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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 3:49 p.m., Thursday, June 29, 2006

Barbers Point Coast Guard marks change of command

Advertiser Staff

The Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point today held a change of command ceremony for its new commanding officer.

Capt. Bradley Bean will oversee the 250 men and women at the Barbers Point station. He will succeed Capt. Kurt DeVoe, who is transferring to United States Northern Command, in Colorado Springs, Colo. DeVoe has served as the air station's commanding officer since 2003 and is a helicopter pilot.

During DeVoe's tenure, the air station's crew conducted more than 727 rescue missions including several long-distance missions to Kwajalein and Chuk. The air station crew provided temporary emergency medical transport aid to the citizens of Hawai'i following the Hawaii Air Ambulance grounding in March. Also, under DeVoe's command, the aircrews twice rescued Australian pilots who had to ditch their planes.

Bean arrives from the Coast Guard's Aviation Training Station in Mobile, Ala. where he was involved in providing aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Bean previously served at Barber's Point before transferring to Alabama. He also served aboard two Coast Guard missions to Antarctica.