As a wicked storm carved its way through the Upper Keys last month, U.S. Coast Guard Station Islamorada received a call for help. It was around 8 p.m. and a boater in his 80s was in trouble. His sailboat was taking on water in Buttonwood Sound off Key Largo.
“It was scary. I’m not going to lie,” recalled Coast Guard seaman Miguel Ortiz.
Ortiz and three other crew members on duty the evening of Nov. 15 hopped onto a Coast Guard response boat and made their way to the bayside, navigating through the driving rain and wind gusts of 86 miles per hour.
“The visibility just started getting less and less, to the point we couldn’t even see the bow,” said Ortiz.
After crossing through Baker’s cut in miserable conditions, the crew spotted the distressed sailboat. The boat was listing and the mast was broken off. Ortiz pulled the elderly man from his damaged vessel. The crew brought him to safety at the station.
“That’s the best feeling that you ever get. It’s not the money or anything else; it’s being able to save somebody’s life,” said Ortiz.
Coast Guard fireman Jessica Miller recalled the satisfaction she felt last year while helping a group of migrants struggling at sea. Their makeshift raft was overloaded and taking on water.
“We rescued them from the water,” said Miller, who is in an apprentice role in the engineering department. “That’s something I remember very vividly. We were able to help them. One woman said she couldn’t swim.”
Both Miller and Ortiz will leave Station Islamorada on Friday, Dec. 15 to head to what is called “A” school; it’s a technical training school for enlisted Coast Guard personnel.
Ortiz will head to a 10-week maritime enforcement specialist program in Charleston, South Carolina. Originally from Puerto Rico, Ortiz decided to enlist a year-and-a-half ago and was sent to District 7’s Islamorada Station.
“I think I’ve gotten a lot of experience and opportunities being down here,” said the 24-year-old.
Miller enlisted in the Coast Guard when she was 26 years old. The Tampa native decided to sign up because, at the time, she was interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement and believed the Coast Guard would provide beneficial experience.
She describes her two years at Station Islamorada as “busy” and also rewarding.
“It’s a really good opportunity to improve yourself and help others in the process,” Miller said.
Miller will be heading to Petaluma, California for storekeeper “A” school where, among other things, she’ll learn to track inventory, handle logistics and manage finances. Miller shifted to that specialty because it offers a schedule that will work well with her finishing her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She later plans to pursue a master’s degree.
While on active duty, the Coast Guard offers tuition assistance. Once her four-year service is complete, she leaves with a GI Bill that she can use to pay for her education.
“It’s a pretty good gig; they pretty much pay for everything,” Miller said.
It’s a pretty good gig that a lot of young people are now deciding to pass on.
Nationwide, the U.S. Coast Guard has fallen short of recruiting goals for the last four years. Other military services are experiencing a similar recruitment decline. Because of this shortage, the Coast Guard has been forced to shift resources.
For Station Islamorada, it means that in fiscal year 2024, seven positions will remain unfilled until the USCG gets out of the recruiting hole.
“For us, those seven positions are our most junior members. That’s the folks we get right out of boot camp; they come to the station in an apprenticeship role,” said Matt James, Coast Guard Islamorada Station commanding officer and chief warrant officer (CWO). James said the reduction in manpower will not affect the station’s readiness.
“So for the Islamorada community and for the folks that are our responsibility, you really won’t see a change. It doesn’t affect our readiness levels. It doesn’t affect my manning levels as far as how I staff my duty sections. We’ll still meet all of our mission requirements,” James said.
James has been with the Coast Guard for 29 years, taking command of Station Islamorada in 2021.
“It’s a tough nut to crack,” he said of the recruiting slump.
“With everyone who grows up here boating and fishing, their love of the water, living here in the Upper Keys, I have been surprised at how few seem to want to come through the front door and get paid to do this,” said James.
Right now, the U.S. Coast Guard is offering extensive sign-on and retention bonuses. It also changed the maximum age to enlist from 35 to 42.
James acknowledged military service is not for everyone.
“Military service has certain demands on it that some folks aren’t willing to take on right now,” he said.
As Ortiz and Miller prepare to say goodbye to Islamorada and head to their next Coast Guard adventure, they fondly look back on their time spent on the water in the Florida Keys.
“It’s not an easy job, but I don’t regret anything,” said Ortiz. “I feel like it’s been a pretty good ride here so far and I’m excited to see what the rest of the Coast Guard is like,” added Ortiz.
“The only thing I regret is maybe not joining earlier. I’m a little bit older for a non-rate,” said Miller. “They always call me Mama Miller. Maybe I should have joined earlier.”
More information about a career in the U.S. Coast Guard is at gocoastguard.com. Those who are interested in joining the Coast Guard are also welcome to call Station Islamorada and schedule a tour.
