RICHARD BRANNON, USCGR LCDR

2005 ROJO
District/Unit: 8th, Gulf Strike Team

CGR Career Highlights: During the response to Hurricane Katrina, he was credited with the successful staging of food and supplies to critical areas, coordinating the multi-agency response to over 500 sunken or grounded vessels, and saving the federal government over $1 million by adroitly negotiating service contracts.

Civilian Occupation: District Fire Chief, Mobile, AL Fire Rescue Department.

Community Service: High school sports official and trains volunteers to assist emergency personnel in the event of a large-scale disaster.

How Recruited: A fire department member (who was also a retired Coast Guard Reservist) gave a talk about the Coast Guard to his fire department. Several members of the fire department were in the Coast Guard Reserve at the time. It was something that interested Brannon, so he followed it up with a visit to the local Coast Guard station and then talked to a recruiter at Recruiting Office Mobile. Brannon attended Reserve Enlisted Basic Indoctrination (REBI) at Training Center Petaluma, CA in summer 1986.