Point Reyes Light - September 27, 2001
Coast Guard beefs up security at Point Reyes
By Daniel Freed
Nine reservists arrived in West Marin this week to beef up security around Coast Guard facilities on Point Reyes and in Bolinas.
The reservists are part of a 50,000-troop callup from all branches of the armed forces. President Bush authorized the callup, dubbed Operation Noble Eagle, on Sept. 14 in response to the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York.
The Coast Guard’s Communications Area Master Station Pacific (CAMSPAC) receiver site near Abbott’s Lagoon, along with its transmitter site in Bolinas, remotely control similar sites in Honolulu, Guam, and Kodiak, Alaska. Together, they handle communications for military and civilian vessels throughout the Pacific.
Pete Marsh, CAMSPAC commander on Point Reyes, acknowledged the group’s work is critical but added, "I don’t consider [a terrorist] event out here very likely."
The reservists guarding the 200-acre CAMSPAC Point Reyes facility have all received security and weapons training.
No conflict with park visitors foreseen
Although the patrols might be seen by people in the Point Reyes National Seashore, Cmdr. Marsh said he anticipates no conflict between the guards and park visitors.
Along with CAMSPAC Point Reyes, the Coast Guard locally has a search-and-rescue station in Bodega Bay, a training center in Two Rock, and a housing site in Point Reyes Station.
The 36-unit housing site includes tennis courts, which are normally open to the public, but they will be closed to civilian use for now, Marsh said.
Marsh declined to give out many details about the new security procedures, explaining, "It seems a little silly [to withhold specifics] on this small a scale, but it’s the specifics that could help bad guys figure out what our capabilities are."
Send out the cook
Since all the men and women working for the Coast Guard here already are responsible for its security, Marsh didn’t have anyone else to deploy after the Sept. 11 attacks. "My first thought was to send out the cook armed with a spatula," he commented wryly.
The Coast Guard has stepped up security nationwide, Cmdr. Marsh said: "The Coast Guard is currently addressing the likelihood of breaches of port security by increasing patrols."
Since the attacks, the Coast Guard is already making sure that all other vessels keep away from docked Navy ships. Such actions would help prevent an attack such as the bombing of the destroyer Cole, which killed 17 US sailors in Yemen last year.