Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen Holds Change of Command

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Capt. Melvin Bouboulis, new Air Station Borinquen commander (left of photo), salutes Rear Adm. Steve Branham as he assumes command of Air Station Borinquen from Capt. Thomas D. Wade (right of photo), outgoing Air Station Borinquen Commander, who is looking on during a change-of-command ceremony Thursday at the base aircraft hangar in Aguadilla.  Wade retired from the Coast Guard after 25 years of honorable service. (USCG Photo by Ricardo Castrodad)

 Capt. Melvin Bouboulis, new Air Station Borinquen commander (left of photo) shakes the hand of Capt. Thomas D. Wade, outgoing Air Station Borinquen Commander after assuming command of Air Station Borinquen during a change-of-command ceremony Thursday at the base aircraft hangar in Aguadilla.  Bouboulis reports to Air Station Borinquen from Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, where he will serve his seventh tour in the Coast Guard. (USCG photo by Ricardo Castrodad)

AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico - Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen received a new commanding officer Thursday morning during a change-of-command ceremony that took place at the base aircraft hangar in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico . 

Coast Guard Capt. Thomas D. Wade, commanding officer for Air Station Borinquen, relinquished command to Capt. Melvin Bouboulis during the change-of-command ceremony, a time-honored military tradition that formally transfers command.

"Having worked and lived in Puerto Rico for the past three years with the men and women of Air Station Borinquen has been the best experience of my career," said Capt. Thomas D. Wade, outgoing commanding officer for Air Station Borinquen.  "It was a true honor and pleasure to have served the people of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Dominican Republic." 

"It is a special honor to receive command of such a prestigious unit such as Air Station Borinquen," said Capt. Melvin Bouboulis, commanding officer for Air Station Borinquen.  "The Coast Guard has a long and extensive history of conducting operations in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. We expect to continue serving the people in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands through operational excellence in executing our Coast Guard missions throughout our area of responsibility."

A military unit's change of command is a transfer of total responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another.

Bouboulis reports to Air Station Borinquen from the Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. This will be Bouboulis's seventh tour in the Coast Guard. He served as deck watch officer aboard Coast Guard Cutter Conifer in San Pedro, California; a pilot at Air Station New Orleans, Louisiana; Aviation Maintenance Officer at Air Station North Bend, Oregon; head engineer for the Coast Guard's fleet of HC-130 aircraft at Aircraft Repair and Supply Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina; the Engineering Officer at the Coast Guard's Aviation Training Center  Mobile, Alabama; the Logistics Department Head, Commanding Officer of Enlisted Personnel and Air Station Executive Officer at Corpus Christi, Texas.   

Capt. Wade, Air Station Borinquen's commanding officer since July 2005, will be retiring from the Coast Guard after serving 25 years active duty.  Over Capt Wade's tour Coast Guard crews saved 275 lives and over $608,000 dollars in property, and they interdicted over 1,500 migrants.

Air Station Borinquen has four HH-65 Dolphin helicopters. Their missions include Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, Alien Migration Interdiction Operations, and Homeland Security Patrols. So far in 2008 Air Station Borinquen has saved over 90 lives, more than $500,000 in property, and interdicted over 160 migrants at sea.

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