See also Trump backs Mastriano in Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial primaryįagan’s daughter, Aileen, is now a lieutenant in the Coast Guard. Building permanent facilities for women across the US Coast Guard fleet has taken years. At that time, the service’s cutters still needed new sleeping quarters and new washroom facilities for enlisted women.
The Coast Guard has changed a lot since Fagan entered the academy in 1981. “To be the best in the world, we must also be the most inclusive in the world.” “We are a learning organization striving to be more diverse and representative of the great nation we serve,” Schultz told crowds gathered at Wednesday’s ceremony. Mayorkas praised Schultz for leading a more than 20% increase in the Coast Guard budget as well as “the largest shipbuilding effort since World War II.” In addition to seeing the branch weather the coronavirus pandemic, Schultz’s tenure also included the nation’s most active hurricane season to date, including three Category 5 hurricanes. “I never thought I would be here today, and I want to thank him,” Admiral Fagan said, noting that she wore the late commander’s epaulets in his honor. Siler, the 15th Service Commander who oversaw the integration of the Service Academies. “Today is a historic day for the United States Coast Guard and a historic day for the United States.”ĭuring his remarks, Fagan paid tribute to Adm. Fagan is a pioneer,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday. See also Three people, including medical workers, stabbed at Encino hospital “When Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent me your name, I said, ‘What took you so long?'”
“It was about time,” President Joe Biden said Wednesday. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the branch was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “I recognize that I now provide a pair of shoulders for those who come after me,” Fagan added.įagan is the 27th commander of the service, dating back to the 1915 creation of the Coast Guard, which merged the Revenue Cutter Service and the US Life-Saving Service. “We don’t yet reflect the society we serve, and we need to keep working on that.” “We’ve made a lot of progress in the junior ranks, but we have to keep moving forward,” Fagan told TSTIME News in an interview last year. She graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1985, one of 16 women who graduated sixth class to include women. Previously the service’s second-in-command, Fagan has worn the Coast Guard uniform for more than four decades and on seven continents. Fagan shattered the military’s glass ceiling on Wednesday to become commander of the United States Coast Guard and the first female officer to lead a branch of the United States Armed Forces.