[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 27 (Friday, February 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 U.S. COAST GUARD PORT SECURITY UNIT 307 HONORED WITH 2011 DOD RESERVE 
                         FAMILY READINESS AWARD

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                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 17, 2012

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute the men and women 
of U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Unit 307 who are being honored this 
morning at the Pentagon with the 2011 Department of Defense Reserve 
Family Readiness Award.
  This award recognizes that the readiness of our military units to 
deploy anywhere in the world is only as good as the support they 
receive from and the support they provide to the families they leave 
behind. Port Security Unit 307, from Clearwater, Florida which I 
proudly represent, has excelled at taking care of its families. 
Commissioned in May 1999, Port Security Unit 307 knows the meaning of 
readiness. They are charged with being ready to deploy anywhere in the 
world within 96 hours and they are the only Port Security Unit to meet 
this standard in the international arena.
  They also know about deployments as they have been deployed 
repeatedly to help secure our domestic ports following 9 11, to support 
the ports we operate from abroad, and even to provide port security 
operations for humanitarian operations such as those in Haiti after the 
devastating earthquake in 2010. In fact, Port Security Unit 307, under 
the leadership of its commanding officer Commander James Wallace, just 
returned last month from a six-month deployment to the Middle East in 
support of Operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom. There they 
provided security for port locations around the North Arabian Gulf to 
ensure the free flow of personnel, equipment and commerce in the 
region. The unit worked side-by-side with the Navy and its Maritime 
Expeditionary Squadron Three to provide strategic support in the U.S. 
Central Command area of responsibility.
  It takes months of training and preparation for a unit to ready 
itself for a deployment of this magnitude. Most important though to 
Commander Wallace and his unit is the preparation they provide to ready 
the families for their deployment. Port Security Unit 307 has been a 
key participant in the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. This is a 
Department of Defense-wide effort to help the members of National Guard 
and Reserve units and their families to locate resources available to 
them and their families before, during and after deployments. In 
addition to these services, the families of Port Security Unit 307 also 
participated in a mid-deployment Yellow Ribbon event to assist 
families.
  The unit's leadership stayed in touch with the families throughout 
the deployment by producing regular newsletters outlining its missions 
and responsibilities. They also host an annual Family Day and Open 
House each summer so the families can interact with each other. 
Commander Wallace says the most important part of that weekend is the 
opportunity for him and his leaders to say thank you to the families 
and their friends for the invaluable support they provide their loved 
ones.
  Mr. Speaker, we can never fully repay the men and women who serve our 
nation in uniform and the families they leave behind as they go into 
harm's way. We can, however, salute the units that have excelled at 
taking care of their loved ones during their deployments and no unit 
does it better than U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Unit 307. I commend 
their record of service to my colleagues here in the House and I hope 
you will join me in saying thank you to each one of them for a job well 
done.

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