Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I would like to thank everyone that supported and attended the unit Christmas party this year at Reservation Point! Although we got a late start the turnout was outstanding, the food incredible, and the chance to meet many MSST 91103 family members made the event so special. A few bravo zulus which were mentioned at the party and subsequent unit all-hands include:

Monica Jahn (and spouse) - identifying Beach Pit BBQ as our caterer and then getting a ridiculously great price due to our limited budget. The food was great (I heard you got to sample the food a little too - good for you!) Thank you!

Cheryl Legaspi (and spouse) - for the incredible cake you provided for the party (see above pic) and also for allowing your husband to dress like an elf for all to see! Thank you!

Shelly Baker (and spouse) - for putting together the kid's goodie bags amongst other things! Thank you (and my three boys say thank you as well!)

Beth Burkhalter (and spouse) - for helping setup and tear down the bounce house (see above pic of Caitlyn Burkhalter) and for letting your husband wear his incredible red Christmas sweater turtleneck - Thank you!

Barbie Ogo (and spouse) - for providing beverages for all and the holiday decorating at the unit - Thank you!

Many other members of our committee made the event happen and were recognized including PO Yahudah, PO Laborce, PO Campos, and PO Ogo. This list is not all-inclusive but a short list of many of the folks that made significant contributions. I also feel the need to say a quick Thank you to LTJG McShane as he won the best-dressed award for the day even though the rest of the unit was in standard liberty attire! (see pic above). Thank you Dave!

As was mentioned at the party, we will be seeking input in the future for a more adult-centric unit get-together for another chance to bond as a unit.

The past few weeks the unit has been busy completing significant training requirements in order to be prepared to respond when needed and before current qualifications expire. Specific examples of this include Waterside conducting multiple days of underway day and night drills and tactics. MLE FP conducting their quarterly Tactical training (see above pics). K9 conducting their training requirements at vertical delivery (see above pics of PO Ross with Chiquita and PO Antis with Ryder). Meanwhile all of our support staff continue to work hard going about their daily routine ensuring our boats and vehicles are ready to meet all mission needs (thank you Engineers), our finance and admin unit and mbr needs are met (thank you Supply and Admin), our weapons qualifications and unit training needs are met (thank you Armory and Training Staffs). I would also like to recognize our Reserve Component who have been positively contributing to the unit when they drill as you can see many certifications below that they have achieved.

On that note a few certifications/qualifications to recognize:

PO Shelton - BTM Cert

PO Perry - RBS (B) Crewman Cert

PO Samson - BO Cert

PO Dominguez - BO Cert

LT Rudolf - CDO Qual

PO Vega - CDO Qual

PO Pierce - BO Cert

PO Ross - K9 Vertical Delivery Cert

PO Antis - K9 Vertical Delivery Cert

PO Andrich - Cert as Cont RB-S Crew

PO Martin - Cert as Cont RB-S Crew

PO Thompson - Cert as Cont RB-S Crew

PO McDonald - Cert as RB-S Crew

PO Seastrand - Cert as RB-S Crew

PO Aceituno - Cert as RB-S Crew

PO Caswell -Cert as RB-S Crew and Tactical Crew

PO Pierce - VI Team Mbr Re-Cert

LTJG McShane - BO Cert

Guardian of the Quarter/Reserve Guardian of the Quarter

PO Merseal - Was recently selected as MSST 91103's Guardian of the Quarter. PO Merseal has been an outstanding addition to the unit and he continues to lead others by example. Whether it is being named "Top Gun" out of his entire BTOC class or maintaining the highest unit PT scores at our unit, PO Merseal puts 110% effort into all that he does. Congratulations on your recent selection! (Please note our reserve GOQ has been selected, however, I personally have not had a chance to congratulate the mbr face to face and will not publish it on here until I do that).

Coasties vs Olympians in Volleyball!!!

Congrats to PO McElroy and PO Haldeman for stepping up and representing MSST 91103 and Team Coast Guard at a recent match against a few Olympic Volleyball Champions. While I've attached the link below, please note our two competitive PO's thought they could take down Olympians Kerri Walsh and husband Casey Jennings at a fun event supporting cancer research. While our Coasties put up a valiant effort, their 4-mbr team lost competing against the two Olympians even when spotted 11 points. Although they had to take a dip in the cold Pacific waters at Redondo, I am sure they will tell you it was a great event and for a great cause. Great work gentlemen! (Please see link for specifics).

http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/index.php/2010/12/always-ready-set-spike/

Ombudsmen Update

I wanted to also recognize our very own Ombudsmen for all of her efforts the past year and while she has been deployed in support of DeepWater. Stepheni Norton was recently named as an Honorable Mention for the Ombudsmen of the Year for the Coast Guard which is a huge accomplishment considering the competition. Stepheni's work last year while the unit was deployed was nothing short of amazing and it was great to see her get the recognition she deserves. Stepheni also recently completed a number of months away due to the recent oil spill in the gulf but fortunately will be home very soon. We look forward to seeing you around Stepheni - thanks for your contributions to the unit and your country!

Lastly, I wanted to direct the last few comments to the spouses, significant others, children, family, and friends of all of the members of MSST 91103. I am fully aware of where the unit was last year during the holidays and the sacrifices made by everyone during the long deployment. I understand and appreciate what that means given our current OpTempo and scheduling and I know it is not easy. I want to say a sincere Thank You for supporting our team, our unit especially during the holiday season. Please have a safe, Happy Holidays and very Merry Christmas!

v/r

Tim Margita