PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The crew of Coast Guard Station Emerald Isle held a change-of-command ceremony Friday at the station in Emerald Isle, N.C.
During the ceremony, Chief Petty Officer Matthew Wolanzyk relieved Chief Warrant Officer Robert Lepere, who served as the officer-in-charge of Station Emerald Isle since 2010.
"This has been an amazing three years for me," said Lepere. "I have been blessed with a top notch crew of professionals and all around great people. The partnerships and friendships we have with other agencies and town government within the local community are truly what makes Station Emerald Isle unique. My family and I will truly miss it here and we hope to be back someday."
Station Emerald Isle's missions include: search and rescue, recreational boating safety, law enforcement and marine environmental protection. The station is home to 24 active-duty members and 11 reserve members.
The area of responsibility for the station includes Bogue Sound, Bogue Inlet, Stump Sound, New River, New River Inlet and the Intracoastal Waterway via Surf City, N.C.
Lepere's next assignment will be the commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Gloucester in Gloucester, Mass.
Wolanzyk's previous assignment was the Boat Forces Afloat senior instructor at Training Center Yorktown, Va.
Change-of-command ceremonies are designed to strengthen respect for the continuity of command and are vital to any military organization. The culmination of the ceremony is reached when both members read their orders, face one another, salute and transfer total responsibility for the command.