19 minute read
Remembering a Coast Guard Hero
Rear Admiral Marshall ‘Ed’ Gilbert, Class of 1958, Part I
By CAPT Ken Thompson, USCG (ret), ’64
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“That keeps you in the back roads, by the rivers of my memory … That keeps you ever gentle on my mind.” - Glen Campbell, 1968
Prologue
“A laser intellect wrapped in a soft-talking, self-effacing personality who taught leadership through metaphors, homilies, and anecdotes.” - Admiral Thad Allen ’71 “When God was creating Ed Gilbert, He told the angels: ‘This is a special model, we are only making one of these’.” - Ross Norsworthy, RTCM “I can’t think of one interaction with him that didn’t leave me feeling that I probably could get college credits.” - Captain Charlie Harris ’71
Rear Admiral Ed Gilbert and I were colleagues in a variety of endeavors over a period of more than 30 years, both while on active duty and as retirees engaged in Coast Guard and related matters. Our associations grew into a very close friendship as well. The morning following Ed’s death this past June, his wife Linda asked for my assistance with the various Coast Guard matters attendant to the situation. In doing so, I gained insight into the numerous testimonials and personal notes addressed to the family by scores of people, inside the Coast Guard and out.
As I hope to make abundantly clear in what follows, those of us who knew and served with Ed - many of whom have provided input here - know him to be a genuine Coast Guard hero whose substantial contributions to our service, and related organizations, merit acclaim and recognition beyond those who served beside him and saw for themselves. We who knew Ed well agree that his most significant contribution was the influence he had on those
“We who knew [RADM Ed Gilbert ’58] well agree that his most significant contribution was the influence he had on those around him,” writes the author.
around him. His leadership, mentorship, guidance and friendship impacted hundreds of officers and others which, in turn, magnified Ed’s impact several-fold.
This first half of the article presents and memorializes the 35 years of Coast Guard Service that was RADM Ed Gilbert’s life while on active duty. The second half (shared as an online exclusive at www.cgaalumni.org/Dec20) documents his life post-retirement along with some “sea stories” and testimonials. Most importantly, both are a collection of remembrances of those with whom he served, influenced, led in sometimes difficult and complex situations, befriended and entertained.
Vietnam
RADM Gilbert’s classmates and Vietnam Veterans, VADM Bob Nelson ’58 and CAPT Al Larzelere ’58 - through his book “The Coast Guard at War: Vietnam 1965-1975” - provided input for the following…
After Academy graduation in 1958, Ed Gilbert served on a High Endurance Cutter, then was Skipper of a 95-foot Patrol Boat, followed by a year as Commanding Officer of a Loran Station. He then attended the USN Postgraduate School for 2 years, obtaining a degree in Telecommunications Management.
When the Coast Guard was suddenly needed in South Vietnam, Ed’s operational experiences and communications specialty made him an ideal candidate. Then-Lieutenant Gilbert and several of his classmates were among the initial contingent of Coast Guard Squadron One which deployed to Vietnam in mid-1965.
Things had happened fast after a midApril request from the Navy for Coast Guard patrol boats to counter largely unchecked North Vietnamese seaborne smuggling of arms and supplies to their Viet Cong allies in the south. Navy coastal patrols had been ineffective because the vessels employed had too much draft to operate sufficiently inshore to disrupt the flow.
In a matter of weeks, the Coast Guard had identified seventeen 82-foot Patrol Boats, their crews and support personnel, who assembled at Alameda in midMay to begin training. By mid-June, the first of the boats arrived in Subic Bay, Philippines, having been transported there aboard freighters. Training and other preparations continued at Subic for about a month. The Squadron was split into two divisions, and in mid-July, the eight boats of Division 12 sailed with a Navy LST escort/gas station for their new homeport of Da Nang in the north, just below the DMZ. The remaining boats, constituting Division 11, sailed two weeks later for the southern portion, the island village of An Thoi in the Gulf of Thailand. Ed Gilbert was assigned to Division 11.
VADM Nelson: “We received orders for Vietnam and joined the Squadron crews in Alameda to begin intensive training. Ed was quickly selected by the Squadron Commander as the lead person to develop training plans and deliver the training to crews, initially in Alameda, then in the Philippines. Once in Vietnam, Ed continued to develop tactics and provided especially valuable briefings. When a third cutter Division was formed six months later, Ed oversaw their training as well.”
A unique perspective on young Ed Gilbert in Vietnam was provided by retired Mustang Commander Bob Douville: “RADM Gilbert and I were plank owners when Squadron One was commissioned. I was a junior petty officer then, one of three enlisted men on the admin staff. As we made our way from Alameda to the Philippines, then on to An Thoi, it was obvious to me that LT Gilbert had become a highly valued confidante of the Squadron Commander. There was tremendous pressure on the Commodore to get the Squadron out of Subic and on to Vietnam and, once there, quickly out on patrol. He relied greatly on LT Gilbert and had the utmost confidence in his council.
“LT Gilbert was a former 95 skipper, as were all the first wave of O-3’s. I can imagine his initial disappointment as his classmates were assigned their boats as CO, while he was retained as a staff officer ashore, although he was designated as a relief CO when crew rest periods were introduced. But the Commodore saw qualities of character, intellect and leadership in LT Gilbert, and wanted to keep him close by. LT Gilbert hid whatever his own feelings were, understanding clearly, I think, why he was assigned as he was. He demonstrated the utmost loyalty and devotion to duty in helping the Commodore carry the burden.”
After Ed returned stateside in 1966, he went on to serve in a variety of District staff and field unit jobs, usually in his telecommunications specialty. In 1977-78, he attended the Army War College, then was assigned Command of Coast Group St. Petersburg, Florida.
Lieutenant Gilbert is Awarded the Bronze Star for his Vietnam service
Group St. Petersburg
CAPT Steve Venckus ’74 provided significant input for this segment...
USCGC BLACKTHORN, a 180 ‘ buoy tender, was standing out of Tampa Bay on Monday evening, 28 January 1980, enroute her homeport of Galveston following an extensive shipyard overhaul in Tampa. The night was clear, visibility good, seas calm, as she passed under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. At this same time, the 580-foot tanker CAPRICORN, carrying 150,000 barrels of bunker oil, was approaching the bridge inbound to Tampa Bay.
At 2023 local time (actual transmissions compressed):
GROUP ST PETE: “ROGER. ARE YOU TAKING ON ANY WATER AND HOW BAD IS THE DAMAGE, OVER?”
“THIS IS BLACKTHORN, STANDBY, STANDBY THIS CHANNEL ....” (This was BLACKTHORN’s last transmission.)
In less than two minutes the Group St. Petersburg Operations Center had learned of the Coast Guard’s worst peacetime disaster, and started reacting. BLACKTHORN, with a crew of 50, sank in a matter of minutes and a major port was almost paralyzed for three weeks.
The Group CO, Commander Ed Gilbert, was notified immediately and arrived at the Operations Center a few minutes later. He and his Command Cadre immediately began identifying and prioritizing essential action items. In the meantime …
ST. PETE: “HAS THE VESSEL SUNK COM PLETELY?”
“ROGER, JUST A SMALL PART OF IT STICKING UP.”
A Station St. Pete 41 ‘ patrol boat had now joined CAPRICORN, the CHARLES BAYOU and others at the scene:
CGC - 41452: “ROGER, I HAVE MY SPOTLIGHT ON A GROUP AHEAD OF ME, I CAN PICK THEM UP.” (Cries of “Help! Help!” heard in the background.)
By the late evening of 28 January, the count stood at 27 survivors, 1 known dead, 22 missing. Hope for additional survivors was rapidly fading, but there was no slacking of the search efforts. In the early dawn of the following day, five more bodies were recovered from the scene.
In the ensuing days, Commander Gilbert expertly guided his command and scores of other personnel and hardware from State agencies, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the private sector. Searches continued and divers were dispatched to sound the hull for survivors; a Navy Special Psychiatric Rapid Intervention Team (SPRINT) and chaplains were called in to support survivors and next of kin; the press was accommodated and provided briefings; alternate channels in and out of the port were identified and marked so some traffic could resume.
Underwater surveys indicated the vessels had collided port bow to port bow, then slid down each other’s port side. CAPRICON’s port anchor had become imbedded in BLACKTHORN’S hull, ripping open a long gash, then, as the anchor and chain payed out, rolling BLACKTHORN over, causing her to sink in just minutes. With Navy salvage support, BLACKTHORN was eventually raised after significant delays due to proceedings of the Marine Investigating Board and weather. When she was finally lifted clear on February 19, the bodies of the remaining 17 crew members were recovered.
In an article Captain Gilbert subsequently wrote about the incident, he cited several lessons learned, and offered outstanding guidance in Crisis Management. His leadership and performance of duty during the episode were universally applauded, and he became a go-to guy in crisis response.
Then-Lieutenant Steve Venckus was Ed’s Operations Officer at the time: “I never saw him flustered. He kept me focused on the rescue while seeing the bigger picture. He always kept his people first. He immediately brought in a Navy SPRINT team to care for survivors, families and command personnel. He also dealt most effectively with the closure of the port as BLACKTHORN lay
broken at the bottom of the main ship channel.”
Barely more than 3 months later, there was a second calamity when, in heavy weather and near-zero visibility, a 600foot freighter struck one of the two main spans of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge at the entrance to Tampa Bay. The entire span collapsed into the bay 150 feet below, taking with it a truck, five autos and a bus. 35 people perished. Once again, Group St Pete and augmenting resources under Commander Gilbert’s command performed in an exceptional manner.
CAPT Steve Venckus again: “We learned a lot from the BLACKTHORN incident and we soon needed to apply those lessons again when the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapsed. RADM Gilbert again led us through that tragic event with the same unruffled, unflappable composure and style of his.”
Ed next went to Coast Guard Headquarters where he served in a succession of senior positions in the Office of Telecommunications, up to Deputy Office Chief, until he was transferred to the 12th District Staff as Chief of Operations, then Chief of Staff. He was selected for Flag Rank in 1986 and returned to Headquarters as Chief of R&D.
Gilbert I
ADM Thad Allen ’71 and RADMs Rudy Peschel ’63, Paul Busick ’66 and Bert Kinghorn ’71 – all G-I team members – provided major input for the following…
When Admiral Paul Yost ’51 became Commandant in 1986, a number of converging forces created pressure on the Coast Guard to review its organizational structure, better its operations-to-support ratio, and improve mission effectiveness. There was specific direction from Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole to consolidate Districts and regionalize support functions. Operational demands were building. The war on drugs and the prospect of hostilities in the Persian Gulf drove supplemental appropriations to construct additional 110-foot patrol
RADM Gilbert, while 11th District Commander, throws out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium. boats. New 270-foot cutters were coming online, post-FRAM 378-foot cutters required a 10% crew increase, and Law Enforcement Detachments were being established. Finally, there was pressure from the Reagan administration to review what functions might be contracted out.
The Commandant directed that a study team be established to address these inter-related forces. In his guidance to the team, Admiral Yost stated: “I have given conceptual approval to consolidating at a higher level those various support functions that are common to all our districts.” He wanted a detailed implementation plan with a staffing reduction of 25%. The unenviable task of Project Director fell to a new onestar, RDML Ed Gilbert. In a career that spanned four decades, this assignment would distinguish Ed Gilbert as a strategic, forward thinking leader, and the architect of the greatest organizational change in the Service since World War II.
With input from the Chief of Staff’s
Office, Ed put together a crossfunctional team that began their work in September 1986. The team included civilian and military personnel of various specialties and disciplines from
Headquarters and District staffs and field commands. Five months later, in February 1987, Admiral Yost approved the team’s report: “Realignment of Management and Support Functions of the Coast Guard.” In short order however, the study became part of Coast Guard history, known simply as the “Gilbert Study” – later “Gilbert I” - solidly ensuring Ed’s place in service history.
The approved central elements of the plan were: (1) the disestablishment of the 3rd and 12th Coast Guard Districts; (2) the creation of two regional Maintenance and Logistics Commands, one supporting each Area; and (3) transfer of management of all cutters greater than 180 feet, communications stations, and long range fixed wing aircraft from District to Area Commanders. The study efforts freed up 500 billets for conversion from support to operations.
The path to completion of Gilbert I wasn’t always smooth. Many oxen were being gored, temples tumbled, and
people, hardware, control and autonomy were being taken from long-established commands and programs. In Ed’s words, the reception to the team’s efforts was frequently “less than wonderful!” Ed was highly adept at managing this turmoil. Internally, he kept the team apprised of issues that came to him in a very effective, low-key manner, and externally he conducted dozens of consultative meetings, primarily with field flags. He encouraged team members to consult with Headquarters Division Chiefs and others on issues the team was facing. He spent significant time preparing for meetings with other flags, considering what they might object to, and what might be said to either draw them out more, or counter their point. He made it abundantly clear that the task was never ‘should we do this’, but rather ‘how should we do it’?
The team had proposed additional changes that were considered by field commanders as a bridge too far … a single support command instead of two, and closure of Governor’s Island being among the more significant. This groundbreaking work, while constrained by resistance to some changes by field commanders, also set the stage for future change. The Finance Center was created two years later and Governor’s Island closed in 1998. The consolidation of the two regional MLC functions into a single unified mission support organization, the removal of intermediate level maintenance and support, and the creation of centers of excellence for all support functions occurred several years later during Admiral Thad Allen’s tenure as Commandant. The Admiral credits his service on the Gilbert I Study Team as the basis for his actions as Commandant to modernize and transform the Service.
RADM Paul Busick, study team member: “He was the best listener I ever worked for, and had an incredible way of patiently asking you questions that eventually led to you understanding not only what needed doing, but how to get there.”
RADM Rudy Peschel, study team member: “It all worked thanks to Ed’s patience with us and his silent strength. We didn’t really know, as it was happening, that he was such a positive force.”
Gilbert II
CAPT Russ Cherry, USCGR, and RADMs Gordon Piche ’64 and Doug Teeson ’65, all team members, provided input for the following segment...
A second study began later in 1987. Having succeeded in Gilbert I with a major field restructuring and consolidation, RADM Gilbert was now charged by the Commandant with conducting a review to streamline Headquarters with its 2300 billets and positions. What subsequently came to be known simply as “Gilbert II” evolved in part from field pushback on Gilbert I, i.e. “How about taking a look at HQ for bloat, consolidations, and billet savings? HQ needs to bleed like the rest of us.”
Charter elements included: examine what are the true functions of Headquarters; streamline administrative processes; focus top management on broad issues; balance senior management responsibility; enhance resource acquisition and allocation; save billets/ positions and make HQ smaller, among others.
Ed encouraged the free flow of ideas and creativity within the team. He was especially quick to identify key opportunities and problem areas, then direct the team in formulating effective solutions. And the opportunities for savings and efficiencies - the low hanging fruit - abounded. What was the true function of HQ? What was policy? How much was needed? Duplication and parallel centers of expertise were found and categorized across offices. Headquarters and field redundancies were identified and questioned. Similar functions and their required expertise were categorized. The Directorate concept emerged.
The team’s focus naturally flowed into the functions and structure of the Chief of Staff’s organization, at which point the team hit a wall. Although not initially obvious – not stipulated in the charter nor in subsequent guidance – the Chief of Staff’s organization was off limits in the team’s efforts. About the same time, the Commandant apparently decided not to put the organization through another significant upheaval in such short order. Change takes time and the service was still absorbing Gilbert I. For now at least,
there would not be a second major restructuring. Word spread and soon Offices that were previously helpful became less so. While most mid-grade officers and civilians agreed with the team’s focus and the recommendations under consideration, most senior leaders resisted, arguing for the status quo, and usually citing the need for Headquarters’ policy RADM Gilbert, seen here at his D11 Change development and guidance, of Command and Retirement in 1993, often though the whys, whats and used humor as a valuable tool in his unending hows remained in question.quest to inspire, guide and teach others about excellence and leadership. Learn how in Part II Through it all, Ed was of this article at www.cgaalumni.org/Dec20. supportive and encouraging, and always attentive to his team member’s well-being and best interests. He returned from a meeting one day and told the team: “It looks like we’ll be writing for history. If anyone wants off the team now, I’ll understand.” No one walked, the team was given a revised completion date, and they finished the study a month or two later. There was no fanfare when the study terminated; no dramatic changes were implemented … not even aired. Still the team had planted seeds and ideas that stuck and would see the light of day down the road a good piece. The study sat dormant for several years until Admiral Allen implemented some variants of it when he was Commandant. CAPT Russ Cherry, study team member: “Ed was an extraordinary teacher. He taught me to better manage contention and resistance, particularly upward. He was a master communicator personally as well as technically.” RADM Gilbert stayed on at Headquarters until summer 1990, serving as Chief of Boating Safety, then for two years as the Coast Guard’s first “Resource Director”, a new Flag position established under the Chief of Staff to manage the Coast Guard’s PPB … Planning, Programming and Budgeting. In that capacity, he oversaw the planning, development, defense and execution of the Coast Guard’s annual budget. In 1990 he was assigned as Commander of the 11th Coast Guard District which, by then, encompassed the entire state of California. He remained in that position until he retired from active duty in June 1993. In retirement, RADM Gilbert stayed very active in Coast Guard matters. His consulting organization, “Gilbert and Associates” worked primarily on Coast Guard contracts, particularly in maritime communications. He also joined and played key roles in Coast Guard-related organizations, the most significant being the Coast Guard Foundation and Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services.
Read Part II at www.cgaalumni.org/Dec20
In this online exclusive, learn about RADM Gilbert’s contributions to the Coast Guard Foundation and the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services, read additional “sea stories” and testimonials, and understand how he used humor to not only entertain others, but often as a valuable tool in his unending quest to inspire, guide and teach others about excellence and leadership.
Epilogue
I recently learned that a group of active duty and retired Coast Guard Officers in the “T” community have begun a grass roots effort to name one of the buildings at TISCOM after RADM Gilbert. I not only endorse their effort, but suggest they aim higher: name the entire complex for Ed.
It is unquestionably deserved in recognition of the substantial contributions Ed Gilbert has made to the Coast Guard through his own direct efforts over 62 years, and the contributions of countless others he has mentored and inspired – so much of which continues to resonate in the Coast Guard of today. This recognition should not be subject to tedious approval processes, but needs to be expedited and approved soon so his family and we, his peers, can enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the right thing done in our time.
“He was a great gardener. He planted me, pruned me, and let me flourish.” - CAPT Steve Venckus ’74
“A savant in hick’s clothing and architect of the Coast Guard we have today and the one we will build tomorrow.” - ADM Thad Allen ’71
“Godspeed, my dear Ed Gilbert, see you on the other side!” - Ross Norsworthy, RTCM
Captain Thompson served on active duty for 30 years. He served in 6 cutters, commanding three including a patrol boat in Vietnam. In retirement, Captain Thompson worked for Northrop Grumman. Captain Thompson was inducted into the Coast Guard Academy Hall of Heroes in 2014.
