US Coast Guard Admiral to Visit Gogebic Community College

IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP, MI - Friday, October 23, 2009 - Gogebic Community College Alumnus Steven Day, a Rear Admiral in the United States Coast Guard, will visit the GCC campus on October 28. A former GCC Samson basketball player, Admiral Day attended Gogebic in 1971-73, graduating with an Associate of Arts Degree. While on campus, Admiral Day will be meeting with a number of student-veterans. On the evening of October 28, GCC will host a reception for Admiral Day at 6:30 PM in the David G. Lindquist Student Center cafeteria, during which he will present on the modern day missions of the United States Coast Guard. While the reception is designed as an update for local veterans, the general public is welcome to attend the event.

In addition to his Associate Degree, Day holds a Bachelors Degree from Northern Michigan University and a Masters degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

  Admiral Day enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1967, and in 1979 was commissioned to the rank of Ensign. Assignments as an officer have included: Reserve Green Bay; Commanding Officer of Reserve Unit Hancock; Operations Officer of PSU 303 Milwaukee when he was deployed to the Port of Damman, Saudi Arabia in support of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm from September 1990 to April 1991; Commanding Officer Reserve Unit Green Bay; FEMA Liaison Officer Milwaukee; Commanding Officer PSU 303 Milwaukee; USTRANSCOM and Commanding Officer Port Security Unit 309 where his unit conducted deployments to Pohang, Korea, Dukaylah, Egypt, OPSAIL 2000, New York City and Manama, Bahrain; Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Element, Joint Forces Command Norfolk; Commanding Officer, Joint Reserve Unit, Norfolk, VA; in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to the Pentagon, National Military Command Center and Coast Guard Headquarters, Defense Operations; Senior Reserve Officer, Deputy Chief of Staff D5; and then to PACAREA as the Reserve Chief of Staff/Senior Reserve Officer. On June 9, 2008, RDML Day assumed his current assignment at LANT AREA.

Admiral Day’s personal awards include a Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Joint Defense Commendation Medals, two Coast Guard Commendation Medals, Navy Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Achievement Medal and a Joint Defense Achievement Medal and numerous other personal and unit decorations. “We are pleased that Admiral Day is visiting campus and working with our student/veterans,” said GCC President Jim Lorenson. “We are also pleased that the Admiral is willing to give an update on the U.S Coast Guard to our local veterans and public. As our local veterans have played an important part in the growth of Gogebic Community College, Admiral Day’s visit gives us an opportunity to acknowledge our veterans and treat them to an interesting and informative evening.”

The United States Coast Guard is one of the five armed forces of the United States and the only military organization within the Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard protects the maritime economy and the environment, defends our maritime borders, and saves those in peril. For over two centuries the U.S. Coast Guard has safeguarded our Nation’s maritime interests in the heartland, in the ports, at sea, and around the globe. Its missions include protection of the maritime economy and environment, defense of the nation’s maritime borders, and search and rescue. Today’s U.S. Coast Guard, with nearly 42,000 men and women on active duty, is a unique force that carries out an array of civil and military responsibilities touching almost every facet of the U.S. maritime environment. The Coast Guard's motto is Semper Paratus, meaning "Always Ready."