[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21645]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE SAGINAW RIVER COAST GUARD STATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2008

  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
personnel stationed at the Saginaw River Coast Guard Station. The Zion 
Lutheran Church of Bay City Michigan is holding a program and reception 
on October 12th to recognize the hard work of these dedicated service 
members.
  The lighthouse constructed in 1842 was the first time the U.S. Coast 
Guard established a presence at the mouth of the Saginaw River. The 
original lighthouse was replaced in 1876 with the Saginaw River Rear 
Range Light and in 1939 it became the Coast Guard Station of the 
Saginaw River. The Coast Guard built a new Rear Range Light in 1964 and 
a new station across the Saginaw River from the original location in 
1980.
  Under the command of Gerald Backus, the station currently houses 27 
active duty personnel and 5 reserve personnel. Their area of 
responsibility runs from Point Lookout to Oak Point along the Saginaw 
Bay and Lake Huron shore, and up river to Green Point in Saginaw. They 
are responsible for servicing 134 aids to navigation from Alpena to 
river buoy 89 at the Carrolton turning basin. The station averages 110 
search and rescue runs a year. They work closely with State and local 
law enforcement and emergency personnel to coordinate response efforts. 
To fulfill their mission the station is home to 8 boats including a 20-
foot ice rescue air boat and a 49-foot buoy utility stern loading boat.
  The station is the ICCE, Ice Capabilities Center for Excellence, 
formal training site for the U.S. Coast Guard. The crew serves as the 
instructors in ice rescue procedures and policies during the ice season 
and is considered the subject matter specialists on the topic of ice 
rescue. The station averages 40 ice rescues a year.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
applauding the work of the Coast Guard personnel at the Saginaw River 
Coast Guard Station. Their commitment to the safety, security and 
welfare of the persons traveling on the waters of the Great Lakes is to 
be commended. I would like to congratulate them on a job well done and 
pray they will continue to serve for many years to come.

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