Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: July 22, 2008
Contact:  Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Russell(202) 841-1462

COAST GUARD COMMANDANT TO VISIT QUAD CITIES

What: Coast Guard Commandant will visit with Coast Guard units and Industry representatives to discuss this summer's Midwest flood response and recovery operations and the future of the Western River's vital role in the nation's marine transportation system.

Who: Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Thad Allen (Bio available at: http://www.uscg.mil/comdt)

Where: Lock 15 at Arsenal Island, Rock Island, Ill.

When: Friday July 25, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. (Media members are asked to arrive by 1 p.m.)

Media Note: Media members planning on attending this event are asked to contact Lt. John Martin, at (309) 737-2131 by no later than Thursday July 24, 2008.

ST. LOUIS - Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Thad Allen, is scheduled to visit local Coast Guard units in the Quad Cities, Iowa region on Friday, July 25, 2008.

The Commandant will visit with crewmembers from Coast Guard Cutter Scioto and the Marine Safety Detachment (MSD) in Quad Cities about this summer's Midwest flood response and recovery operations. Allen will also discuss the future of the Western River's vital role in the nation's marine transportation system with local marine industry representatives.

The Cutter Scioto is a 65-foot river buoy tender, homeported in Keokuk, Iowa. The Scioto's area of responsibility includes the Upper Mississippi River from mile marker 200.8 near Alton, Ill., to mile marker 522.5 in Clinton, Iowa.

Allen is scheduled to meet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Rock Island District Director during a visit to Lock 15.

Media are invited to accompany the Commandant during portions of the visit and will be able to conduct interviews regarding the Coast Guard's role in the marine transportation system and inland river operations.

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U.S. Coast Guard - Saving lives since 1790