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Community The Young Richie Wood is no ordinary child. This hip-hop dancing, rock wall climbing, straight-A student has Goldenhar Syndrome, a congenital birth defect with no genetic or hereditary cause. It also has no cure and is something Richie will live with for his entire life. Soon he will be going through a series of surgeries to help correct some of the abnormalities in the way his body has developed. “Those surgeries are very, very painful,” said, Cmdr. Kenneth Stefanisin, PSU 311 commanding officer. This is why he invited Richie to become a Coastie for a day. At 7:30 a.m. sharp, the crew stood in formation waiting instruction from the commanding officer beneath a bright August sky. Richie, standing next to PSC Ernest Gomez, already looked like a member of the unit wearing the same desert uniform as the rest of the crew, even though it was little oversized with the bottom of the blouse folded under and the rolled up sleeves down to his elbows. Stefanisin welcomed everyone with a booming command. “Good morning! Seaman Wood, front and center!” A little intimidated at first, though also visibly excited, Richie marched to the commander’s side, closely following the chief. Once the new seaman was in position, the crew was officially introduced to their new member and directed by Stefanisin to get him qualified in as many things as possible. His day started off with a tour of the unit’s boathouse where Gomez lifted him into the different boats and explained the equipment each boat had. Once they were finished in the boathouse, Richie had the opportunity to go for a quick boat ride with the Los Angeles County Lifeguards. During his ride they met up with a boat crew from the Los Angeles Maritime Safety and Security Team. The coxswain of the MSST boat and the lifeguards teamed together and allowed Richie to douse one of the MSST boat members with the water hose on the lifeguard boat. Richie’s smile was infectious, even to the drenched Coastie. After his ride with the lifeguards the excitement really kicked in. The PSU had two boats waiting for him at the Coast Guard dock to take him on a longer boat ride out to sea. On the way out Richie and the crew saw a couple of sea lions basking in the sun on top of the buoys. A little further out they discovered they were in a pod of dolphins that were playing around the boat. Then, about five miles out, it all changed. The boat’s “secret gray phone” rang. The person on the other end told the coxswain that pirates were spotted offshore and Richie had to take out the engines. PS2 John Clark helped his new shipmate load the machine gun (with blanks) so he could fire at the simulated pirates. The pure joy of being able to do something to help keep Los Angeles safe from pretend pirates brought lots of cheering and laughter from the young recruit, but he wouldn’t be a recruit much longer. Richie’s day concluded with the Chief’s Mess inducting him as an honorary chief, which left him just about speechless. “This is very special, Richie. They don’t even let me in!” Stefanisin told him, which brought laughter from the boy and everyone around. “This was an incredibly special day for Richie,” said his mother Tracy Wood. It was also special to the crew. “I always enjoy in participating in events where we get to educate kids and show them what we do,” Clark said. “This young little warrior walked tall and proud with an unbelievable confidence.” “Richie is one of the bravest, strongest kids I have ever met,” his mother said. “He has undergone countless operations, and has some really extensive surgeries coming up that would make an adult quiver just thinking about. But Richie just smiles, ‘cause he’s been there, done that.” What was the best part of the day for Richie? He said he enjoyed everything: driving the boats, seeing the sea lions, playing with the dolphins and keeping Los Angeles safe. The smile that spread across his face, and the stories he was already telling his parents, said it all. Pretend pirates Richie takes aim at a vessel posing as a pirate ship with the help of his loader PS2 John Clark. Inspection Richie Wood stands inspection with his sponsor PSC Ernest Gomez. A wish comes true when a boy joins the Coast Guard and becomes a... Story and photos by PA1 Allyson Conroy, PADET Los Angeles PIRATE HUNTER 20 Coast Guard — Issue 4, 2008
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