Kevin in Kuwait

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - The Coast Guard Auxiliary supports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard in the air and on the water with many operational missions and activities. Such areas as Maritime Domain Awareness patrols, marine environmental patrols, marine event safety patrols, Auxiliary air patrols, and search and rescue operations are among a few of them.

In addition, the Auxiliary supports the Coast Guard on land with recruiting assistance and with the Academy Introduction Mission (AIM) program. But for one Auxiliarist those missions are not all up in the air or on the surface --- he also enjoys those modes of transportation as a career.

Kevin Gallagher, member of Flotilla 11-4 in Nashville, Tennessee, is a commercial pilot with Northwest Airlines. In his spare time, when he is not flying internationally, flying AUXAIR missions, conducting surface patrols, teaching boating safety, or helping the Coast Guard’s AIM program, Kevin is also using his talents and skill for other things. He serves as a commercial boat captain aboard the Music City Queen, a 125-foot, 97-ton paddle wheeler.

"Operating a large vessel or aircraft are similar in many ways" says Gallagher, "Rules of the road, navigation, weather, passenger safety all come into play".

Built in 1984, this twin diesel drive, twin screw vessel draws six feet of water, has three decks and carries up to 338 passengers and is used primarily for charters, parties, and weddings on the Cumberland River in Nashville.

After several attempts to obtain a Coast Guard Master's License over the years, Kevin finally got motivated when his pilot's union went on strike in 1998.

He began working on the 1600-ton General Jackson paddle wheeler in Nashville as a deckhand and built up enough days on the water to qualify for a Master's License.

After a lot of study and preparation, he passed his exams and now holds a 100-ton license with sailing and towing endorsements. Not long after he obtained his license, an opening occurred on Opryland Hotel’s river taxi service (50-foot, diesel catamarans that ran between Opryland Hotel and downtown Nashville). He served as a captain on those boats for two seasons until they were sold and Kevin was then upgraded to Master on the Music City Queen where he remains today.

In 1972, after graduating from the University of Connecticut, Kevin relocated to Peru where he taught English as a second language for several years. While in Peru, he continued his hobby of skydiving throughout the Andean nation - in the deserts, mountains, and jungles.

He obtained his pilot's license and returned to New England where he began flying professionally at an airport which is located about fourteen miles from the USCG Academy. Over time, he worked his way into larger and faster aircraft until finally achieving the rank of Boeing 747-400 captain with Northwest Airlines. He presently flies to several Asian countries on a regular basis.

Gallagher moved to the Nashville area in 1981 when he secured his first job flying a jet carrying cargo around the country. "Landing that first "jet job" is a real milestone in a flying career - most employers tell you that you can't fly a jet unless you've already flown one!" Gallagher said.

Having owned a small sailboat for several years, Kevin took a Coast Guard Auxiliary sailing course in 1984 but waited to join the Auxiliary until 2000. He joined after growing tired of seeing and hearing untrained, reckless boaters on the water. He wanted to help educate the public in an effort to reduce accidents and to help protect children from harm on the water.

Today, he serves as a Recreational Boating Safety program visitor (f/n/a marine dealer visitor), a vessel examiner, a public education instructor, a certified crew in operations, a member of the Interpreter Corps (Spanish) and an Auxiliary aircraft commander.

Kevin serves as a Flotilla and Division Staff Officer - Career Counselor - he really enjoys helping recruit the best and the brightest for the USCG Academy. “It's personally very fulfilling to interact with such fine young men and women who are the future leaders of our nation,” he says.

He became qualified about 2 years ago in the Auxiliary’s AUXAIR program and flies regularly with aircraft commander, Jerry Sprayberry, based in northern Georgia.

Of all the Auxiliary activities and mission areas, Kevin enjoys serving in the AUXAIR program the most. “I feel I can best use my skills to help out the Coast Guard through aviation missions,” he says. "Jerry and I have performed missions that the active duty CG couldn't possibly cover - without the AUXAIR aircraft most of the inland waterways would be unpatrolled."

He looks forward to completing coxswain training and then attaining AUXOP. According to Kevin, his flotilla has an abundance of operational facilities but a dearth of coxswains. In addition to all his qualifications, training and talent, Kevin also holds an Amateur Extra radio operators license, he is a qualified American Red Cross First Responder, and he volunteers with his son's Boy Scout troop.

He holds an FAA Helicopter Instructor license and has assisted in the war effort by carrying troops to the Middle East aboard Northwest 747's. On a family vacation to Hawaii last summer Kevin discovered a way to obtain a license to operate a submarine but hasn't yet figured out how to commute there from Nashville!

Kevin lives in Nashville with his wife and three sons. He somehow finds the time to spend sailing his 22-foot sailboat on J. Percy Priest Lake for enjoyment. His middle son has taken up a bit of an interest in sailboat racing with Lasers and Kevin admits his son can even sail circles around him.

Among the hardest things Kevin has ever done was to climb Aconcagua in Argentina, the tallest mountain peak outside of the Himalayas (22,840ft). And perhaps the craziest thing he has ever done is to parachute out of a Russian IL-76 at 10,000ft over the North Pole - but that's a whole other story.

So whether or not the challenge is by land, air or sea, nothing else seems too hard for him anymore. So what’s left for Kevin Gallagher? For the Auxiliary, he is presently working on his coxswain qualification and hopes to complete that this year and he is in the process of setting up a mobile communications facility with both VHF and HF radio.

After retirement, he plans to spend some time on The Eagle helping train Coast Guard cadets, but before even any of that, he has some unfinished business to tend to --- to sail around Cape Horn. Several years ago he made the attempt with some friends but got beaten back by snow and gales. Kevin hopes someday to try again so he can wear the coveted earring bestowed on sailors who've "rounded the Horn". So how does he manage all these activities? "It's easy," he says, "Cram all that you can into your day because you've got plenty of time to sleep after you're dead!"