Coast Guard crew puts personality, humor into work of saving lives
“We try to make things a little easier, even if it’s just taking their mind off of what’s happening for a minute or two by talking about anything but their situation.”
Coast Guard Chief Steve Kelly
COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. – Chief Steve Kelly does the cabbage patch in the front seat of his Ford pickup.
“Who let the dogs out?” he sings as he swings his arms in a circle. “Coast Guard, Coast Guard.” The other members of his U.S. Coast Guard team from Kentucky laugh or roll their eyes.
Kelly just finished leading shallowboat rescues of a couple and more than a dozen dogs stuck in rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence. Josephine Horne and her husband, Jackie, were helped out of their flooding trailer into one of the boats. They stuffed what they could into large black trash bags and left their home behind, not knowing what they would return to. Concern filled their faces after they were rescued from the river that used to be their street. A sense of relief took over after seeing Kelly’s team unloading a boat filled with their white and brown beagles.
By the time family members came to pick up the couple, they were laughing with Coast Guard members.
It’s hard to stay upset if one spends more than a few minutes with Kelly. His bright smile and continuous jokes are returned with either laughs or embarrassed looks from his crew.
The tight-knit group from Paducah is almost like a family and was called into North Carolina to help with Florence. It’s a familiar call. Like many in the U.S. Coast Guard, the crew helped with rescues during other hurricanes, such as Matthew, Katrina and Irma.
“When we meet these people, it’s usually one of the worst days of their life,” Kelly says. “Even though it’s a tough situation, we try to make things a little easier, even if it’s just taking their mind off of what’s happening for a minute or two by talking about anything but their situation.”
Traveling down flooded roads with water up to the door of the truck, he balances talking on a conference call with his Coast Guard bosses, sternly navigating to the next mission and tasking members of his crew with finding a place for them to sleep. To lighten the mood, he pushes his nose against a passenger window and makes a funny face at one of his crewmen.
When they get a call about a motorist sinking in floodwaters, the smiles vanish. Kelly firmly directs his crew. They scan for the vehicle. It’s a hectic rush to save a life. “Woo!” Kelly says. “They’re safe. Another agency down the road found them.”
Kelly led boat rescues in Hurricane Harvey in Texas last year, helping hundreds of people to safety. Those rescued often are moved from traumatized to smiling. Sports or grandkids are usually favorite topics after making sure the person doesn’t need medical attention. Kids are known as “little Coasties” aboard the Guard’s 16-foot red punt boats.
The positivity is contagious. “It really does keep our spirits up,” says Jason Murphy, a petty officer. “This job is tough, and it can definitely get to you.”
Each member of the group plays his part: Murphy says he’s known as the serious one, the “grump.” Gavin Kershaw is the driver and calm even in the craziest situations. Blake Gwinn, a maritime enforcement specialist, loves adrenaline and has no problem in risky situations. And Kelly is their chief, acting both as a serious commander and father of sorts.
“The military is a serious place,” Kelly says. “In times like this, where you’re working really long days that can be extremely stressful, I think this is when you help the people around you feel a little less stressed.
“Plus,” he adds, “I’m damn funny.”