Date: June 18, 2008
Contact: Public Affairs
(617) 223-8515

***UPDATE TO CORRECT DATE OF CEREMONY***
Coast Guard to honor Narragansett native for four decades of service

***MEDIA INVITED***

BOSTON - Media are invited to attend as the Coast Guard sees off its Ancient Keeper during a change of watch ceremony Friday at 11 a.m., at Station Point Judith in Narragansett, R.I.

WHAT: Coast Guard change of watch and retirement ceremony

WHO: Master Chief Petty Officer John Downey and Chief Warrant Officer Kevin J. Galvin

WHEN: Friday, June 20, 2008 at 11 a.m. 

WHERE: 1470 Ocean Rd., Point Judith, R.I.

Master Chief Petty Officer John Downey, 60, was the first recipient of the Joshua James Keeper Award in 2003, and is retiring after 41 years of service to the Coast Guard's boat forces mission.

The Ancient Keeper title recognizes longevity within the boat forces and is in honor of Coast Guard legend Captain Joshua James, who is credited with saving more than 600 people during his lifetime.

Since 2006, Downey has served as the First District Command Master Chief in Boston as a liaison between the operational units from Maine to New Jersey and the District Commander.

Downey joined the Coast Guard in 1966, and after completing basic training in Cape May, N.J., he was stationed on the Coast Guard Cutter Casco in 1967 and at Air Station Salem, Mass., later that year.

He spent the next 40 years at 10 other units throughout New England. He has nearly 20 years cumulative time at Station Point Judith. During his career, Downey has witnessed the Coast Guard change hands from the Department of Treasury, to the Department of Transportation and finally to the Department of Homeland Security.

During the ceremony, Chief Warrant Officer Kevin J.Galvin will be named as the new Ancient Keeper. Galvin has 32 years of Coast Guard serivce, most of which has been in New England. He is currently the commanding officer of Station Castle Hill in Rhode Island. and oversees operations in Narragansett Bay and the offshore waters from the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border to the west side of Narragansett Bay.

Media are invited to attend the ceremony at Station Point Judith and should call 617-223-8515 no later than 4 p.m. Thursday to RSVP. The station is located at 1470 Ocean Rd., Point Judith, R.I. and parking will be available next door at Rose Nullman Park.

More information about Downey can be read in the feature story HERE.

### U.S. Coast Guard: Saving Lives Since 1790 ###

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