Coast Guard Reservists Wish Outgoing Commander ‘Fair Winds and Following Seas’

By Lt. Col. G.P. Mirabella, U.S. Transportation Command Public Affairs In a ceremony rich in nautical tradition, Capt. Deborah A. Dombeck, Coast Guard Reserve, relinquished command of U. S. Transportation Command's Coast Guard Reserve Element to Cmdr. Jeffrey G. Anderson here Dec. 1. "Serving here at USTRANSCOM has truly been an incredible experience," said Dombeck, a resident of Kerrville, Texas. "I consider myself blessed to have had the opportunity to work side by side with so many outstanding individuals from every branch of the armed forces as well as some of the most dedicated and knowledgeable civilians in the Department of Defense workforce."

Guests included USTRANSCOM Commander Air Force Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Navy Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau, USTRANSCOM deputy commander, Coast Guard Reserve Rear Adm. John C. Acton, deputy commander for U.S. Coast Guard Mobilization and Reserve Affairs - Atlantic Area, and retired Rear Adm. Thomas J. Hill, Navy Reserve, former commander of USTRANSCOM's Joint Transportation Reserve Unit (JTRU). The ceremony, presided over by Air Force Reserve Maj. Gen. Harold L. Mitchell, current commander of the JTRU, symbolized the formal passing of command of the 18 Coast Guard Reserve personnel assigned to the JTRU from Dombeck to Anderson. The JTRU, the first Department of Defense-authorized "joint" reserve unit, provides USTRANSCOM with the highly skilled personnel it needs from the reserve components of all the services. USTRANSCOM provides air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense, both in time of peace and time of war. The command is responsible for creating and implementing world-class global deployment and distribution solutions in support of the President, Secretary of Defense, and combatant commander-assigned missions.

During the ceremony, Mitchell presented Dombeck with the Defense Superior Service Medal for her outstanding service to USTRANSCOM and the JTRU. "I feel especially privileged," Dombeck said, "to have had the honor to command the exceptional men and women of the USTRANSCOM Coast Guard Reserve Element." Dombeck's leaves USTRANSCOM for her new position as deputy chief of staff for the 8th Coast Guard District, New Orleans, La. Anderson's most recent assignment was as the executive officer of the U.S. Northern Command's Coast Guard Reserve Unit. In his civilian career, Anderson is in the lead management group of construction executives for Target in Minneapolis, Minn.