By Paul J. Condra
It is the second-highest position in that branch of the military; there are only four vice admirals in the country. Now, Three-Star Admiral Thomas Barrett, having been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the position, will relocate from Alaska to Washington D.C. to work with the commander of the Coast Guard.
The prestigious promotion comes after a 32-year career in the Coast Guard; Barrett, now 55, enlisted immediately out of college.
I would attribute much of his success to growing up in Lynbrook, said his father, Tom, who also lives in the Village. The younger Barrett attended West End Elementary School and also went to Our Lady of Peace R.C. Church in Lynbrook where as his father said, he had a very happy childhood... When he is honored, so is our village.
Barrett has spent the last 13 years of his career as a commander in Alaska, based in the capital, Juneau, overseeing the patrol of 3.8 million square miles of ocean and 45,000 miles of coastline. His watch includes the busy Port of Valdez trans-shipping point and the world's second most popular cruise destination point. Then there's the weather:
Alaska is a very challenging place to work. Distances are much bigger up here. Weather is bad more often. You get high winds, high seas, cold, a lot of dark, he said in a recent interview. Our cases tend to be much more difficult because of the environment.
Barrett described Kodiak and the Aleutians as very desolate areas far from shore. In addition, the Alaska Coast Guard patrols the maritime border with Russia, he said, which is much farther from shore than other patrols.
He said they once rescued a cargo tanker that had gone adrift in the Aleutians in terrible weather. He said if they hadn't gotten a hold of the boat it could have hit rocks and spilled oil.
But despite the distance from the rest of the country, Barrett said he enjoys the company of Alaskans, who he describes as tough, hard workers.
One of the stories Barrett likes to remember is about the rescues of some Russian Natives who got stuck in a boat out in a storm near the Russian/American border.
Barrett said the Russians were at first hesitant to let the Americans help search the Russian side, until Moscow gave permission. The admiral said an American search plane spotted the lost skiffs and communicated the location to Russian boats, rescuing six people.
The next day, I get a call from someone in broken English, I just want you, Coast Guard, to know you are gorgeous,' Barrett said. This is why the members of the Coast Guard and I get up in the morning.
Barrett studied biology at LeMoyne College, and received a Juris Doctor with honors from George Washington University. He is also a graduate of the United States Army War College in Pennsylvania.
He was commissioned in 1969 and served in Vietnam. He has also served as a legal officer for the Coast Guard and many other positions.
Barrett has been decorated with three Legion of Merit awards, the Meritorious Service Medal and other recognition.
When he moves to Washington D.C. with his wife, Sheila, and their four children, he will serve as an assistant to the new Coast Guard commander, Adm. Thomas Collins.
He said the Coast Guard is entering a pretty dynamic time, as it works to incorporate new anti-terrorism measures while continuing search and rescue missions and enforcement of fisheries and drug and environmental legislation.
Ultimately, what I like best is knowing you had some impact on things, whether it was knowing that search and rescue case went well or you have helped to create a sustainable fishery and you can see the impact of that, he said.
