Lake Michigan Coast Guard exiting commander honored

After an eventful several years, Chief Warrant Officer Eric Wieczorek relinquished command of Coast Guard Station Kenosha to Senior Chief Christopher Skala at a recent Lakefront ceremony.

The mayor of Kenosha, fire chiefs of Kenosha and Wilmette, and the commanding officers of Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary units across Lake Michigan came to the station as Chief Warrant Officer Wieczorek was commended for "outstanding" leadership while in command of Station Kenosha and Station Wilmette.

Captain Seth Parker, commander of Sector Lake Michigan, presented Chief Wieczorek with the Coast Guard Commendation Medal with Operational Device for superior acts of leadership and public service.

Characterizing Lake Michigan search and rescue missions as "daunting," Parker described recent rescues performed in the dark of night during gale force winds and wave conditions. Since 2020, as Officer in Charge of Station Wilmette, his crew received 129 search and rescue cases, in which 93 lives and $143,000 in property were saved.

Station Kenosha reopened after a four-year period of inactive status in 2021, where Wieczorek oversaw the transfer of over $5 million of equipment from Wilmette, as well as the relocation of all his personnel and their families.

Captain Parker went on to say that during the period of civil unrest and the tense Rittenhouse trial, Chief Wieczorek took measures to temporarily relocate crew member families to safe locations.

While guiding the crew through quarantine measures of the global pandemic, he also worked closely with the marine units of the Kenosha Sheriff's Department and fire departments of Kenosha and Wilmette to integrate and coordinate local search and rescue efforts.

To say that Chief Warrant Officer Wieczorek's term has been eventful, said Captain Parker, "would be an understatement."

Following the final inspection of the unit with incoming Senior Chief Skala, Wieczorek thanked his family and bid a tearful farewell to the station personnel. Although hailing from Florida and unaccustomed to Lake Michigan winters, his family has become "immersed in the community" and will miss the area.

"What a ride we've had," he reflected to the crew, stating that he had been "blessed with the best."

Incoming commander Senior Chief Christopher Skala is moving to Kenosha from Coast Guard Station Oxford in the Chesapeake region of Maryland. Bringing a wealth of experience with him, Skala thanked Chief Wieczorek for the high morale evident at the station and is looking forward to leading the crew into the coming years.

Chief Warrant Officer Wieczorek will be moving to a new assignment in Delaware Bay.

Coast Guard Station Kenosha's area of responsibility extends from Milwaukee to the Chicago North Shore.

•Lars C. Adams is Flotilla Commander and Public Affairs Officer of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 41-01, Kenosha-Racine.