Charles W. "Skip" Bowen was the tenth

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

(MCPOCG). He assumed the position from MCPOCG

Frank A. Welch Franklin A. Welch (born c. 1960) was the ninth Master Chief Petty Officer of the United States Coast Guard. Welch entered the Coast Guard in 1980 after graduating from Shades Valley High School Class of 1978, in Birmingham, Alabama. A former Mast ...

on June 14, 2006, and was relieved on May 21, 2010, by Michael P. Leavitt. Bowen was previously assigned as the Officer-in-Charge of Coast Guard Station Marathon.

Education

Coast Guard Career

After attending

basic training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique dema ...

at Coast Guard Station Cape May in

Cape May, New Jersey Cape May is a city located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations, and part of ...

in 1978, his first duty station was to a

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

, in Clearwater, Florida. From there he was assigned to Coast Guard Station Marathon in the Florida Keys just in time for the

Mariel boatlift The Mariel boatlift () was a mass emigration of Cubans who traveled from Cuba's Mariel Harbor to the United States between 15 April and 31 October 1980. The term "" (plural "Marielitos") is used to refer to these refugees in both Spanish and E ...

in 1980. A subsequent assignment at Station

Fort Pierce, Florida Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Atlantic Coast Florida. It is also known as the Sunrise City, sister to San Francisco, California, the Suns ...

, was followed by another patrol boat, this time the newly commissioned , homeported in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

. From south Florida, he travelled to the Mid-Atlantic seaboard to join as the Executive Petty Officer. Upon advancing to

Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards. Canada "Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (''premier maître de deuxi ...

he was assigned as the Officer-in-Charge of Coast Guard Station New Haven, in June 1990. Following a successful tour at New Haven, he was transferred to Station Sand Key in

Clearwater Beach, Florida Clearwater Beach includes a resort area and a residential area on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County on the west-central coast of Florida. Located just west over the Intracoastal Waterway by way of the Clearwater Memorial ...

in 1994. In 1997, Bowen was assigned as the Officer-in-Charge of the in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

, until her decommissioning in April 1998. During May 1998 he was assigned as the Officer-in-Charge of , based in

Woods Hole, Massachusetts Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 ...

; this cutter was the first of the high-tech 87-foot (26.5 m) patrol boats on the east coast. From 1999 to 2001, Bowen served as the Seventh District Command Master Chief. In May 2002, Bowen graduated with distinction from the

United States Army Sergeants Major Academy The United States Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA) was established on 1 July 1972 at Fort Bliss, Texas, and began instruction in January 1973. Its curriculum is designed to broaden the student's current knowledge base. This approach differs ...

. While at the Academy, he was selected as one of the few non-Army students to serve as a class vice president. Upon graduation, he was awarded the prestigious "

William G. Bainbridge William G. Bainbridge (April 17, 1925 – November 29, 2008) was a United States Army soldier who served as the fifth Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in on July 1, 1975, and served until June 1979. He was the last World War II veteran to ...

Chair of Ethics Award." From June 2002 to June 2004, Bowen served as the Command Master Chief of the Headquarters Units. In addition to those duties, he served as the Interim Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard from July 2002 through October 2002.

Awards and decorations

USCG - Boat Force Operations Advanced BW

Advanced Boat Force Operations Insignia * USCGCE

Cutterman Insignia The cutterman insignia is a device awarded by the United States Coast Guard to represent service aboard a Coast Guard cutter. The pin is awarded on a temporary basis after six months of sea time, qualification in required watch stations, successful ...

Officer-in-Charge Afloat Pin * USCGEnlistAshore

Officer-in-Charge Ashore Pin * USCG - Commandant's Staff Badge

Commandant Staff Badge Badges of the United States Coast Guard are issued by the Department of Homeland Security to members of the United States Coast Guard to denote certain qualifications, achievements, and postings to certain assignments. Prior to 2002, the issuanc ...

Service stripe A service stripe is an embroidered diagonal stripe worn on the sleeve(s) of some military and paramilitary uniforms. In the case of the United States military, service stripes are authorized for wear by enlisted personnel on the lower part of the ...

Personal

Bowen's educational accomplishments include a Bachelor of Science Degree ''magna cum laude'' from

Excelsior University Excelsior University is a private online university in Albany, New York. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and comprises three schools: the School of Undergraduate Studies, the School of Graduate Studies, and the School of Nursing. I ...

and a Master of Business Administration ''summa cum laude'' from Touro University International. Bowen is married to Janet Kay Bowen (née Cartwright) of Norfolk, Virginia. He has four children, Mason, Joshua, Joseph, and Kristen. His son, Mason, is currently on active duty in the Coast Guard.

Post Coast Guard career

In April 2011, Bowen went to work at Bollinger Shipyards, in

Lockport, Louisiana Lockport is a town on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,490 in 2020. It is part of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. History Lockport, founded in 1835, ...

. Bowen's first position at Bollinger was to manage the Sentinel building program. In August 2012 Bowen was promoted to vice president for Government Relations.

References

:''This article incorporates text in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

from the U.S. Coast Guard's official biography.''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Charles W. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Master Chief Petty Officers of the Coast Guard Recipients of the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Excelsior College alumni Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)