The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“REMEMBERING VICE ADMIRAL JOHN CURRIER” mentioning Gary C. Peters was published in the Senate section on page S2777 on May 19.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
REMEMBERING VICE ADMIRAL JOHN CURRIER
Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memory of a devoted veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, VADM John Currier, who passed away in March of 2020. I would like to take the time today to reflect on his service, courage, and tenacity as the hangar at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City is dedicated in his honor.
Born and raised in Westbrook, ME, Vice Admiral Currier began his career in service as a police officer. Further expanding his devotion to serve, Vice Admiral Currier commissioned from Officer Candidate School as a naval aviator in 1976. He was first assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, where a few years later, his skills and commitment to protect were tested.
On a snowy late October evening in 1980, the Coast Guard received a distress call from the TERRY T., a burning and sinking fishing vessel in 30 foot seas. Winds were gusting over 60 knots and visibility was cut to three-quarters of a mile from heavy rain, according to reports. Currier, unfaltering in his duty to be Semper Paratus, was able to maneuver his aircraft into position based only on voice commands by the hoist operator. He had rescued eight of the crew when two men were swept off the deck and were in the water. He was able to fly the aircraft into position in order to get the rescue basket beneath the drowning crew members and brought them on board.
Vice Admiral Currier was awarded the Harmon International Aviation Trophy, but his accolades and awards for rescue missions do not stop there. The Alaska Air Command SAR Pilot of the Year Award, American Helicopter Society, Fredrick L. Feinberg Award, and the Naval Helicopter Association SAR Aircrew of the Year, all have been awarded to Vice Admiral Currier for various hazardous rescue missions throughout his career.
During his career, Vice Admiral Currier stood the watch at six Coast Guard air stations, from Alaska to Florida. He was designated as an aeronautical engineer in 1982, and after a few years in Alaska, Vice Admiral Currier was assigned to Air Station Traverse City in 1985.
Other assignments have included deputy program manager for the Coast Guard and Navy HH-60H/J joint helicopter acquisition at the Naval Air Systems Command, and chief of SAR operations and directory of auxiliary for the Ninth Coast Guard District. Vice Admiral Currier then served as commanding officer of Air Stations Detroit and then Miami, which was then the world's busiest air-sea search and rescue unit. An alumnus of the University of Southern Maine, he held a master's in business administration from Embry-Riddle University. He was a 1996 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Air War College and held a level III acquisition program manager certification.
Subsequently, he was assigned as Pacific area chief of operations, then area chief of staff, and was appointed commander of the 13th District, which covers the Pacific Northwest. He assumed the duties of the Coast Guard's chief of staff in 2009, later transitioning that position to the service's first deputy Commandant for Mission Support. Vice Admiral Currier assumed duties as the 28th Vice Commandant in May 2012, during which time he was awarded the title of Ancient Albatross of the Coast Guard, until his retirement in May of 2014.
Vice Admiral Currier was a devoted military man and was supported by an incredible spouse--his wife of 45 years, Mary Jane Currier. They were known for their hospitality and for throwing spectacular parties for fellow Coast Guard members, family, and friends. Mary Jane and John had two sons, Benjamin and Andrew. John was a devoted father who spent countless hours coaching Little League and teaching his two sons woodworking and auto mechanics. In his retirement, Vice Admiral Currier and Mary Jane enjoyed boating on Lake Michigan with their four grandchildren.
Mr. President, I ask you and my fellow colleagues to join me in celebrating the life and service of Vice Admiral John Currier. As we remember Vice Admiral Currier's life, I have no doubt his surviving wife, children, and family have found comfort in the precious moments they shared and in the love he showed them. With the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City hangar now dedicated in his memory, I hope those who had the honor of serving beside Vice Admiral Currier remember his legacy when they enter it and that future Coast Guardsman are inspired by his devoted and honorable career.
____________________
Alerts Sign-up