Coast Guard Base Kodiak held a change of command ceremony bidding farewell to Capt. Edward Hernaez and welcoming Capt. Jeremey Hall, Tuesday.
The ceremony was presided over by Capt. Greg Magee, Deputy Director of Operational Logistics, Coast Guard Headquarters.
Hall reported to Base Kodiak from Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, where he was the executive officer. Hernaez will transfer to the Coast Guard Academy as the commanding officer.
“My Family and I look forward to returning to Kodiak and reconnecting with the community and our friends there,” said Hall. “For us, in many ways, it feels like we are coming home and what an exciting time to return to Kodiak. The Coast Guard is investing heavily to enhance capabilities in the region and Kodiak is largely at the center of that.”
Hall received his commission from the Coast Guard Academy in 2001 and earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Illinois in Civil Engineering where he obtained his license as a Professional Engineer.
“It’s been an absolute honor to serve Base Kodiak, our team Kodiak units, and the Kodiak Coast Guard community,” said Hernaez. “This crew, which includes several detached divisions around Alaska, works so hard around the clock to support Coast Guard operations in the Last Frontier and I have been blessed to work with some of the greatest active duty, civilian, and reserve duty personnel here at Base Kodiak.”
Hernaez, who has served as Base Kodiak’s commanding officer since 2020, is looking forward to his next assignment as the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s commanding officer, ensuring America’s most elite young men and women earn a commission as an Ensign and go on to serve the nation.
Base Kodiak is the largest land installation of the Coast Guard and serves as the senior Mission Support touchstone for Coast Guard operations within the 17th District across Alaska, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with its operational partners to ensure the delivery of professional, responsive and cost-effective services to the American public.
The change-of-command ceremony is a military tradition representing a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commanding or flag officer to another. The passing of colors, standards, or ensigns from an outgoing commander to an incoming one ensures that the unit and its members are never without official leadership, a continuation of trust.
