NAWILIWILI — Who is Caden Carter, 8, going to have to defend the Cowboys against after Friday? Caden is the son of Chief Warrant Officer Seth Carter, the officer in charge at Coast Guard Station Kauai, who is leaving for
NAWILIWILI — Who is Caden Carter, 8, going to have to defend the Cowboys against after Friday?
Caden is the son of Chief Warrant Officer Seth Carter, the officer in charge at Coast Guard Station Kauai, who is leaving for his new command in Alaska. His Coast Guard Station Kauai at Nawiliwili will be taken over by Chief Boatswain’s Mate Michael Winiarski who comes from a post in Maine.
Officiated by Capt. Michael Long, commander of USCG Sector Honolulu, the change of command was formalized during the traditional Change of Command protocol where each officer read his orders before performing an Inspection of the Crew.
The ceremonies, likened more to a roast-like atmosphere rather than a formal changing of the guard, took place at the Coast Guard Station Kauai where the aroma of lunch prepared by Coast Guard Auxiliary Ombudsman Annie Leighton wafted through the tents, rushing the protocol to end.
“If I had known this was going to be a roast, I would’ve found more jokes about Seth,” said Kauai Fire Chief Robert Westerman. “The Kauai Fire Department has always worked closely with the Coast Guard in ensuring the most efficient and effective methods of rescue.”
Carter, who has enjoyed three Coast Guard tours in Hawaii, was born in New Mexico and married to Daniale, his school days sweetheart. He said Kauai will always be home because of the close relationships his family has formed with neighbors and working partners, including Caden’s defense of the Cowboys when his neighbor flew the Broncos’ banner.
“When I found out I was coming back to Kauai, I called Daniale and told her to put the call on speakerphone so the kids could hear,” Carter said. “When they found out, Daniale was so excited, she had to pull the car over.”
His first tour with Coast Guard Kauai came in September 2001, when he was assigned to the Search and Rescue Detachment where he served as a coxswain and boarding officer. Two years later, Carter transfered to the Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake, where he served as the Operations Petty Officer, First Lieutenant, and Deck Watch Officer for two years, advancing to Boatswain’s Mate First Class.
He returned to Kauai as a Chief Warrant Officer in 2012 as the Officer in Charge of the Coast Guard Station Kauai. His latest station, where he will leave for with his wife Daniale, daughter Madisyn, 13, and Caden, is in Alaska.
Winiarski, a native of Middletown, New Jersey, comes from Southwest Harbor, Main where he served as Officer in Charge. He is married to Amanda, also of Jew Jersey, and has a two-year-old daughter, Kaia.
Coast Guard Station Kauai, a part of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu, was established following the departure of the CGC Kittiwake to Oahu as its home port in 2010. Station Kauai was left with two 47-foot Motor Life Boats which were exchanged in 2014 for 45-foot Response Boat Mediums which are at dock in Nawiliwili.
Station Kauai’s primary missions are search and rescue, and homeland security, its area of responsibility extending approximately 50 nautical miles in all directions from Kauai, and encompassing Ni‘ihau.
