ALCOAST 170/09
COMDTNOTE 5728
SUBJECT: BRAVO ZULU TO PUBLIC AFFAIRS EFFORTS DURING
TRANSITION
1. I WANT TO PERSONALLY THANK EVERYONE WHO HELPED PROVIDE
OUTSTANDING PUBLIC AFFAIRS SUPPORT DURING THE SECOND QUARTER OF FY
09. WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTE THE MISSION OF
PUBLIC AFFAIRS WITHOUT SUPPORT FROM PAC AND LANTAREA AND ALL LEVELS
OF OUR RANKS. NO ONE EMBODIED THIS BETTER THAN D8 FA ADAM CAMPBELL,
USCGC TORNADO, WHO PHOTOGRAPHED A DRAMATIC AT-SEA RESCUE IN THE
GULF OF MEXICO ON 02 MARCH. THIS PHOTO OF THE COAST GUARD
RESPONDING TO SURVIVOR NICK SCHUYLER WAS RAPIDLY DISSEMINATED BY D7
AND PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED WITH FRONT PAGE HEADLINES BY MORE THAN 17
MEDIA OUTLETS THROUGHOUT THE NATION WITH A COMBINED DAILY
CIRCULATION OF MORE THAN 5.5 MILLION.  PUBLICATION OF THESE
EXEMPLARY ACTIONS NOT ONLY HELPED RAISE AWARENESS OF BOATING SAFETY
MESSAGES BUT ALSO DISPLAYS HOW CURRENT TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS ANY COAST
GUARD UNIT TO CAPTURE IMAGERY THAT CAN BE MARKETED FOR WIDEST
DISSEMINATION THROUGH MAINSTREAM MEDIA (MSM) OUTLETS.
2. IN ADDITION TO MSM, MANY OF YOU HAVE ENTHUSIASTICALLY EMBRACED
AND SUPPORTED THE NEW COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION BENEFITS OF
SOCIAL MEDIA. THE ENGAGING POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA RESULTED IN D9
PERONNEL BEING CONGRATULATED ON THE FLOOR OF THE U.S. CONGRESS FOR
SUCCESSFULLY COMMUNICATING THE COAST GUARDS STORY IN A HIGH-PROFILE
RESCUE OPERATION. D9 USED THEIR BLOG TO INFORM THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
OF THE COAST GUARD AND LOCAL AGENCY RESCUE OF 134 FISHERMEN TRAPPED
ON AN ICE FLOE THAT BROKE FROM SHORE. THE STORY APPEARED IN MORE
THAN 2,500 MEDIA OUTLETS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
3. D1, AND IN PARTICULAR SECTOR NY, TOOK CENTER STAGE WHEN US
AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549 CRASH LANDED ON THE HUDSON RIVER. THE STAFF
PROVIDED VIDEO AND STILLS OF THE DRAMATIC RESCUE AND AGGRESSIVELY
PROMOTED VIDEO OF THE DITCHING CAPTURED BY A VESSEL TRAFFIC SERVICE
CAMERA TO THE PUBLIC VIA MSM AND THE INTERNET. THIS ENSURED
SUBSTANTIAL COAST GUARD COVERAGE AND IS THE FIRST VIDEO ON THE
COAST GUARD YOUTUBE CHANNEL TO REACH MORE THAN ONE MILLION VIEWS.
THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY EXCELLENT INTERVIEWS BY SECTOR NY PERSONNEL
THAT AIRED PROMINENTLY FOR SEVERAL DAYS IN THE MSM ENHANCING THE
COAST GUARDS REPUTATION FOR SAFETY AND PROFESSIONALISM.
4. IN ADDITION TO THEIR LEADERSHIP IN SOCIAL MEDIA VIA THEIR BLOG
AND FLICKR STREAM, D13 ENHANCED TRADITIONAL MEDIA OUTREACH THROUGH
SUCCESSFUL DEPLOYMENT OF PA SPECIALISTS TO THE SCENE OF FLOOD
RESCUES DURING A STORM THAT RAVAGED THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IN
JANUARY, CAPTURING AND MARKETING DRAMATIC IMAGERY. THE STRONG
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND UNIT PERSONNEL IN D13
MAXIMUMIZED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS EFFORTS.
5. IN ADDITION TO THE MEDIA OUTREACH, A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES OUT
TO ALL INVOLVED AT THE AREA, D5, UNIT AND HQ UNIT LEVEL FOR THEIR
EXCEPTIONAL COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND MEDIA OUTREACH IN SUPPORTING A
HISTORIC PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION. A GLOBAL AUDIENCE WITNESSED THE
COAST GUARD BAND, THE HONOR GUARD, ACADEMY CADETS, CAPE MAY
RECRUITS AND COAST GUARD STAFF VOLUNTEERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
AS A STRONG AND COHESIVE PRESENCE REPRESENTING THE COAST GUARD AS
AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE FIVE ARMED FORCES IN SERVICE TO THE NATION.
SECTOR BALTIMORE AND THE DOG, WHILE MEETING TREMENDOUS OPERATIONAL
REQUIREMENTS FOR PRESIDENTIAL AND PUBLIC SECURITY WERE STILL ABLE
TO ENGAGE THE MEDIA TO HIGHLIGHT THE COAST GUARDS SERVICE TO THE
NATION.
6. BRAVO ZULU AND THANKS AGAIN FROM COMDT (CG-092) TO ALL THE
GUARDIANS WHO EVERY DAY HELP TELL THE STORY OF THE COAST GUARDS
MISSION EXCELLENCE.
7. RDML MARY E. LANDRY, DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENTAL AND PUBLIC
AFFAIRS, SENDS.
8. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.