Station Gulfport

Word Around The Scuttlebutt

Chief Warrant Officer Thomas Ponte reports aboard from Sector Miami, Florida, having served as the Response Department Training Officer and Ready for Operations Team Leader, responsible for ensuring Sector Miami’s operational units remained ready to meet all assigned missions. A native of Newington, CT, Chief Warrant Officer Ponte graduated from the United States Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, NJ in March of 1991, and Quartermaster “A” School in June of 1991.
 

In his 19 years of service, Chief Warrant Officer Ponte has been assigned to operational and staff tours that included Coast Guard Cutter FORWARD in Portsmouth, VA, Coast Guard Cutter PENOBSCOT BAY in Governors Island, NY and Bayonne, NJ, Coast Guard Cutter BLOCK ISLAND in Atlantic Beach, NC, Coast Guard District Seven Command Center, Miami, FL, and Coast Guard Cutter TEMPEST in Pascagoula, MS.
 

As Coast Guard Sector Miami’s Ready for Operations Team Leader, he managed the Ready for Operations Program for eight patrol boats, four multi-mission stations, two Aids to Navigation Teams and a 160-ft construction tender. Chief Warrant Officer Ponte also coordinated Special and Emergency Operations and Procedures (SEOPS) visits, Non-compliant Vessel Use of Force training evolutions, Maritime Law Enforcement assessments and "C" school quotas for subordinate units and Response personnel. He continuously mentored unit Training Petty Officers concerning the Coast Guard’s Training Management Tool, ensuring that sector personnel properly completed their initial certifications and currency maintenance.
 

Chief Warrant Officer Ponte’s military awards include the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, three Coast Guard Commandant’s Letter of Commendations and a number of other unit and operational distinguishing medals and ribbons.
 

Chief Warrant Officer Ponte is the son of Thomas and Mary Ponte. He and his wife, Michele, have three children: Alice Joan, Faith Ann and Hope Naomi.