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Coast Guard 17th District

 
Captain Norman L. (Buddy) Custard
U. S. Coast Guard Seventeenth District Chief of Staff

 

Click for Larger ImageCaptain Norman L. (Buddy) Custard began his career as a Deck Watch Officer in USCGC ESCAPE (WMEC 6), Charleston, South Carolina upon receiving his commission from Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Yorktown, Virginia in October 1981.  His assignments at sea also include Commanding Officer in USCGC POINT WARDE (WPB 82368) homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico and plankowner Commanding Officer in USCGC ORCAS (WPB 1327), Coos Bay, Oregon.  He further served as Executive Officer in USCGC VENTUROUS (WMEC 625) at Long Beach, California, and remained with the cutter when it changed homeport to Astoria, Oregon in 1993.  Upon decommissioning of VENTUROUS in February 1994 for Major Maintenance Availability, he crossdecked to USCGC STEADFAST (WMEC 623) as Executive Officer until July 1995.  He subsequently commanded the STEADFAST from July 1998 to July 2000.  His last afloat command was the high endurance cutter USCGC CHASE (WHEC 718) at San Diego, California from June 2003 to July 2005.

Captain Custard’s ashore assignments include being an OCS instructor at Training Center Yorktown, Virginia.   During his tour at OCS, he served as a Deck Watch Officer in the Coast Guard’s tall ship, USCGC EAGLE (WIX 327) on numerous training cruises.  He was assigned as a liaison officer to Commander, Naval Base San Francisco in the Maritime Defense Zone office developing homeland defense plans.  As Chief, Coast Guard Leadership Institute at Training Center Petaluma, California, he supervised the leadership development programs for the Coast Guard.  While assigned at the Coast Guard Personnel Command in Washington, DC as Chief, Officer Assignments Branch, he was responsible for the career counseling and assignments of all officers in the grade of commander and below.  As Chief, Response Division, Seventeenth Coast Guard District in Juneau, Alaska from August 2005 to June 2007, he oversaw all Coast Guard response operations in the Alaska region.  He assumed the duties of Chief, Response Division, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, in July, 2007 and then assumed the duties as Chief, Preparedness Division, Atlantic Area in 2009.  In April 2010, Captain Custard assumed his current position as Chief of Staff, Seventeenth Coast Guard District.

Captain Custard is a 1980 graduate of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology with a minor in Criminology.  He earned a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2003. 

Throughout his career, Captain Custard has been awarded several service medals and unit commendations, including the Legion of Merit, six Meritorious Service Medals, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal.

Capt Custard is married to Patricia Turner Custard.  She is a children’s book author and publisher.

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Last Modified 8/18/2011