Office of Aviation Forces (CG-711)
Captain's Corner
Captain
Christopher Martino
A native of North Reading, Massachusetts, Captain Martino
graduated in 1985 from the Coast Guard Academy in New London Connecticut
with a degree in Marine Science.
Upon graduation he served as Deck Watch Officer, Law Enforcement Boarding
Officer and Communications Officer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter LIPAN in
Key West Florida. Selected for
flight training, he attended the U.S. Naval Aviation Training Program in
Pensacola Florida where he trained with VT-6 and HT-18, earning his wings in
June 1988. Captain Martino’s
first aviation assignment was at Coast Guard Group-Air Station Cape May New
Jersey where he began flying what was, then, the Coast Guard’s newest
aviation asset – the HH-65A Dolphin helicopter.
There he served as the Group Facilities Engineering Officer.
In 1992 he was assigned to Air Station Kodiak and the Alaska Patrol
Division. In this capacity, he
spent much of the next two years deployed aboard Coast Guard Cutters working
in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska waters.
From Kodiak, Captain Martino was assigned to Group-Air Station
Atlantic City/Cape May in 1994 and served as Group Comptroller and the head
of the Group’s Administration Department.
In 1998, he was assigned to Group-Air Station North Bend, Oregon,
serving as the Group Comptroller and Air Operations Officer before being
assigned as the Group Operations Officer.
In July 2003, Captain Martino moved away from flying to
assume the responsibilities of the Chief of Aviation Resource Management in
Coast Guard Headquarters where he was responsible for program oversight and
budget development for the Coast Guard’s aviation fleet of nearly 200
aircraft and 28 aviation units.
In 2004 he moved up to the position of Assistant Chief, Coast Guard Office
of Aviation Forces. In this
capacity, he was responsible for not only the resource program oversight,
but also for the platform and capabilities development programs related to
Coast Guard Aviation. In
addition, he served as the Coast Guard’s representative on the Department of
Transportation’s Interagency Group on International Aviation and as an
Assistant Member to the Department of Homeland Security Aviation Management
and Commodities Councils. In
July 2006 Captain Martino was assigned to Aviation Training Center Mobile
where he served as Executive Officer for the Coast Guard’s national
capabilities development and training command.
From 2008 to 2011 he was assigned as Commander of Group/Air Station
Humboldt Bay in McKinleyville California, where he was responsible for all
Coast Guard operations across 250 miles of northern California coast.
In 2011 he assumed his current role as Chief, Coast Guard Office of
Aviation Forces.
Captain Martino has logged over 4,000 flight hours in his
career. He has served as an Instructor Pilot in the HH-65 and has been
honored by the National Helicopter Association for his aviation
achievements. Although the
majority of his flight time was logged in the HH-65, he has also flown the
HU-25 Falcon jet.
Captain Martino’s military awards include the Meritorious
Service Medal (3), the Air Medal, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal (3),
the Department of Transportation 9/11 Medal, the Coast Guard Achievement
Medal, the Commandant’s Letter of Commendation and numerous unit awards.
He has a Masters Degree in Business Administration from American
Military University, where he graduated with honors from the
Government-Industry Relations program.
Captain Martino and his wife Eva have been married for 20
years. They have two sons.
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