Public Information Assist Team U.S. Coast Guard
Press Release	Date: July 11, 2007 Contact: Lt. j.g. Matthew Kor (251) 441-6601

MOBILE, Ala. -- A change-of-command ceremony for the commanding officer of the Gulf Strike Team (GST) is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday at Aviation Training Center Mobile.

Cmdr. Virginia J. Kammer, previously assigned to Coast Guard Headquarters in the Office of Security and Defense, will assume command from Cmdr. Ronald J. Cantin. Capt. Roderick E. Walker, the commanding officer of the National Strike Force Coordination Center in Elizabeth City, N.C., will preside over the ceremony.

Cantin will also retire from the Coast Guard after 27 years of distinguished service.

Cantin became the commanding officer of the GST in June 2005. That same year, Cantin was selected to serve as the "Incident Specific Federal on Scene Coordinator" for the hazardous material response to Hurricane Katrina in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Cantin holds the distinction of being the first person to earn the designation as "Type I Incident Commander" in Coast Guard history.

Prior to taking command of the GST, Cantin was the executive officer of the Pacific Strike Team (PST) in Novato, Calif.

The change-of-command ceremony is a time-honored event preserved by the rich heritage of naval tradition. It is a formal custom that is designed to strengthen the respect of authority, which is vital to any military organization. The culmination of the ceremony is reached when both officers read their orders, face one another, salute and transfer responsibility for the command. This provides the entire command with the knowledge that the officer directed by proper authority is taking command and an opportunity to witness this transfer of responsibility.

For online information about the Gulf Strike Team, please visit https://www.piersystem.com/go/page/771/15052/ 

Media is invited to attend the ceremony and is requested to report to the main gate of the training center no later than 9:45 a.m. for escort onto the base. The ceremony will be held in the GST hangar. For biographies or questions regarding the day's events, contact  Lt. j.g. Matthew Kor at (251) 441-6601.