Passing the torch
Posted by PA3 William Benson, Friday, July 13, 2012
U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Eric Johnson speaks during Coast Guard Base New Orleans change of command at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility July 13, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Elizabeth H. Bordelon.
The summer is here, and it is the year that all of the countries come around to cheer. Yes, the Olympic Games begin July 27, 2012 in London. The Olympics kick off the festivities with the honored tradition of passing of the torch. Before the Olympic torch is passed the Coast Guard will pass a torch of its own. Capt. Eric W. Johnson, the commander of Coast Guard Base New Orleans passed the torch and the watch of Base New Orleans to Capt. Jon G. Gage at an official ceremony, Friday.
Johnson’s next assignment will be director of operational logistics in Norfolk, Va.
Gage will be the commanding officer of an $80 million facility that sits on 26-acres and represents the largest single-facility contract in Coast Guard history.
“The job entails leading a 500-person organization to deliver the full range of logistics support to naval engineering, facilities, contracting, comptroller, health and safety and personnel support to our operational partners over a 25-state area of responsibility,” said Johnson.
Gage is arriving from Coast Guard Surface Forces Logistics Center in Norfolk, where he served as the chief of vessel support and medium endurance cutter product line manager.
U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Jon Gage relieves Capt. Eric Johnson as commanding officer of Coast Guard Base New Orleans during a formal change-of-command ceremony July 13, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Elizabeth H. Bordelon.
Gage graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and finished his masters in mechanical engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., in 1997.
He comes to the unit with an extensive military awards record including two Meritorious Service Medal, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, two National Defense Medals, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and permanent Cutterman’s Pin along with numerous team and unit awards. He was also selected as the United States Coast Guard 2011 Capt. Richard Poore Award Recipient for Excellence in Naval Engineering.
“My advice to Capt. Gage is to concentrate on the strategic way ahead and the partnerships that will help him get there,” said Johnson. “Also, he should find every opportunity to get to New Orleans and take advantage of the offerings this great city has available.”
While we watch the Olympics in the upcoming weeks, know that the torch has been passed at Base New Orleans, and Gage will be there to keep that light lit until the next passing of the torch.
Tags: Base New Orleans, Change of Command, Gage, Johnson
