Bob Nendza told us about the Coast Guard Station where he is the Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate and Officer in Charge.
 
A native of St. Joseph, Michigan, Bob enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1998. Before coming to Frankfort his tours of duty included places as diverse as Duluth, Minnesota and Key West, Florida. The Frankfort station was originally opened in 1887, when the agency was known as the Life Saving Service. The old station facility was fully operational until 2004, when the building was re-purposed as the Oliver Art Center.
 
While the Coast Guard has been a branch of the U.S. military for many years, search and rescue is still the Coast Guard's primary mission--to the extent of about 20,000 cases a year.  Bob outlined the other missions of today's Coast Guard, which include (among other things) port security, drug interdiction, aid to navigation, Department of Defense operations and law enforcement missions.
 
The Frankfort station has a staff of 16 whose activities are directed toward search and rescue, marine safety, homeland security and ice rescue.  They cover Lake Michigan from Arcadia in the south to Leland in the north.  They also serve the community through their volunteer efforts at area schools and elsewhere.  Those in attendance agreed that the Coast Guard is a real asset in our community.