The IOP VFW Post 3137 recently hosted the U.S. Coast Guard Base – Charleston for a cornhole tournament and lunch. The “Coasties” enjoyed a spirited tournament of cornhole.
The winning team “I have a dog named Scout” consisted of Ashley and Ryan Morris. The runner- up team “Stonies” were Calan Keller and Braden Walters. The winning team received a celebratory prize, plus bragging rights. Following the awards ceremony, all participants and volunteers enjoyed a luncheon of hot dogs and hamburgers.
The coordinators for the event were Bob Patterson, current patriotic instructor, and George Page, past VFW Auxiliary president. Patterson served in the Coast Guard from 1976 to 1982.
Capt. Eric Jones, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Base – Charleston; Matt Valenti, command master chief; and Lt. Cmdr. Doug Wood, base operations, and 70-plus Coast Guard members attended the day of rest and relaxation. Matthew Kulesza, chief warrant officer, was the morale officer in charge of this event for the Coast Guard family.
Jones stated that the U.S. Coast Guard Base – Charleston currently has a workforce of 275 members. The base supports 11 local tenant units, including seven major commands. The primary mission of the Charleston base is to provide depot level mission support functions to local operational partners. Additionally, the base supports customers regionally in northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Charleston will eventually be the home of up to 10 major cutters and the future center of operational gravity on the East Coast. The Coast Guard broke ground in 2024 on the former Naval complex on the Cooper River, where several key projects are currently under construction.
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For more information on the VFW and Auxiliary at Post 3137, visit vfw3137.org.
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