Coast Guard Base Portsmouth welcomes new commanding officer

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 07/30/2018 04:00 PM EDT

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U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic
Contact: 5th District Public Affairs
Office: (757) 398-6272
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Coast Guard Base Portsmouth welcomes new commanding officer

Coast Guard Rear Adm. James Heinz, director of operational logistics, celebrates with Capt. Michael Roschel (left) and Capt. Brenda Kerr (Right) during the Base Portsmouth change of command ceremony Friday, July 27, 2018 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Following the ceremony, Capt. Kerr retired after 27 years of service. (U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Chief Warrant Officer Dominick Bulone)

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PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Capt. Michael Roschel assumed the role of commanding officer of Base Portsmouth from Capt. Brenda Kerr, during a change of command ceremony at Base Portsmouth on Friday.

The ceremony marked a transfer of total responsibility and authority from one individual to another. It is a time-honored tradition conducted before honored guests and dignitaries to formally demonstrate the continuity of the authority within a command.

Capt. Roschel is a native of Lancaster, Pa., and graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and later earned a Master’s of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School in Washington, D. C.

Capt. Kerr, a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, retired after 27 years of service following the ceremony.

-USCG-