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CHARLESTON, S.C. — Coast Guard Sector Charleston received a new commanding officer during a change of command ceremony aboard the USS Yorktown at Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, S.C., Friday morning.
Capt. Michael F. White Jr., who was the Sector Charleston commander since June 2010, passed command to Capt. Ric Rodriguez, who most recently served as the chief of the officer personnel management division at Coast Guard Personnel Service Center in Arlington, Va.
White is scheduled to transfer to the 13th Coast Guard District, in Seattle, where he will serve as the chief of the response division.
The change of command is a time-honored tradition that ensures the continuity of command of the unit and its personnel. It is a formal ceremony and marks the transfer of total responsibility, authority, and accountability for the unit and its assigned missions. It is conducted according to a formally prescribed ritual to honor and maintain traditions of the service.
Sector Charleston is the regional operational command overseeing Coast Guard activities across South Carolina and Georgia. The sector includes 11 field units and more than 1,629 active duty, reserve, civilian and auxiliary personnel.
For more information contact Lt. Cmdr. Derek Beatty, the Sector Charleston public affairs officer, at 843-740-7062.