[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5061-5062]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO REAR ADMIRAL STEPHEN P. METRUCK

  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I wish to honor U.S. Coast Guard RADM 
Stephen P. Metruck and highlight his service to country and his 
contribution to the State of Delaware. Rear Admiral Metruck retired on 
April 22 from commanding the Fifth Coast Guard District after 34 years 
in the U.S. Coast Guard. The fifth district includes North Carolina, 
Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Washington, DC, and much of 
Pennsylvania. Rear Admiral Metruck led 67 units made up of 2,475 Active 
Duty members, 1,010 Reservists, 6,800 auxiliary members, and 120 
civilians.
  One of Rear Admiral Metruck's most notable accomplishments occurred 
during his tenure at both Sector San Diego and Sector Seattle. In these 
dual

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roles, Rear Admiral Metruck was responsible for advancing Coast Guard 
operations in a post-9/11 environment. He forged interagency 
partnerships to enhance safety and security measures in each port and 
coordinated the sensors and systems into a common operational picture 
to allow all agencies to coordinate and understand potential threats in 
the maritime environment.
  Rear Admiral Metruck and I got to know each other well during harsh, 
back-to-back winters that damaged navigation aids along the Delaware 
River, which assisted ships traveling to and from Wilmington, DE. From 
this experience, I learned that it is not easy budgeting for ice flows. 
Being an expert at budgeting and solving problems, he and his team 
forged solutions that replaced damaged buoys and aids to navigation 
without a huge burden on taxpayers. The result was ships could again 
travel safely to ports in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
  Rear Admiral Metruck is a very humble man, and he will be the first 
to understate his contribution to the U.S. Coast Guard and leadership 
of the men and women under his command. Nevertheless, I have found him 
to be an extremely devoted public servant and skilled at working with 
other agencies, solving problems, and being responsive to inquiries 
from Senators.
  Rear Admiral Metruck also spent 2\1/2\ years serving this great 
institution as a fellow with then-Senator John Kerry. He worked on 
policy issues related to the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans and 
Fisheries and also supported Senator Kerry's staff on environmental, 
maritime, and Coast Guard issues and legislation.
  Prior to arriving at the Fifth Coast Guard District, he was the 
assistant commandant for resources and chief financial officer for the 
U.S. Coast Guard. During this assignment, he was responsible for all 
Coast Guard financial management and resource activities including 
planning, programming, budgeting, and execution of the service's $10 
billion annual appropriation.
  While he has been a friend of commerce and the environment on the 
Delaware River, his career has resulted in him living in and serving a 
number of other States. He has served in Coast Guard Headquarters; 
Portsmouth, VA; Brownsville, TX; Tampa, FL; Buffalo, NY; San Diego, CA; 
and Puget Sound, WA. Rear Admiral Metruck also helped oversee Coast 
Guard missions across waterways encompassing the states of California, 
Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and the offshore waters of Mexico and Central 
America. Additionally, he served as U.S. Coast Guard Liaison to the 
U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York City.
  Rear Admiral Metruck is from Massena, NY, and graduated in 1982 from 
the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where he earned a bachelor of science 
degree in ocean engineering. He was awarded a master's degree in public 
administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of 
Government. He has also served as a military fellow at the Center for 
Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, and the Coast 
Guard fellow on the Chief of Naval Operation's Strategic Studies Group 
based in Newport, RI.
  There are many of us in this Chamber who have worked with him and his 
staff on important issues over the years. Today I express our 
collective gratitude to him for devoting his career to keeping us safe. 
I speak for many in the Senate, in Delaware, and around our Nation in 
wishing Rear Admiral Metruck and his wife Peggy Duxbury a great next 
chapter in their lives.

                          ____________________