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United States Coast
Guard Cutter
Lieutenant Commander J. Heyward Silcox
Executive Officer, USCGC VALIANT
Lieutenant
Commander Heyward Silcox is a native of Miami, FL and a graduate of the
United States Coast Guard Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science
degree, majoring in Public Policy and International Relations.
His first assignment was onboard USCGC HARRIET LANE, a 270-ft medium
endurance Coast Guard cutter homeported in Portsmouth, VA. While onboard
from 2000 to 2002 he served as Command and Control Officer and Law
Enforcement Officer, seizing over 3,000 lbs of marijuana and cocaine, and
repatriating over 500 Cuban and Haitian migrants. From 2002 to 2005,
Lieutenant Commander Silcox served as Officer in Charge LEDET 405 at
Tactical Law Enforcement Team South, where he deployed with numerous U.S.,
Dutch, Belgian, British and Bahraini warships and seized over 10,000 lbs of
cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. He also led over 40
non-compliant boardings in support of Military Interdiction Operations in
the Persian Gulf.
From 2005 – 2007 Lieutenant Commander Silcox served as Operations Officer
onboard USCGC BEAR, where he was responsible for all operational planning
and the execution of diverse missions, including an historic deployment to
Africa, and the seizure of 1,800 lbs of cocaine leading to the convictions
of five high-ranking members of the responsible cartel.
In June 2007 he took command of USCGC DRUMMOND SOUTH, home ported in Key
West, FL. In that year Lieutenant Commander Silcox and his crew seized 24
Go-Fasts, arrested over 40 suspected smugglers, and safely rescued over 200
migrants at sea. In July 2008 he transferred DRUMMOND to her new home port
in Miami and commissioned what is now the DRUMMOND STARBOARD crew.
From April 2009 – April 2010, Lieutenant Commander Silcox served as the
Coast Guard Liaison Officer to Destroyer Squadron 50 under Patrol Forces
Southwest Asia in the Kingdom of Bahrain during Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and
ENDURING FREEDOM, where he managed the readiness and employment of five Navy
Patrol Craft and six Coast Guard Patrol Boats throughout the region. In June
2010, he reported as the executive officer aboard VALIANT.
His personal awards include the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal, two
Coast Guard Commendation Medals, two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, the
Iraqi Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War on
Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, three
Special Operations Service Ribbons, and the Sea Service Ribbon with two
bronze stars.
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