U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forward

Home
United States
Portsmouth, VA
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forward

We are a 270-ft cutter based out of Portsmouth, Virginia and named after Walter Forward.

We are a 270-foot Medium Endurance Cutter based out of Portsmouth, Virginia. Named after Walter Forward, the Secretary of the Treasury under President John Tyler, we were commissioned August 4, 1990 and have been serving ever since!

01/17/2025

Happy Forward Family Friday! Today we are highlighting another one of our incredible crew members…HS1 Johnathan Chastain!

HS1 Chastain is from Macon, GA and has been in the Coast Guard for seventeen years. He is thankful for everyone who makes up his foundation including his wife Amber, sons Landon and Cameron, mom, dad, sister, and the entire extended family.

HS1 Chastain made time to answer questions about what drives him to succeed…

Why did you choose your rate and what do you like most about your job?
“I choose to be a Health Service Technician because I enjoy helping, training, and teaching others. I really like that my job enables me to interact with everyone on board and I get to meet so many people. I also provide medical support to migrants we bring on board and it is interesting to meet people from different places with different walks of life. However, one of my favorite things that I am honored to be a part of on board is Non-Rate College – where I get to impart Coast Guard and life knowledge on our newest members”.

What inspired you to join the Coast Guard?
“Back in high school, my football coach was a Coast Guard Reservist, and he put me in contact with a recruiter. My best friend was also an Avionics Electrical Technician (AET) in the Coast Guard, so it seemed like the right place for me too”.

Who has inspired or mentored you on board CGC Forward?
“CWO Negron and CWO Lee – the previous Supply Officer (SUPPO) and Main Propulsion Assistant (MPA) on board CGC Forward. I look up to both of them and they have helped me understand how cutter life works”.

What are you doing for your next assignment?
“I will be joining the Coast Guard Recruiting Force, specifically virtual recruiting. I feel as though I have a calling to pass along what I have learned throughout my Coast Guard career to the people who will take my place one day”.

01/11/2025

While Coast Guard personnel wear blue everyday, on January 11th, 2025, the color blue holds a deeper meaning.

Today we recognize the Wear Blue Day initiative to foster awareness for human trafficking. Additionally the month of January is recognized as the National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention month. This serves to educate and bring a greater awareness to the need to combat all forms of human trafficking.

01/10/2025

It’s Friday and that means it’s time to highlight one of our crew members for Forward Family Friday! Today we are recognizing Yeoman First Class Amie Cameron!

YN1 Cameron is from Gretna, LA and has been in the Coast Guard for sixteen years. She is very grateful to be supported by her husband Sean and son Oliver, and many more family members including Richard, Dorris, Jamie, Maria, Ninah and Kennedy.

YN1 Cameron took the time to answer some questions about what drives her…

Why did you choose your rate and what do you like most about your job?
“I choose to be a Yeoman because I like helping people more than anything else. One of the most important things is to ensure our members are getting the correct pay! I also enjoy researching through manuals to find the right answers”.

What inspired you to join the Coast Guard?
“A lot of people in my family have served or are currently serving in the military including both my grandfathers in the Army and Air Force, and two of my uncles in the Coast Guard. I wanted to be a part of something bigger too, and my mom suggested that I look into joining the Coast Guard”.

Who has inspired or mentored you on board CGC Forward?
“CWO Negron – he was the previous Supply Officer (SUPPO) on board CGC Forward and I have learned a lot about leadership and being professional from him. I knew him when he was an SK1, and I chose to come to CGC Forward because he was the SUPPO on board”.

12/17/2024

CGC FORWARD returned to home port this Sunday following a 56-day patrol in the Florida Straits and Windward Pass.

The patrol began with the crew recertifying through the Aviation Standardization Inspection (AVSTAN). We were tested in our aviation readiness by the Aviation Training Center Mobile Ship/Helo Division and worked with the air-crew from Air Station Elizabeth City. Pictured below are crew members demonstrating our capability to conduct vertical replenishment and hot refueling at sea.

Throughout the entire patrol, FORWARD collaborated on multiple interdiction evolutions and trainings with Coast Guard Cutters BERNARD WEBBER, CHARLES DAVID JR, CHARLES SEXTON, HERIBERTO HERNANDEZ, JOSEPH TEZANOS, MANOWAR, PAUL CLARK, RAYMOND EVANS, RICHARD DIXON, ROBERT YERED, TAMPA, VALIANT, WILLIAM FLORES and WILLIAM TRUMP. In addition to working with Small Boat Station Marathon and HNLMS Holland of the Royal Netherland Navy to secure U.S. maritime approaches.

Our Engineering Department prioritized cutter maintenance and sustainment, responding to over 20 discrepancies and allowing FORWARD to remain fully operational. The entire crew completed Damage Control Drills, small boat training, and a .50 caliber machine gun Gunnex. Additionally, FORWARD completed a towing evolution with CGC RICHARD DIXON. Pictured below are members of the Deck Department during the towing evolution.

Following transfer season, this was the first time many crew members went out to sea. This brings on a whole new set of challenges from living arrangements to qualifications to being separated from family members. Our crew welcomed all newly reported members and we are grateful to have them on board. In fact, we celebrated Thanksgiving as a FORWARD Family as pictured below.

Finally, the crew upheld sea-going traditions such as a swim call and cutterman’s call. Two crew members, GMC Padula and MK1 Underwood, were welcomed into the prestigious ranks of Permanent Cutterman and received the corresponding pin documenting five years of sea service. Pictured below are GMC Padula and MK1 Underwood shaking the hands of all the Permanent Cutterman on board.

“Grit – it's the best word that defines this patrol, said Commander Andrew Grantham, FORWARD’s Commanding Officer. “The crew of FORWARD showed it daily, bearing the burden to overcome mechanical issues on an aging Medium Endurance Cutter, exacerbated by maintenance budget shortfalls, to conduct missions. Now that we are home, I have asked the crew to focus on another word – recovery. As noted in the Coast Guard’s Operational Posture 2024, our personnel and material readiness shortfalls require us to adjust and operate differently. That includes rethinking how we will manage crew dwell time to restore personnel resilience to be mission ready when we go back to sea next.”

12/14/2024

Happy Forward Family Friday!

Today is the perfect opportunity to recognize one of our hard-working family members…EM2 Austin Hall!

Electrician’s Mate Second Class Hall is from Lafayette, LA and has been in the Coast Guard for five and a half years. He is grateful to be supported by his wife Lexie and his son AJ.

Last week EM2 Hall had the time to talk about what motivates him…

Why did you choose your rate and what you like most about your job?
“I chose to be an Electrician’s Mate (EM) because I really enjoy problem solving. I find it satisfying to fix electrical systems, especially troubleshooting the issue when we don’t have a step-by-step manual to fix the problem”.

What inspired you to join the Coast Guard?
“I did not want to go to college right away, instead I wanted to go into a working profession. My focus is to learn skills now and apply them later. My mom actually suggested that I should look into the Coast Guard and it has been a great organization to be apart of”.

Who has inspired or mentored you on board CGC Forward?
“EMC Pierce – EMC is my Chief and I have learned a lot from him. Half about being an electrician and half about the role of Petty Officer Second Class when it comes to paperwork and taking care of our people”.

What has been your favorite Port Call while assigned to CGC Forward?
“My favorite patrol was Operation Nanook in the fall of 2023. We visited a lot of new places and I liked the port call in St. Johns, Canada”.

12/06/2024

Crew members on board CGC FORWARD recently completed a Gunnery Exercise and Battle Dressing Station (BDS) chest wound drill.

We held gun crew training for the .50 caliber machine gun mounts and accomplished surface warfare engagement, hot gun, cold gun, and bridge-to-mount communication drills. Additionally, we trained two break-ins and reassessed four qualified members, including members from Operations, Deck, and Engineering Departments.

Congratulations to the BDS team on passing their drill and shout out to HS1 Chastine for his instruction on how to respond to a sucking chest wound!

11/29/2024

It’s CGC FORWARD Family Friday and time to highlight one of our crew members…IS3 Maddox Jurgensen!

IS3 Jurgensen is from Melbourne, FL and has been in the Coast Guard for two years. He is currently on board CGC Forward filling a temporary assigned duty position (TDY) and we are grateful to have him!

What is your Rate and why did you choose it?
“I am a Petty Officer 3rd Class Intelligence Specialist (IS3). I choose to be an IS because I like working behind the scenes planning operations. I also get a lot of satisfaction when the mission goes well, and all the planning pays off”.

What inspired you to join the Coast Guard?
“I joined the Coast Guard to help people when they are having a bad day”.

Who has inspired or mentored you on board CGC Forward?
“LT Lazowski – he’s the Operations Officer and I have worked with him daily on this patrol. He has taught me to never turn down a challenge and is a hard worker. OPS is someone who I aspire to be one day.”

11/24/2024

Did someone say fish call?

The crew of CGC FORWARD has been working hard these past few weeks and earned some much-deserved relaxation time. We had an incredible fish call, fired up the grill on the fantail, and hosted a co****le tournament on the flight deck!

Congrats to SN Murumbi and SN Walker for becoming our co****le champions!

11/15/2024

Today is Friday and a great day to take the time to highlight one of our CGC Forward Family members…FN Benjamin Perreault!

FN Perreault is from Crittenden, Kentucky and has been in the Coast Guard for one year. He is very grateful to be supported by his wife Chloe and his daughter Dorothy.

Earlier this week, FN Perreault took the time to answer questions about what drives him…

What Rate are you choosing and why?

“I am choosing to be a Gunner’s Mate (GM). I had the opportunity to be part of a .50 caliber machine gun training on the boat and I really enjoyed it - I shot the target buoy from 500 yards away. I like working with guns and one of my pastimes is hunting too”.

What inspired you to join the Coast Guard?

“I wanted to serve my country. I also wanted to follow my grandfather’s footsteps and serve in a sea-going service. He served in the Navy as an Aviation Electrician’s Mate”.

Who has inspired or mentored you on board CGC Forward?

“GM2 Paulsen – he’s very patient and has been mentoring me about what it means to be a Gunner’s Mate”.

“MK1 Turschman – he’s the First Class in my division but has also taught me everything I know about engineering and how to be a Coast Guardsman”.

11/10/2024

Happy Birthday United States Marine Corps!

We would like to celebrate by highlighting our crew members on board who served in the Marine Corps prior to joining the USCG.

Pictured above left to right is SN Emmanuel Murumbi, EM3 Preston Haigh, and OS3 Joseph Lee.

SN Murumbi served as inventory management specialist, stationed at Combat Logistics Battalion 2 and Marine Support Battalion. He also served during Operation Enduring Freedom.
EM3 Haigh served as an infantry fireteam leader/grenadier in 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, Easy Company. He was also stationed in Twentynine Palms, California and deployed to Kuwait, Jordan, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
OS3 Lee served as an infantry mortarman in the 60mm mortar section. He was in 1st Battalion, 4th Marines and deployed with 31st MEU to Okinawa, Japan.

Thank you for your service and your continued service to our nation.

11/03/2024

Happy Halloween!

USCGC FORWARD celebrated Halloween by hosting a costume contest voted on by the crew!

Congratulations to the costume contest winners!
1st Place – DC2 Miller as The Plague Doctor
2nd Place – LT Lazowski as LTJG Sargent
3rd Place – ET2 Salgado and ET2 Mowe as Lord Farquaad and Princess Fiona

10/27/2024

CGC FORWARD recently completed Aviation Standardization Inspection (AVSTAN). We were tested in our aviation readiness by the Aviation Training Center Mobile Ship/Helo Division and demonstrated our capabilities with the air-crew from Air Station Elizabeth City!

By achieving our AVSTAN recertification, CGC FORWARD can continue working with aviation detachments in the future.

Huge shout out to our JP-5 fuel program and congratulations to the whole crew on all your hard work and enthusiasm these past few weeks!

Address

Portsmouth, VA

Telephone

+17574838740

Website

http://GoCoastGuard.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forward posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forward:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Government Service in Portsmouth?