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TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The Coast Guard conducted a change-of-command ceremony at Air Station Traverse City, Monday.
Cmdr. Gregory Matyas relieved Capt. Sean Cross as commanding officer. The ceremony was presided over by Rear Adm. June Ryan, commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District.
Matyas comes to Air Station Traverse City after having served as Aeronautical Engineering Officer at Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii. Matyas also served at Coast Guard Headquarters Office of Budget and Program Review in Washington, D.C., and at Coast Guard Air Stations Humboldt Bay, California and Miami. He is a 1996 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy.
Cross has served as commanding officer of Air Station Traverse City since June, 2013. He will report to the Thirteenth Coast Guard District as Chief of the Incident Management Branch.
Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City was established in 1946 as a one-plane detachment to provide Search and Rescue service to the Great Lakes. It is a part of the Coast Guard's Ninth District and is situated on the southern end of Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan. Its area of operations includes all of Lake Michigan and a greater part of Lake Superior and Lake Huron. During the summer months, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, crews from Air Station Traverse city also man an air facility in Waukegan, Illinois. Air Station Traverse City has a staff of 25 officers and 125 enlisted personnel.
Capt. Sean Cross inspects the crew of Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City for his final time during the change of command ceremony at the Air Station, July 13, 2015. Cross, who has served as their commanding officer for the past two years, will now report to Seattle for his next assignment as Chief of Incident Management Branch. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Alan Haraf)Jackson Cross performs the national anthem during the change of command ceremony at Air Station Traverse City, July 13, 2015. Jackson is the son of Capt. Sean Cross who has been commanding officer at the Air Station for the past two years. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Alan Haraf)
Rear Adm. June Ryan, commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District, presents Capt. Sean Cross with a Meritorious Service Medal during the change of command ceremony at Air Station Traverse City, July 13, 2015. Cross, who has been commanding officer of the Air Station for the past two years, will now report to the Thirteenth Coast Guard District in Seattle for his next assignment as Chief of Incident Management Branch. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Alan Haraf)Cmdr. Gregory Matyas, right, relieves Capt. Sean Cross of command of Air Station Traverse City during the change of command ceremony, July 13, 2015. Cross will now report to the Thirteenth Coast Guard District in Seattle for his next assignment as Chief of Incident Management Branch. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Alan Haraf)
Capt. Sean Cross, left, congratulates and welcomes Cmdr. Gregory Matyas as the new commanding officer of Air Station Traverse City during today's change of command ceremony. Cross will now report to the Coast Guard's Thirteenth District in Seattle for his next assignment as Chief of Incident Management Branch. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Alan Haraf)