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Capt. Steven Wischmann thanks his wife and two children for their support during his retirement ceremony held at the Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo N.Y. Wischmann retired after 29 years of service, and was relieved by Capt. Brian Roche as the commander of Coast Guard Sector Buffalo. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Christopher M. Yaw |
BUFFALO, N.Y.— A Minnesota native and 1979 graduate of Wadena High School in Wadena, Minn., retired Tuesday from the U.S. Coast Guard following 29 years of active-duty military service.
Capt. Steven Wischmann is retiring after having served the last two years as commander of Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, with an area of responsibility from Vermilion, Ohio, to the U.S./Canada border at Massena, N.Y.
He began his career after completing Coast Guard Basic Training at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J., in 1985, after which he served aboard the sailing barque Coast Guard Cutter Eagle and the Coast Guard Cutter Northwind that included deployments to the high Arctic in 1985 and 1986.
He served as a petty officer at Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Corpus Christi, Texas, before completing Officer Candidate School at Coast Guard Reserve Training Center in Yorktown, Va., in 1989, where he earned his commission as an ensign. Since then, his assignments have included Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., MSO Portland, Maine, MSO Huntington, W. Va., a staff assignment at the Department of Homeland Security, and commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Pittsburgh. Wischmann was deputy commander of Sector Buffalo, from July 2009 to June 2011, after which he fleeted up to his final assignment as commander of Sector Buffalo.
Wischmann earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of the State of New York in 1993 and a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine in 1997.
Wischmann's decorations include: three Meritorious Service Medals, four Coast Guard Commendation Medals, one Army Commendation Medal, the 9-11 Medal, one Coast Guard Achievement Medal, one Commandant's Letter of Commendation, two National Defense Service Medals, the Chief Financial Officer Award for Excellence in 1999, the Marine Safety Insignia, and numerous unit citations and team awards.
Wischmann and his wife Amy, their son Locke, 14, and daughter Winter, 12, plan to remain in the Buffalo area for the next few years while spending increasing time on the coast of Maine and in the Ottertail, Minn., area.
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Capt. Brian Roche (right) salutes Capt. Steven Wischmann and relieves him of duty as commander of Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y., during a change-of-command ceremony at the Connecticut Street Armory June 25, 2013. Rear Adm. Mike Parks (center), commander of the Coast Guard 9th District, presided over the ceremony. U.S. Coast Guard Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher M. Yaw |
Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y., holds a change-of-command and retirement ceremony June 25, 2013 at the Connecticut Street Armory. During the ceremony, Capt. Brian Roche relieved Capt. Steven Wischmann as sector commander. U.S. Coast Guard Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher M. Yaw |
Capt. Steven Wischmann holds a flag that was presented to him during his retirement ceremony June 25, 2013 at the Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo, N.Y. Wischmann retired after 29 years of service, and was relieved by Capt. Brian Roche as the commander of Coast Guard Sector Buffalo. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher M. Yaw |