The
Chicago Bash
By Jack A. Eckert
I
took a brief survey to determine if this article was any good or not. Of
the people who commented, most agreed it was interesting but as one person
indicated, "disrespectful."
I got an invitation in the mail awhile
ago to attend a combination change of command and retirement ceremony at Navy
Pier in Chicago. In the mix was a reception that was scheduled to be held on one
of my old homes, the Cutter Mackinaw. I think the invitation was arranged by
Larry Stefanovich, President of the Coast Guard Sea Veterans, but I am not sure
of that. In all of the 28 years that I have lived in Wisconsin since my
retirement from the Coast Guard, this was the first official Coast Guard
invitation of any sort that I have received. I was sure that it wasn’t just
because they wanted some broken down, “Old Guard,” mustang type, Lieutenant
Commander to attend because they remembered I was once one of them.
On the day of the ceremony I got up at 4:00 a.m., did the 5-S routine, left my
house in Port Washington, Wisconsin and drove South to meet with Larry
Stefanovich near
Kenosha at the Illinois border. I expected Larry at the Cracker Barrel
Restaurant at 6:15. After three cups of coffee I ordered a breakfast which came
at 7:10. I figured if Larry didn’t show by 7:30 I was returning home. Larry
walked in at 7:25.
We got on the road just before 8:00 figuring that we would get there with a half
an hour to an hour to spare. Plenty of time to get acclimated and situated. As
we were aiming up the freeway ramp Larry was describing how he got lost trying
to meet up with me. My mind was boggled as he lived only a few miles from the
meeting place.
I had Chicago radio station WBBM on to
hear the traffic report. "Oh-Oh, trouble on the Kennedy" so I turned off on
Highway 41 and went south past Great Lakes and Old Fort Sheridan. Larry
volunteered to navigate as Chicago can be tricky to get through. I should have
known if he had problems finding a local restaurant just off the freeway, he
would have trouble following the signs, twists and turns of Highways 41 and 14
ambling through the city with a stop and go light every other block and obscure
signage. To shorten a long sad tale, suffice it to say, we arrived where we were
supposed to be at 9:56.
There was the “Red Harlot of the Lakes,
nee, Great White Mother,” in all her red glory. I expected to see the word
“RELIEF” in big letters written in white across her hull. I was a former
crewman on the GWM some 48 years ago and always considered her somewhat holy.
The ceremony was being held on the roof
of the long Navy Pier Building, three stories above the ship. A temporary canvas
dome cover had been rigged to accommodate the several hundred guests at the
function. The Great Lakes Navy Band was present and provided excellent music
when called upon.
It was a beautiful day, albeit a bit
windy but that is to be expected in Chicago. Rain showers were in the area but
none rained upon the ceremony.
There was enough gold in the officer’s stripes, if melted down into ingots, to have financed the Iraqi War.
Not to be outdone, the silver insignia on the Coast Guard Auxiliary personnel
present under the same conditions would probably equal the daily take of
Harrah’s Casino in Las Vegas. There were at least three admirals and an Army
general present in addition to a bevy of four stripers, three stripers, junior
officers and warrant officers. Seated in the audience were a large pride of
auxiliary officers and one elderly retired reserve commander wearing the old
Navy Blue Coast Guard uniform. There were be several Merchant Ship officers (I
think.) There was a gaggle of Chicago politicians
present and I should say nothing more of them. Outside of the covered area, the personnel of the
Chicago Marine Safety Office stood in formation for the duration of the entire
two-hour ceremony. The audience itself was quite a sight to behold.
The Official Party was in front of the
audience in full dress whites with swords. It seemed the each person in the party
wearing whites had more medals on then General MacArthur. Most of their
medals and ribbons I did not recognize. I did recognize the ribbons worn by the
elderly retired commander on his old uniform.
There were several TV station cameras
grinding away throughout the ceremony. I was sitting on an end seat, a wooden
folding chair, and hemmed in my right by a TV camera tripod. Guests to my left
spread out to the extent that I had but a half a left cheek on the chair at any
given time. If I would have pulled over my chair to the right I would have
knocked over the tripod. (Reminded me of attending a Packer game at Lambeau and sitting on the
end of a bench seat.)
Everybody played their role. The lady
commander who is the Executive Officer of the Chicago MSO was the Master of
Ceremonies. The color guard consisted of four enlisted petty officers who stood
at rigid attention once the colors were presented. To me they were the real
stars as they had to stare straight ahead at the audience. Even in my best days
I don’t believe I could stand at attention, eyes ahead for any two hours.
Admiral Silva’s remarks were
interesting to say the least. I thought he looked pretty young for an admiral
and I told him so later. He was commissioned in 1971, four years before I
retired and was born in 1949, the year after I joined the Coast Guard. No wonder
he looked young. He is a good speaker.
Admiral Crea was equally interesting but
from a different standpoint. She is the first lady Coast Guard admiral I ever
saw. As she was speaking, the thought ran through my mind that there were no
female regular officers senior to me when I retired. They had just begun to
enter the Coast Guard when I was on my way out the door. She and her contingent
flew into Chicago from Boston for the ceremony.
Change of Commands go on all of the time.
This is the description provided by the official program.
CHANGE
OF COMMAND
The
Change of Command is a time-honored tradition, which formally restates the
continuity of command of a Coast Guard unit. Deeply rooted in Coast Guard and
Naval history, this ritual is unique to the Armed Forces and publicly
underscores the distinctive nature of command. The event ensures all personnel
know of the change in leadership, and that a duly authorized officer is placed
in charge. It signifies the total transfer of responsibility, authority, and
accountability for the command, while marking the end of a segment of the unit's
history; while signaling a new beginning
- a
new opportunity for even greater achievement in the future.
The
Change of Command culminates when the crew is called to attention and orders are
read. Both Captains read their orders aloud, and then the two face one-another,
salute, and verbally carry out the relief. The perspective Commanding Officer
initiates the relief, stating "Sir, I relieve you," to which the departing
Commanding Officer replies, "I
In general they
are starchy affairs that the crew usually dislikes. In my day, liberty was
usually granted after the ceremony and that made up for a lot. For the chiefs it
was trying to get their “ice-cream suits” assembled. The junior officers
scurried about trying to locate ceremonial swords they could borrow. My own
sword was worn by others at least ten times for every time I ever had to wear
it. For whatever reason, Changes of Command usually occurred in the Summer
and in whites. I don’t believe I ever wore dress blues to one.
So what was the
big deal about this particular change of command?
Again from the
Official Program:
Captain Raymond Seebald, Commander Edward Seebald, and Petty Officer Theresa Seebald are a small part of a proud tradition upheld by the Seebald family. Since 1973, eight members of the Seebald family have proudly served in the United States Coast Guard. Today we honor Captain Raymond E. Seebald, Commander Edward P. Seebald, and Petty Officer Theresa M. Seebald with a ceremony celebrating their retirement from Active Duty, and thanking them for a combined 59 years of faithful service to the United States Coast Guard.
This is what
made this particular retirement ceremony an event.
Admiral Silva
kept alluding to the famous Seebald Family. I never even heard the name before.
There have been many famous families who have served in the Coast Guard; the Beal's
from Maine, The Midget's from North Carolina, But Seebald?
It then dawned on me, I was attending the retirement of three people who
weren’t even in the Coast Guard when I retired from it. Talk about “Old
Guard” and “New Guard” It was hard for me to accept the fact that over 28
years had passed since my own retirement ceremony was held at YBI and a whole
generation of Coasties has come and gone since. This was the second thought for
the day that boggled my mind. Only the sight of the elderly retired Coast Guard
commander and his very dignified lady kept me in perspective.
He wore his old uniform smartly and
proudly. I thought to myself that that was my uniform twenty nine years ago.
I had resented the so called “Bender Blues” when they were introduced because they looked so garish
when there were only one or two people in a room wearing them. Today with all of
the active duty and Auxiliary Coasties present in their Bender Blues, the older
gentleman in the traditional uniform looked drab in comparison.
The change of command ceremony followed
tradition. I was surprised that no one but the official party was in full dress
whites. For the first few hours they always look nice. I am happy the Coast
Guard didn’t throw them out with the Navy Blues and Khakis. I must confess I
hated wearing them on the very rare occasions that I had to. I did like the
service dress white uniform and don’t know if that one was kept or not. In any
event it was a good day for Coast Guard uniformed personnel to wear their short
sleeve blues. Only the honor guard had on their service dress uniforms.
I enjoyed Captain
Raymond Seebald’s remarks. He was supposed to speak for ten minutes and
finally wound down at about twenty-five minutes. He was on a high. I remember my
retirement day and remember how much I wanted to say. It only happens once and
that is on the last day of one's career. That's a
day you look forward to and dread when it has come.
Captain Carter the relieving officer kept
his remarks brief and to the point. Usually they have their real say after the
party is over and the guests have long since left. It is not their show, it is
the outgoing CO that is in the person of the hour.
When it came time for Commander Edward
Seebald’s remarks the Lady Admiral had really spoofed him and told a number of
tales about him. While the “Merchies” that were present came to say goodbye
to the older brother, all of the Auxilarists came to say goodbye to the
Commander. He had evidently made quite a name for himself with that group. It
was obvious this officer had a good sense of humor. I had a chance to exchange a
few words with him later and found I liked the guy. His remarks were appropriate
and lasted seven or eight minutes.
Petty Officer Theresa Seebold was also
retiring and made a few remarks.
I was particularly impressed when one of
the Seebald wives was presented with a plaque thanking her for her service and
support. This I considered class. In my early days as an enlisted man, the
attitude was, “if the Coast Guard wanted you to have a wife they would have
issued you one.” As an officer’s wife mine was the same person as she
was as a white hat’s wife. Only I thanked her for staying home and raising our
family of three boys. Nobody else mentioned it. I salute the idea of the Coast Guard formally recognizing the contribution
of a good wife.
The band played it’s last number after
we all sang, “Semper Paratus” and the Master of Ceremonies read a poem
called, “Old Glory.” The retirees were piped ashore followed by the various
dignitaries in the party.
We retired to the fantail of the Cutter
Mackinaw where beer and wine was being served. One nice touch was a group of Hawaiian
girls in sarongs, dancing the hula next to the gangway. There was a huge line waiting to
get at the food. After talking to a
few people I suggested to Larry that we leave before we ate to avoid the horrible build up of
traffic that occurs on Friday afternoons when the “Flat Landers” head
north to despoil Wisconsin.
Our ride home was as aggravating as the
ride down.
In summary, in spite of a few
aggravations it was a day I enjoyed. I realized a lot that should have been
apparent to me before. It is hard to believe that more then a generation of
Coast Guardsmen has passed since I was turned out to pasture. The day sure
stimulated my thought processes which I have shared with you. The story
was supposed to be about the Seebald's and their retirement bringing almost an
end to the era in which their entire family served and only one remains on
active duty. Instead you were made to share my thoughts of the day.
I hope you stuck around to read it
all.
The Seebald Brothers have started a consulting firm and have set up a website. The URL is www.seebald.com.
I don't think any of the Chicago politicians got away with any of the gold bullion.
The Chicago Tribune reported briefly on
this event and this was their article:
Brothers (and sister) in arms step down
Coast Guard chief of Port of Chicago, 2 siblings, retire
By
Glenn Jeffers Tribune staff reporter
After
26 years of service, three of them patrolling the lakefront as captain of the
Port of Chicago, Capt. Raymond Seebald retired from the U.S. Coast Guard Friday,
along with two of his siblings.
In
a ceremony at Navy Pier, Seebald, 48, was relieved of duty as commander of the
city's marine safety office. Capt. Terrance Carter replaced Seebald at the
ceremony. Carter had been working in the Coast Guard budget office in
Washington.
Seebald's
brother, 20-year veteran Cmdr. Edward Seebald, and his sister, Petty Officer
Theresa Seebald, also retired from the Coast Guard on Friday. They have five
other siblings who have served in the Coast Guard. Four are retired and the
fifth, Lt. Matt Seebald, works in Washington.
Their
father, Ray, blames himself. "We always took them up to the academy,"
he said. He said he had told his children he couldn't afford to send them all to
college on his engineer's salary.
The
message, recalled Edward, was that by 18 "you were on your own."
The
first of the Seebald kids to leave the family's home in Buffalo for the Coast
Guard Academy was Richard, who enrolled in 1970. During his senior year a brain
tumor was diagnosed. He underwent surgery and received a medical discharge. He
died a few years later, when Edward was an academy freshman. "In reality,
[boot camp] was good," he said. "There was no time to deal with
[Richard's death]."
Raymond
Seebald served in Hawaii and Alabama before receiving a master's degree in
environmental chemistry from the University of Maryland in 1983. He then
returned to Buffalo in 1986 to see Theresa enlist.
She
served for 13 years before retiring. She was working as a medical technician in
1996 when TWA Flight 800 crashed in New York.
Raymond
said the reality of retirement has yet to sink in..
He
plans to travel for the next few months with Theresa before returning to the
Buffalo area to work with Edward at a maritime security firm they founded.
"I
want to see what it's like to be in one spot for a month," he said.
Chapter in Coast Guard History Closing - Three of Eight Siblings in
Service Retire
Reprinted from Military Dot Com.
NEW YORK-July 9, 2003 - They've rescued sailors lost in perilous seas, busted drug runners and mustered forces to respond to countless natural and man-made disasters – the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the devastating Hurricane Hugo and the fatal crash of TWA Flight 800, to name a few.
They've also been in charge of major U.S.
ports, warships, military aircraft and small boat rescue crews. They've
held titles like law enforcement agent, medic, teacher, pilot and
commanding officer.
They are the Seebalds – eight brothers and sisters who've all served in
the U.S. Coast Guard for, at present count, more than 120 years of
combined service. When the last two siblings to join were sworn in 13
years ago, the admiral that presided over the ceremony in their hometown
of Buffalo, N.Y., informed them that they were the largest immediate
family to serve in one armed force in the United States. Then-Mayor James
Griffin also proclaimed the date as Seebald Day in Buffalo.
Three of the remaining four Seebalds still in the Coast Guard will retire
together in a ceremony July 11th in Chicago.
Capt. Raymond Seebald is the senior of the three, in his 26th year of
service. He is the Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Marine Safety
Office in Chicago, and the Captain of the Port of Chicago. His career
highlights include serving as a White House aide, acting as the last U.S.
representative to the Panama Canal Authority during the canal's transition
of ownership and developing post-9/11 anti-terrorism plans.
Cmdr. Edward Seebald is retiring after 20 years of service, from his
current post in Manhattan as the director of 3,800 Coast Guard
Auxiliarists, members of the volunteer arm of the Coast Guard.
Edward used the skills of these volunteers to mount a response to assist
New York City firefighters and police officers during and after the 9/11
terrorist attacks in New York. He's also the Seebald with the most sea
time – 9 ½ years spent on four Coast Guard Cutters. Both Raymond and
Edward have also traveled the world to give training to foreign navies and
other foreign government agencies.
Petty Officer 1st Class Theresa Seebald has served the Coast Guard for 13
years as a medical technician. She was one of the first people to respond
to the tragic crash of TWA Flight 800, where she was charged with the
daunting task of setting up a temporary morgue for recovered victims. She
also served at the health clinic for the Coast Guard's boot camp and was
an instructor at a treatment center for recovering drug abusers and
alcoholics.
Raymond, Edward and Theresa will leave their brother, Matthew, to carry
the torch as the last of the Seebald siblings remaining in the service.
Matthew currently serves at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington.
The other four Seebald siblings are Richard, Joseph, Marilyn and Barbara.
Richard was medically discharged from the Coast Guard Academy after
undergoing surgery for a brain tumor – he died a few years later due to
complications. Joseph, a former Coast Guard C-130 Hercules pilot, retired
a few years ago and is now an airline pilot. Joseph also helped Edward in
Manhattan with the response to the 9/11 attacks. Marilyn played a critical
role in the design of the uniforms for Coast Guard women – she now owns
a daycare center outside Buffalo. Barbara was a driver for one of the
service's Vice Commandants, and also worked for the Coast Guard
Investigative Service, and currently lives in Maryland.
Brother Matthew is not alone in his service – a second generation of
Seebalds has also maintained the family ties to the Coast Guard. Marilyn's
son Christopher is a cadet at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.
Barbara's three sons also served in the Coast Guard. One, tragically, was
killed in the line of duty during a search and rescue mission. A Seebald
cousin, Capt. Mary Landry, is the commanding officer of the Coast Guard's
marine safety office in Providence, R.I., and is Captain of the Port of
Providence.
Jack,
Thanks for the nice article, it is always a pleasure sharing time with
sailors. Thank you for coming to the retirement it was a great time and
great company. I fully approve of the article and it is truly told from a
sailors perspective.
Thanks again
ed
Edward P. Seebald,