MSST Conducts Security Operation for Youths' Futures
Story and photos by PA1 Donnie Brzuska, PADET Jacksonville, Fla.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Members of the Coast Guard's Maritime Safety and Security Team Kings Bay, Ga., met April 17 with from The Bridge of Northeast Florida, a non-profit organization that helps Jacksonville's at risk youth to discuss their jobs and the opportunities of Coast Guard service.
Lt. j.g. Commander K. Moore and Petty Officer 1st Class Curtis Taft met with the
students at their school house in downtown Jacksonville and showed them pictures and video clips of Coast Guard operations they had been involved with throughout their career. Both Moore and Curtis are 10-year veterans in the Coast Guard. After Moore and Curtis' presentation, the students went to the waterfront to observe a demonstration of two Homeland Security response boats conducting tactical maneuvers on the St. John's River.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Lt. j.g. Commander K. Moore and Petty Officer 1st Class Curtis Taft met with about six students at their school house in downtown Jacksonville and showed them pictures and video clips of Coast Guard operations they had been involved with throughout their career. Coast Guard photograph by PA1 Donnie Brzuska.
"I grew up in Harlem, and I wanted to show them (the Bridges Students) that you can rise above the streets. We wanted to not only tell them about the opportunities in the Coast Guard but to also talk about some of the basic values a person needs to succeed like discipline and respect," Moore said.
Quintin Pierce, 16, of Jacksonville sat in the front row of the Bridge's classroom and watched a CNN news clip of the team leading a Homeland Security operation in Detroit during the latest Super Bowl. With each turn of the boat, Pierce let out an "ooh" or an "aw."
"It made me think a lot about the opportunities (of the Coast Guard)," said Pierce.
"It's seems really cool, and I like the water." Pierce is interested in pursuing a career in the culinary field when he graduates high school and thinks the Coast Guard maybe a good place to start. 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Students from The Bridge of Northeast Florida, a non-profit organization that helps youth that live in some of the Jacksonville's most crime infested, impoverished neighborhoods, observe a demonstration of two homeland security response boats conducting tactical maneuvers on the St. John's River. Coast Guard photography by PA1 Donnie Brzuska.
Krystal Roig, a youth development specialist and unofficial VCR operator during the MSST's visit to Bridges, praised the unit for their donation of time, people and resources.
"These visits expose the students to different career opportunities in the community and helps us guide them on the right path," said Roig.
The Bridges of Northeast Florida has multiple outreach and educational programs for at risk youth in the Jacksonville area and works with thousands of children, teens and young adults each year.
In all, about 10 Coast Guard personnel from MSST Kings Bay participated in the outreach at The Bridges of Northeast Florida.
MSST Kings Bay is a nationally deployable unit that provides both waterborne and shore-side force protection against terrorism and has about 75 active duty personnel and 45 reservists in its ranks. MSST Kings Bay was commissioned in October 2003.
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