Coast Guard

Navy Region Hawaii joins the nation in celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month to honor the achievements and contributions of Americans who trace their origin or descent to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and other Spanish cultures.

For generations, Hispanic Americans have served on the front lines and supported critical operations at home and abroad, exemplifying their commitment to our Nation’s safety and progress. Currently, more than 14% of the Department of the Navy’s total force shares Hispanic descent.

At Navy Region Hawaii, Chief Mass Communications Specialist (MCC) Jose Jaen, 35, uses multiple mediums – print, broadcast, graphic design and photography – to tell story about the Navy in Hawaii. He also coordinates event coverage with other departments and mentors younger Sailors, shares his knowledge of the craft.

Growing up, Jaen lived in Bronx, New York and spent his summers in Puerto Rico, where his family is from. When he turned 12, Jaen moved to a small town in Puerto Rico where he lived for four years before returning to New York and joining the military at 19.

Jaen talked with Navy Region Hawaii about his Puerto Rican heritage, Hispanic figures who inspire him, and what National Hispanic Heritage Month means to him.

When it comes to Puerto Rican culture, what are you most proud of?

What I’m proud of the most about our culture and being Puerto Rican is if you look it up on a map, Puerto Rico is such a small island yet so much success has come from there – from military, athletes, actors, actresses, to world renowned artists. I take great pride in that. You look at it on a map, like a little ant compared to this huge world and so much success has come from there. I couldn’t be prouder.

Is there a Hispanic person who inspires you?

The Hispanic that I look up to is Miguel Angel Cotto Vasquez. He is a Puerto Rican boxer from Puerto Rico. He is someone who I looked up to. He retired in 2017, but that guy was the definition of a true fighter. He gave it his all every single fight. In and out of the ring, he was known for being a gentleman, but a warrior inside the ring.

The Navy gives you so many opportunities. I actually joined as an aviation maintenance administrationman. I changed jobs in 2011. One of the first opportunities I had was getting in contact with local media. Through that, I was able to get a boxing connection that allowed me to go to the very famous Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood, California. Miguel Cotto and Freddy Roach, a famous boxing trainer, were there, and I was able to go and meet both of them afterwards.

This job, you think in the Navy, I’m just out on a ship or in the office in front of a monitor, eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, but then we get these types of opportunities and it’s just amazing.

For the military, Joseph B. Aviles Sr., who served in the Navy and was the first Hispanic chief petty officer in the Coast Guard after a branch transfer, inspires me because I lived about 25 minutes away in Corozal, Puerto Rico from Naranjito [where Aviles is from]. These are small towns. Seeing someone from a small town like that, from Puerto Rico, it definitely gave me hope, but not just that – motivation to aim towards that rank. The rank of chief petty officer in the Navy is something that thousands seek and is realized by few, so to me it’s an honor that I get to wear the anchor. When I hear chief, that to me is like, wow, I made it. That inspiration came years ago from looking up his story and where he’s from. It’s not common in these small towns to have people reach that level of rank.

What is the most rewarding part of the job?

To me, when I take that retirement photo or that promotion photo and I deliver that product to that person, I always tell them at the ceremony that in 20 or 30 years they’re not going to remember me, but they’ll remember that picture and that moment. For me, that is special. That’s one thing that keeps me in love with the job day in and day out.

Why is National Hispanic Heritage Month important?

I think it’s important because it gives you time to sit down and reflect on those who came before us, who broke down barriers, who had many challenges. Because of them, I get to sit here and talk to you the way I am today, and I get to move up in the Navy the way that I have. They were the trailblazers, so these observances are important because they make us sit down, reflect, and appreciate how far we have come as a nation, especially for our demographic.

National Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month is unusual because it begins in the middle and end of two separate months: Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This mid-September start date is significant, as it coincides with the Independence Days of several Latin American nations: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on Sept. 15, followed by Mexico on Sept. 16, Chile on Sept. 18, and Belize on Sept. 21. Extending into October, the month also includes Día de la Raza on Oct. 12, a day that celebrates the fusion of Hispanic cultures.

PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 18, 2024) – The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Omaha (LCS 12), with an embarked detachment from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35 and a law enforcement detachment from U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team Pacific, began operations in support of Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) Sept. 8.

A Secretary of Defense program, OMSI is aimed at diminishing transnational illegal activity on the high seas in the Pacific Island nations of Oceania’s Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), as well as increasing interoperability with partner nations.

Omaha’s range and capabilities allow the embarked U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment the ability to access the remote U.S. and Pacific Island nations’ EEZs.

“We embrace the opportunity to work closely with the U.S. Coast Guard as we help enforce economic policies among some of our closest partners in the Western and Central Pacific,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Kevin Smith, commanding officer of Omaha. “It is rewarding to work with these island nations to patrol their waters, maintaining a free and open region.”

The objective of OMSI is to reduce and eliminate illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, combat transnational crimes in EEZs of the Western and Central Pacific region and enhance regional security.

“The partnership between the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard plays an integral role in the OMSI mission,” said Coast Guard Chief Maritime Enforcement Specialist Kyle Smouse. “Deploying U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachments aboard U.S. Navy vessels allows the Coast Guard to have a greater presence and impact in enforcing Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) regulations. These areas of operation would be difficult to reach without the support of the U.S. Navy.”

The WCPFC international fisheries agreement focuses on the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. The WCPFC seeks to address problems in the management of the high seas fisheries in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, where there is unregulated fishing and vessel re-flagging to evade controls.

Omaha, homeported in San Diego and assigned to U.S. 3rd Fleet, is on a scheduled deployment in the Pacific Ocean. Littoral combat ships are fast, optimally manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats.

Sept. 17, 2024

Lt. j.g. Santiago Tamburini

(414) 405-6436

ARCADIA, Mich. — Two local mariners were formally recognized today at U.S. Coast Guard Station Manistee for actions they took on August 27, 2023.

On August 27, 2023, boat captains Gerald “Jerry” Weersma and Jesse Holman assisted in the rescue of four people from Lake Michigan after coming upon a capsized vessel approximately one nautical mile offshore from Arcadia, Michigan.

The boat captains reported the distress via 911 call and immediately began pulling the individuals aboard their vessel.

These efforts, in combination with search and rescue resources from U.S. Coast Guard Station Manistee and Air Station Traverse City; Manistee County and Benzie County Sheriff’s Offices and Emergency Medical Services; Michigan State Police; Michigan Department of Natural Resources; and Northern Michigan Mutual Aid, played a vital role in providing life-saving assistance to the mariners in distress.

During the ceremony, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Seth Parker, Commander, Sector Lake Michigan, presented Weersma and Holman with the Captain David P. Dobbins Award for excellence in search and rescue.

This award is presented in recognition of outstanding actions accomplished while prosecuting search and rescue missions on the Great Lakes. Dobbins was the first appointed superintendent of the U.S. Lifesaving Service of the Great Lakes in 1876 and distinguished himself by performing and organizing numerous rescues during his career.

In memory of his heritage, initiative, and dedication, the award is presented to individuals who perform distinguished search and rescue acts on the Great Lakes, linking the outstanding performances of the present to the long-standing tradition of heroic rescues across the Great Lakes.

For any inquiries regarding this release, please contact the Sector Lake Michigan Public Affairs Officer Lt. j.g. Santiago Tamburini at (414) 405-6436.

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