Change-of-Command ceremony held at U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette
MARQUETTE — On Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette held a Change-of-Command ceremony to honor the previous Commanding Officer, and introduce the new Officer in Charge.
This time-honored tradition usually occurs during the summer months, which is known as transfer season, where new roles and assignments are given to service members.
After two years, former Commanding Officer, Mark Reilly passed his responsibilities on to the new Officer. Of all the things he will miss from his two years spent as Commanding Officer, is the crew.
“My time here in Marquette has been fantastic; I think the majority of it was the crew. They made it as amazing as it was and also the town of Marquette. People are extremely nice, they’re extremely prepared on the water and with all of our government agencies that we have around here, it’s almost like a perfect place to live, and it made my job very easy being here in Marquette” said former Commanding Officer, Mark Reilly.
The transition for the new Officer in Charge has been one of the easiest transitions he’s ever done; he thanks both the crew and Marquette community for making it so easy.
“To be honest with you, I’m super excited to work with this crew. Their enthusiasm this week and just the welcoming attitude and their professionalism have made this something that I am very very excited to be a part of” said the new Officer in Charge of Coast Guard Station Marquette, Stephen Saflin.
Officer Saflin comes from Station Houston, where he served three years as the Executive Petty Officer.