PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Robert H. Potter Jr. served his country in the Coast Guard for 29 years from, 1995 to 2024, retiring as a captain and commanding officer of Air Station Cape Cod.

 

He grew up in Manassas, Va., and graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1999.

 

"One of the things that made our class so unique was our size," he said. "We were one of the smallest classes to graduate ... I was really interested in engineering, which was one of the things that drew me to the academy." 

 

His first assignment was onboard the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton out of San Diego. 

 

"I wanted to get into the nuts and bolts of engineering and found out it wasn't really for me," Potter said. He would go on to become a helicopter pilot, leading search and rescue missions.

 

Potter recalled one search and rescue mission in the Gulf of Alaska. 

 

"The mayday call comes over the radio and I was in the engine room. We were going about 20 knots, the helicopter took off from our ship to rescue some fisherman. The weather was awful, they picked them up but couldn't return back to the ship. The helicopter crew was on shore for three days.

 

"When we went to get them, they were in Hawaiian shirts, drinking something out of a coconut," he laughed.

 

How were the holidays? 

 

"My first air station, I was deployed a great deal. I was single and had really fond memories of our holiday get togethers. We made stuff from scratch, apple pies, stuff like that. When I was stationed in San Diego, one of my classmates cooked a fabulous dinner and we had a great meal for the crew.

 

"When I was CO at Air Station Cape Cod, we made it as family oriented as possible. We opened up the hangar, had games for the kids, cooked turkeys and a bunch of food. It was a festive atmosphere."

 

Potters said it was called "Thanksgiving Under The Wing." 

 

"It was one of my prouder moments at the Air Station," he continued. "It grew from 40 initially, to a little under 100. My relatives came, my mom and dad came up from Virginia. It was something special."

 

When asked about a mentor, he cited three:

 

Tom MacDonald: "Admired the way he handled himself in every situation." 

 

Tom Maine: "He put the entire Air Station on his back when we lost four crew members in a tragic accident. Great, impressive leadership." 

 

Dan Walsh: "Served as a Senate Liason with him. He carried the 'football' for Bush II and Obama. He taught me, even though we're doing high visibility and stressful projects, we can still have fun and get the job done." 

 

Potter, shared this remarkable story: "It was Dec. 4, 2007 in Astoria, Oregon and I was duty aircraft commander. A massive storm ripped through with 120 mph winds that knocked power out 50 miles from the coast.

 

"A small town in Chehalis, Washington, started to flood. The trees were 200-250 feet tall and the current was moving through the streets. The wind was throwing our 11-ton helicopter around and we narrowly missed a bridge. I had to fly almost sideways in a gorge down a river. But we rescued 21 people — two to three families. I had never seen darkness like that.

 

"Three months later we're doing a show and tell at an elementary school. We land the copter, kids get in sit in the cockpit, wear helmets, stuff like that. A little girl came on board and her teacher said, 'Not the first time she's been in a Coast Guard aircraft. You guys hoisted her and her family up and saved her during that terrible storm.'"

 

Potter would receive the Distinguished Flying Cross for navigating his Jayhawk the 90 miles to Chehalis in treacherous weather and guiding his crew "through 25 complex hoists and nine perilous deployments of the rescue swimmer while fighting fatigue and overcoming extraordinary environmental hazards." 

 

The memory and recollection still causes Capt. Potter to get emotional. 

 

Thoughts on being a Coast Guard veteran?

 

"I'm still getting used to that role. I'm most proud of what I did when I was in uniform," he said. "People that we saved, people that we helped had an unbelievably, positive impact on my family."

 

He cites his being inducted as an Honorary Chief as his proudest moment and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross, a close second.

 

Potter is now an adjunct professor in Cape Cod Community College's Aviation Maintenance Technology Program.

 

Capt. Rob Potter, thank you for your remarkable service to our great country.

 

Wayne Soares is the host of the popular new veterans cooking show, "The Mess Hall" that airs Saturdays on NBC's NECN at 9:30 a.m. He also entertains our troops around the globe and is the host and producer of the Vietnam veterans documentary "Silent Dignity – The Chapter That Never Ends." He can be reached at waynesoares1@gmail.com.