Lt. Paul Johansen stands in front of a Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter in Alaska.

Honor, Respect, Devotion to Duty: Lt. Paul Johansen

It’s a story that sounds as if it were pulled right from the movies. High winds, rough seas, a rescue helicopter low on fuel and a crew determined to save a life. But the danger was real for the Kodiak, Alaska-based Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew on a mission to save the life of a cargo vessel crewman.


An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew returns to Air Station Kodiak, Alaska, to transfer a patient to emergency medical personnel after hoisting him from a cruise ship July 22, 2015. The 83-year-old man was suffering from symptoms of a heart attack aboard a Holland America cruise ship requiring a medevac for immediate medical attention. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Lauren Steenson.

Achieving new heights: Alaska-qualified aircraft commander

With an extensive 44,000 miles of shoreline, Alaska has the largest area of responsibility of all the Coast Guard districts, it also has incredibly diverse landscape and weather patterns, making it uniquely challenging for mariners and aviators.


San Francisco Examiner

Veterans Day 2015: The Rescue Pilot

When we left off, Coast Guard Lt. Robert “Rip” Emerson was asking Adm. Chester W. Nimitz for appointment to fighter pilot school.