFormer MK Jim Morphew talks a near decade of service on the Gulf Coast, two tours at one of the service’s least requested duty stations in Grand Isle, Louisiana; interdicting tons of marijuana in the opening days of the War on Drugs; the sights, sounds, and emotions of the mass migration from Cuba known as the Mariel Boatlift; cruising aboard a prototype Surface Effect Ship (SES); and overcoming post traumatic stress with the help of Veterans Affairs. --- Support this podcast: https://anc...
Episode 85: William ‘Dean’ Lee - Vice Admiral (Ret.) - Commanding Officer - LANTAREA - Boat Forces
November 02, 2020 00:45 - 58 minutes - 53.3 MBVice Admiral William “Dean” Lee (Ret.) talks the most impactful case of his 36 year career - the courageous effort to save a life from inside a capsized fishing vessel hull, the most important lesson learned from seven tours as a commanding officer, group versus sector organization, servant leadership, and the importance of humility. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Episode 84: Steve Love - Commander (Ret) - CO - Mustang - ET - Cutter Swimmer - Boat Forces
October 28, 2020 03:57 - 1 hour - 80.4 MBCommander Steve Love (Ret) talks 34 years of active service, his first patrol out of basic training aboard CGC Cherokee, white knuckling the helm and being lashed to the mast during the search for a distressed sailboat in a hurricane force storm, deploying as a cutter swimmer to rescue the crew of a downed Navy mine sweeping helicopter, searching for stowaways in Panama City, the origins of fatigue limits, his first command at Station Cape May and the tough personnel and operational decisions...
Episode 83: Erin Stapleton - BOSN - CGC Eagle Sailmaster - Diver - Officer in Charge
October 10, 2020 13:30 - 1 hour - 69.2 MBBOSN Erin Stapleton (Ret) talks service as the Sailmaster aboard the Tall Ship Eagle during a crossing of the Atlantic, recovering a man overboard under sail, training and mentoring Academy cadets underway, qualifying as a diver in the early days of the service’s program, diving on piers and ships in support of the port security and drug interdiction missions of Maritime Safety and Security Teams, a close call during a cruise ship hull inspection, investigating sea mine blast sites, attending...
Episode 82: Kurt Strauch - BOSN - Marine Firefighting - Antarctic Ops - Officer in Charge
October 03, 2020 01:40 - 1 hour - 74.7 MBBoatswain Kurt Strauch (Ret.) talks Coast Guard firefighting, including the rescue of a commercial fishing crew aboard an 80 foot scalloper on fire off Montauk, New York, the massive effort to save a 180 foot freighter on fire in the Florida Straits, saving the Cutter Gallatin after a fire broke out in dry dock, and extinguishing flames aboard the Polar Star during a voyage to the Antarctic. He also tells of operations at McMurdo Station, serving as an arctic pilot during the tow of a disable...
Episode 81: Zach Snavely - ME2 - MSRT - BM - Coxswain - Deck Force - Defense Contractor
September 24, 2020 00:42 - 1 hour - 62.6 MBFormer ME2 Zach Snavely talks surviving recruit training with Phil after both enlisted in West Virginia, striking Boatswain’s Mate, service as a coxswain on the northern border at Station Niagara, how the loss of a boat crew created a lasting culture of ownership, a faint cry for help that led to a lifesaving case, running Deck Force aboard Cutter Bear, major swells during a crossing of the Atlantic, switching rates to Maritime Enforcement Specialist, and counter terrorism with the Maritime S...
Episode 80: Claude Morrissey - Chief Aviation Survival Technician (Ret.) - Helicopter Rescue Swimmer
September 16, 2020 15:35 - 1 hour - 67.9 MBPart I. Retired Chief Aviation Survival Technician (ASTC) Claude Morrissey talks his first case as a rescue swimmer, saving fishermen washed from a jetty during Hurricane Claudette, refining his greeting to survivors, flying hundreds of miles into the Atlantic to rescue the crew of a demasted luxury catamaran, earning a rescue swimmer T-shirt, life and death in the Bering Sea, rituals prior to leaving the runway, 60s vs 65s, and starting his own business - Morrissey Stump Grinding and Tree Se...
Episode 79: Chris Campbell - Quartermaster 2nd Class - CGC Sedge - CGC Thetis - ATON - Migrants
September 03, 2020 03:28 - 1 hour - 92.3 MBFormer Quartermaster Chris Campbell talks being recalled to the CGC Sedge in the midst of a violent winter storm in an effort to save the crew of a foundering fishing vessel off the Alaskan coast, the effort to clear ice and keep the cutter afloat, an inspiring speech from his CO explaining why Coast Guard crews have to go out, ATON, mailing beards to Washington after facial hair was outlawed by the uniform regs, lasting leadership lessons from a BM3 in charge of Deck Force, simulated liberty...
Episode 78: Steve Denning - BMC (Ret) - Station OIC - Motor Lifeboats - PACTACLET - Black Hulls
August 24, 2020 02:39 - 1 hour - 77.6 MBChief Boatswains Mate Steve Denning (Ret.) talks the nighttime race to rescue nineteen people, fourteen of them children, from a capsized boat at the entrance to the port of Los Angeles/Long Beach, the struggle to conduct a search beneath an overturned hull, commanding a Coast Guard station as its Officer in Charge, rescuing and repatriating dozens of Haitian migrants after weeks at sea, breaking in coxswain at Station Barnegat Light and signing his letter as the crew runs to the sound of a S...
Episode 77: Alex Mangum - AMT - Flight Mechanic - HH60 - E City - Kodiak - Life After Service
August 11, 2020 19:10 - 1 hour - 83.4 MBFormer AMT and HH60 Flight Mechanic Alex Mangum talks a massive effort to save three commercial fishermen after their boat grounded in a remote Alaskan Bay during the worst storm many at the airstation had ever experienced, his first case as a flight mechanic and its textbook MEDEVAC from the deck of a cruise ship, training to perform helicopter hoists in the severe weather, how operational crews deal with incidents that truly shake them, staring in the inaugural episode of Coast Guard Alaska...
Episode 76: Rick Kuntz - Engineman - Galloo Island - Station Oswego - CG AUX
August 03, 2020 23:01 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MBFormer Engineman Rick Kunz talks life and service on Lake Ontario’s Galloo Island where the Coast Guard maintained both a station and a lighthouse, four decades of uniform, grooming, and protective equipment advances at Station Oswego, ranking the coasts on a scale of painful seas, picking the right boat for the right weather, taking a 30 footer with him as he left the service, and how the Coast Guard Auxiliary offers boat owners, pilots, and other volunteers a chance to make a difference. ...
Episode 75: MEC ‘ Thunder’ Dan Merrick (Ret.) - MSST - PATFORSWA - RAID - MTB - TACLET
July 27, 2020 01:45 - 1 hour - 105 MBRetired Maritime Enforcement Specialist ‘Thunder’ Dan Merrick talks standing up Maritme Safety and Security Teams (MSST) in the aftermath of 9/11, securing the Persian Gulf aboard CGC Monomoy, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan with the Redeployment Assistance and Inspection Detachment (RAID), and training the navies and coastguards of the world with the Mobile Training Branch. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Episode 74: Mike Kreynus - Senior Chief Radioman (Ret) - Cutterman - Intelligence Agent - CPOA
July 18, 2020 12:39 - 1 hour - 76.3 MBSenior Chief Radioman Mike Kreynus (Ret.) talks a lasting lesson in leadership and open door policy from the CO of the CGC Comanche, his time as a plain clothes Coast Guard Intelligence agent, being Chief of the Boat for the last of the screaming sea captains aboard CGC Boutwell, running a west coast command center, the founding of the Chief Petty Officer’s Association, and his thoughts on the practices of the greatest leaders. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/s...
Episode 74: Mike Kreynus - Senior Chief Radioman (Ret) - Cutterman - Intelligence Agent
July 18, 2020 12:39 - 1 hour - 77.6 MBSenior Chief Radioman Mike Kreynus (Ret.) talks a lasting lesson in leadership and open door policy from the CO of the CGC Comanche, his time as a plain clothes Coast Guard Intelligence agent, being Chief of the Boat for the last of the screaming sea captains aboard CGC Boutwell, running a west coast command center, the founding of the Chief Petty Officer’s Association, and his thoughts on the practices of the greatest leaders. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to...
Episode 73: James Loy - 21st COMDT - Cutterman - Vietnam War - 9/11 - Leadership - Author
July 09, 2020 09:22 - 2 hours - 122 MB21st Commandant of the Coast Guard and former Acting Secretary of the Department is Homeland Security James Loy talks a lesson in leadership early in his career during a dangerous maneuver in heavy seas, commanding patrol boats on the Virginia coast and in wartime Vietnam, delivering a baby on the flight deck of an underway cutter, ending the pursuit of a drug trafficker with a well aimed fire hose, leading the service on 9/11, how flags and Commandants make decisions with servicewide and nat...
Episode 72: Gary Thomas - CDR (Ret.) - Cutterman - Patrol Boat CO - LORANimal - AFRAS - NCGMA
July 01, 2020 02:10 - 59 minutes - 54.5 MBCDR Gary Thomas (Ret.) talks deploying into heavy seas as a cutter swimmer to rescue a man overboard, commanding a Key West patrol boat during the tragic sinking of a Haitian ferry, working to support LORANimals, and how these events illustrate the servicewide impacts individuals can have in the Coast Guard. He also discusses his work with the National Coast Guard Museum Association and the Association for Rescue at Sea, both partners of They Had to Go Out Podcast. --- Support this podcast...
Episode 71: Martha Kotite - Captain (Ret.) - 110 XO - Public Affairs - Author
June 23, 2020 03:04 - 1 hour - 65.4 MBCaptain Martha Kotite (Ret.) talks the attempted takeover of a cutter by a group of migrants detained on board, serving as the XO of a Key West patrol boat, flying in style aboard the Commandant’s Gulfstream, and high level public affairs efforts during a series of defining events for the service. Learn more about Martha, book her for a speaking event, and read “So Others May Live”, “Changing the Rules of Engagement”, and “My Name is Old Glory” at http://www.marthakotite.com/ --- Support...
Episode 70: Gina Panuzzi - AET2 (Ret) - Aircrew - HH60 Crash Survivor
June 18, 2020 01:26 - 1 hour - 110 MBRetired Aviation Electronics Technician (AET) Gina Panuzzi talks a decade of service in Coast Guard aviation, the crash of CG-6028 in the Utah mountains that nearly claimed her life, and her road to recovery in the aftermath. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Todd Ebner - AET2 - Aircrew - C130 - HH60
June 08, 2020 16:57 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBFormer AET2 Todd Ebner talks his decade of service in Coast Guard aviation, locating 17 survivors of a fishing trip gone wrong off the Alaskan coast, transporting a dead whale in the cargo hold of a C-130, tracking Russian and Chinese poachers, taking down a corrupt government official in American Samoa, rights of passage at ‘A’ School in E City, and coping with the loss of so many who have died in the line of duty. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadt...
Distant Shores Launch Special - Francois Michaud - Royal Canadian Marine SAR - Chief Instructor
June 03, 2020 15:05 - 1 hour - 83.4 MBFrancois Michaud, the Chief Instructor for Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue (RCM SAR), talks his decade of service onboard the ships and lifeboats of the Canadian Coast Guard, a long and harrowing day of MEDEVACs from a fishing fleet caught in a storm, training coxswains to lead boat crews on emergency calls, and the most important lessons he works to pass on to volunteer lifesavers. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Episode 68: Tina Claflin - MKCS (Ret.) - Surf Ops - CGC Eagle - Strike Team - SAPR - CPO Centennial
May 28, 2020 11:35 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBSenior Chief Machinery Technician Tina Claflin (Ret.) talks towing a sailboat through high surf, sailing aboard the tall ship Eagle, Strike Team CBR call outs for everything from a tire fire in Ohio to a burning train in a submerged tunnel, and the Centennial of Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers. Her company @halcyonreflections is producing a commemorative CPO Logbook now available for preorder at http://www.halcyonreflections.com . --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/p...
Special: Coast Guard Recruit Training Alumni
May 24, 2020 09:14 - 41 minutes - 37.6 MBService academies and colleges nationwide have active and powerful alumni associations, but those who enlist and substitute boot camp for higher education lack any similar organization they can leverage for their own social and professional network, or to give back to better the institution that positively impacted their lives. With tens of thousands of potential members who have completed boot camp, the Coast Guard Recruit Training Alumni is looking to change this. In this special episode w...
Episode 67: Jim Rambus - BMCS (Ret.) - Coxswain - OIC - Lighthouse Keeper - Lightship Sailor
May 21, 2020 03:00 - 1 hour - 73.6 MBAs we continue to celebrate the centennial of Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers we talk with Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate Jim Rambus (Ret.) who tells of the dangers of logistic runs to the shoals and reefs of the Great Lakes where manned lighthouses once stood, including a lesson in confidence for a new coxswain after swamping a 40 footer during a personnel transfer and the near loss of a crew when their boat’s engines died in icy waters, the dangers of lightship duty during hurricanes and he...
Episode 66: Adam Cravey - HSC (Ret.) - Coast Guard Medal - Boat Swimmer - Corpsman
May 14, 2020 02:32 - 1 hour - 57.9 MBChief Health Services Technician Adam Cravey (Ret.) talks a Coast Guard Medal case that demanded he deploy into a raging sea as a boat swimmer in an effort to save the crew of a burning tug and barge, serving as an independent duty corpsman aboard a Coast Guard cutter, treating the most common complaints of patients visiting an underway sick bay, and coordinating the medical evacuations of severely sick and injured crew members at sea. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.c...
Episode 65: Jon Ostrowski- BMCS (Ret.) - PSU - Chief Petty Officers Association President
May 02, 2020 18:11 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBRetired Senior Chief Boatswains Mate Jon Ostrowski talks deploying for Operation Iraqi Freedom with a Reserve Port Security Unit, the centennial of Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers, the unique role of Chiefs in the service, leading the Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA) at the national level, the volunteer work of the CPOA’s local chapters during recent crises including the federal government shutdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, and his dramatic introduction to Coast Guard operations aboa...
Episode 64: Peter Eident - LT - USCGC Cuyahoga Survivor - Author of ‘Bearing Drift’ - Part II
April 30, 2020 02:33 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MBPart II. Former Lieutenant Peter Eident talks surviving the capsizing and sinking of the USCGC Cuyahoga during a nighttime training cruise on the Chesapeake Bay and the legal and emotional aftermath stemming from the loss of eleven of her crew. Learn more in Peter’s book “Bearing Drift”, available now at http://bearingdrift.petereident.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Episode 63: Peter Eident - LT - USCGC Cuyahoga Survivor - Author of ‘Bearing Drift’ - Part I
April 20, 2020 23:35 - 1 hour - 61.3 MBPart I of II. Former Lieutenant Peter Eident talks surviving the capsizing and sinking of the USCGC Cuyahoga during a nighttime training cruise on the Chesapeake Bay and the legal and emotional aftermath stemming from the loss of eleven of her crew. Learn more in Peter’s book “Bearing Drift”, available now at http://bearingdrift.petereident.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Episode 62: Dara O’Malley - BM1 - Surfman 111 - 36 MLB - 44 MLB
April 11, 2020 10:46 - 1 hour - 60.9 MBBM1 Dara O’Malley, Surfman 111, tells of a dangerous nighttime escort across the Humbolt Bar, the capsizing and breakup of the involved cabin cruiser, and the efforts to rescue survivors from the surf that followed. He also talks what it takes to maintain boats and train crews to the levels needed for Coast Guard operations, and the responsibility of coxswains and surfmen not only to go out, but to bring their crews and those in peril back to shore. --- Support this podcast: https://podcas...
Episode 61: Angel Hughes - LT - Pilot - Aircraft Commander - HC-144 Casa Ocean Sentry
April 05, 2020 23:41 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBLT Angel Hughes talks leading an aircrew on a challenging nighttime search for a distressed vessel and the aerial delivery of supplies to aid the rescue effort, flying in hurricane conditions, earning her wings on the HC-144 Casa Ocean Sentry, and performing the many missions of the Coast Guard from these fixed wing aircraft. She also tells of founding ‘Sisters of the Skies’, a non-profit whose mission is to mentor and aid children in pursuit of aviation careers. Learn more at http://www.sist...
Crossover Special with ‘The Evolution Podcast” - Jeff Bayless - USN - Chief Boatswains Mate
March 30, 2020 20:43 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBCrossover episode with Jeff Bayless, a Chief Boatswains Mate in the US Navy and host of ‘The Evolution Podcast’, who talks his journey to resiliency and how he’s working to share his story and the lessons learned to the benefit of the fleet and beyond. Listen to other stories of resiliency on the ‘The Evolution’ now on your favorite podcast platform. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Crossover Special with Don’t Give Up the Ship Podcast
March 29, 2020 00:55 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBA crossover episode to help pass the time in quarantine with the host of Don’t Give Up the Ship Podcast. Unique episodes released on both shows have the hosts talking enlisted leadership, advancement panels, and the differences and similarities between the greatest sea service the world has ever know... and the U.S. Navy! Listen to crossover episodes on both @dgutspodcast and @theyhadtogoout - available now on your favorite podcast platform and at http://www.theyhadtogoout.com and http://www....
Episode 60: Darin Bibeau - BM2 - Coxswain - TACLET - Author
March 25, 2020 12:44 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MBFormer Boatswain’s Mate Second Class Darin Bibeau talks leading a cutter boat in the response to an offshore plane crash, running boats at station vacation in Burlington, Vermont, jumping the gunwales of go fasts to seize tons of narcotics with TACLET South, and how lessons from his service have influenced his business success. Darin also reveals details about his new book, “Back to Bulletproof: A Warriors Tactical Guide to Success” available now for pre-order on Amazon. Learn more about Dar...
Episode 59: Cari Thomas - RADM (Ret.) - CEO of Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA)
March 18, 2020 01:20 - 1 hour - 72.3 MBRear Admiral Cari Thomas (Ret.) talks taking her first command as the CO of a 110 ft patrol boat, responding to a mass migration in the Florida Straits, leading recruit training at Cape May, commanding the 14th District, and her work as CEO of Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA). Learn more and donate to CGMA now at http://www.cgmahq.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Episode 58: Thad Allen - 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard (Ret.)
March 06, 2020 16:01 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MB23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard Thad Allen (Ret.) talks being trapped by fire in the radio room of his first cutter, responding to his first mass casualty event when a plane went down in the Florida Everglades, a surf rescue in blizzard conditions off the New Jersey coast, playing a leading role in the national response to 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, and the leadership lessons he considers most important for those who now serve. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/p...
Episode 57: Mike Underwood - BM1 (Ret.) - Coast Guard Medal - Coxswain - XPO
February 26, 2020 01:58 - 1 hour - 77 MBRetired Boatswain’s Mate First Class Mike Underwood talks leading a boat crew into 30 foot seas, 80 knot winds, and dense fog to rescue those aboard a burning tug and barge in a case that earned him the Coast Guard Medal, running jet drive lifeboats across the Chatham bar, and the leadership lessons gained from his time as command cadre. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Episode 56: MCPOCG Charles ‘Skip’ Bowen (Ret.) - BM - Officer in Charge - Command Chief
February 19, 2020 23:39 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MB10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles ‘Skip’ Bowen talks the capsize of a marijuana laden sailboat while under tow, the failure of his small boat’s engine during a rescue attempt in a fierce storm, saving the crew of his cutter’s small boat following a failed attempt to board a suspect vessel, and lessons learned from his time in command. He also talks his new book ‘Breaching the Summit: Inspiring Leadership Lessons from Six Military Journeys to the Top”, available now fr...
Episode 55: Albert ‘Bud’ Buechler - CAPT (Ret.) - Commanding Officer - 378 WHEC
February 12, 2020 01:29 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MBCaptain Albert ‘Bud’ Buechler talks the heroic response of his cutter crew to the capsizing of an overloaded Haitian sailing freighter, the unique relationships between Chief Petty Officers, the deckplate and the wardroom, taking command of his first cutter, and the lessons learned while in commanding crews at sea. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Episode 54: Kevin Grant - BM1 - WHEC - Coxswain - Active to Reserve
February 03, 2020 12:17 - 1 hour - 68.7 MBBoatswain’s Mate Kevin Grant tells of his first assignment aboard a 378 High Endurance Cutter, responding to a devastating earthquake on Haiti and the potential mass migration in its aftermath, being recalled from a port call to interdict a drug sub in the Pacific, leading crews as a boat coxswain to rescue the crew of a foundering sailboat, and leading boarding teams over the gunwale to enforce laws at sea. He closes by sharing his own lessons learned on making the transition from active dut...
Episode 53: Russell Burress - BMC (Ret.) - 44 MLB - Coxswain - SAR - Risk vs Gain
January 27, 2020 01:08 - 1 hour - 69.4 MBRetired Chief Boatswain’s Mate Russell Burress tells making the decision to risk a boat in an attempt to save a life, serving on deck under the leadership of service legend BMCM Donald Horsley, setting a buoy to reopen a strategic port in the midst of a typhoon, towing a downed Coast Guard helicopter, and a tough decision during a mass rescue in the aftermath of a sudden thunderstorm. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Episode 52: John Gagnon - BMCM (Ret.) - Surfman - Officer in Charge
January 21, 2020 01:40 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBMaster Chief Boatswain’s Mate John Gagnon (Ret.) talks the search for a fisherman who fell overboard in monstrous surf off the Oregon coast, how towing and searching are performed in the surf by motor lifeboat crews, and the most impactful lessons learned from his years in command of Coast Guard stations. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Holiday Special with MCPOCG Vince Patton (Ret.)
December 23, 2019 20:12 - 23 minutes - 22 MBHoliday Special: 8th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Vince Patton (Ret.) shares a holiday message, talks the short lived music career of the E-10s on the USO’s Overseas Holiday Tour, and encourages all who can to help get the National Coast Guard Museum built with a donation during their Matching Gift Challenge. Visit http://www.coastguardmuseum.org/out/ to become a plank owner today! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support
Episode 51: Steven Craig - USCGR - Captain (Ret.) - Author of All Present and Accounted For
December 18, 2019 03:23 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBCaptain Steven Craig (Ret.) talks the dangers of walking a cutter’s deck in storm tossed seas, rising in the ranks from Seaman to mustang Captain, and being activated thirteen times as a reservist in response to major events and disasters including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, Deepwater Horizon, and the 7.0 earthquake centered on Haiti. He also talks the dramatic story behind his new book “All Present and Accounted For”, which tells how the USCGC Jarvis grounded then nearly ...
Episode 50: Dan Shirey - BM - Surfman - 44 MLB - Chetco River - CGC Modoc - Diver
December 12, 2019 11:10 - 57 minutes - 53.1 MBFormer Boatswain’s Mate Dan Shirey talks pitchpoling a 44 ft Motor Lifeboat on the Chetco River bar, responding to a sinking fishing vessel despite knowing he lacked enough fuel to make it back to shore, escorting a listing cargo ship hundreds of miles to reach a safe port, qualifying as a diver, using the skills gained through his service to pursue underwater treasure hunting, and diving on the wrecks of the same whaling ships that were the cause of the 1897 Overland Relief Expedition where ...
Episode 49: Mark Holmes - Radioman - 210 WMEC Crew - Author
December 05, 2019 13:08 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBFormer Radioman Mark Holmes talks heading out and into a storm so severe it forced the Navy into port, responding to a foundering sailing vessel with a skeleton crew aboard CGC Courageous, procuring a replacement deck gun for a cutter from the front lawn of a VFW, surviving waterspouts and tornadoes, and how his experiences in the service caused him to begin writing. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theyhadtogoout/support