United States Coast Guard
Air Station Traverse City

"Guardians of the Great Lakes"

Commander Joseph R. Buzzella, Jr.

Commanding Officer

Commander Joseph R. Buzzella, Jr. hails from Miami, Florida. After completing Coast Guard Basic Training at Cape May, New Jersey in 1986, he was assigned to Coast Guard Base Miami Beach, Florida. He is a 1988 graduate of the Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) and a 1992 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and an officer commission.

Following graduation from the Coast Guard Academy, CDR Buzzella served as a Deck Watch Officer aboard the USCGC Spencer and USCGC Vindicator. Upon completion of U.S. Naval Flight Training in Pensacola, Florida, he was designated a Coast Guard Aviator in 1996. He then reported to Coast Guard Air Station Miami, Florida where he flew the HH-65A Dauphin Helicopter and later the HU-25A Falcon Jet where he maintained a dual airframe qualification conducting search and rescue, alien migrant interdictions, and counter drug missions. In 2000, he was assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Massachusetts where he flew HU-25A Falcon Jets conducting search and rescue and New England fisheries enforcement missions. In 2005, he was assigned under the Department of Homeland Security Chief Financial Officer in Washington D.C., where he served as an Assistant Director & Budget Program Reviewer providing oversight of more than $26 billion in annual appropriations. In 2007, he was assigned to Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco, California where he held the positions of Operations Officer and Executive Officer.

CDR Buzzella has accumulated over 3000 flight hours. He has held Instructor Pilot ratings in both the HU-25A and MH-65C aircraft and an Airborne Use of Force Aircraft Commander designation in the MH-65C helicopter. He also holds FAA fixed and rotary wing airline transport pilot credentials. CDR Buzzella holds a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University and a Master of Science in Quality Systems Management with a specialization in Homeland Security from the National Graduate School. He is a former Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Public Service Fellow.

Commanders Intent

Commanding Officers Safety Policy

Executive Officer

Commander Scott E. Langum

Command Master Chief

AMTCM Jeffrey C. Waite