Ocosta School District students enjoyed an unusual sight on a sunny Tuesday morning as a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk made a low pass over the assembled student body before alighting on the football field.
The visit required months of planning between Westport community members, school district staff and the Coast Guard, culminating in the flight.
“I know a lot of folks in the Coast Guard. It’s a very small community. I decided to see if they would fly by the school,” said Cory Beard, a former Coast Guard flight mechanic, who led the effort. “We gave it a go this year and the dates lined up. The superintendent helped out tremendously.”
The Jayhawk and aircrew, based out of Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, are common sights around Westport, as they exercise with the local Coast Guard station each Thursday or assist in search and rescue efforts, but it’s more rare that the kids get the chance to see the aircraft up close, said Ocosta School District Superintendent Heather Sweet. Students got a chance to talk to the pilots and aircrew, get questions answered, and clamber into the aircraft itself.
“For our kids to actually see what it is that’s up in our air every Thursday, that’s pretty cool,” Sweet said in an interview. “We’re always looking to build our community partnerships. We’re a Coast Guard city. You never know when you’re going to need them.”
The coast of Washington can be a perilous one for mariners, with the crushing might of the ocean a constant threat to the unwary, sinking thousands upon thousands of ships and boats over the ages. The Coast Guard is closely involved in those coastal communities, from search and rescue, to maintaining the navigation infrastructure, to operating bases in many coastal towns and cities. Building those community partnerships, and incidentally showing students figuring out their future of a possible path forward, is important, Beard said.
“I thought they would be interested to come out here,” Beard said. “Do a little recruiting, fly the flag.”
Getting to meet the kids in the town they spend every week flying over is a neat feeling, said aircraft Lt. Cmdr. Jason Weeks.
“We work with Station Grays Harbor all the time, right down the road,” Weeks said. “It’s cool to be on deck with the community you’re serving.”
The mission out here isn’t terribly unusual or complicated, but the aircrew doesn’t approach it casually either, Weeks said. The helicopter crew looks at the terrain on maps and satellite imagery long before ever taking off, and they do a few low passes before landing to ensure safety of the aircraft and everyone on the ground. South Beach Regional Fire Authority crews stood by the field during the landing as well in case of any mishaps.
“We’ve been planning the mission for a week,” Weeks said. “Identifying the hazards, the uprights the light poles, the grandstands.”
The Coast Guard is hungry for staffing, Weeks said.
“Recruiting is big right now,” Weeks said. “We’re looking to impact and reach community and let them know a career in the Coast Guard is attainable.”
Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or michael.lockett@thedailyworld.com.
Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Ocosta School District students talk to Coast Guard helicopter aircrew during an outreach event on Tuesday.
Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk landed at the Ocosta School District’s football field in an outreach event on Tuesday.
Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Ocosta School District students check out a Coast Guard helicopter on Tuesday.
A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk lands at the Ocosta School District’s football field before the student body on Tuesday. (Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World)
