Chester R. Bender (March 14, 1914 – July 20, 1996) served as the fourteenth

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

from 1970 to 1974. He also served as Superintendent of the

United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is a service academy of the United States Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1876, it is the smallest of the five U.S. service academies and provides education to future Coast Gu ...

from 1965 to 1967.

Early life and education

Bender was born in

Burnsville, West Virginia Burnsville is a town in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Little Kanawha River and Saltlick Creek. The population was 401 at the 2020 census. Burnsville was incorporated in 1902 by the Circuit Court and n ...

, on March 14, 1914, and later moved with his parents John I. Bender and Inez Harbert Bender, to

Plant City, Florida Plant City is an incorporated city in Hillsborough County, Florida, Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, approximately midway between Brandon, Florida, Brandon and Lakeland, Florida, Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 39,764 at ...

in 1925. In 1932, he was appointed as a cadet at the

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

. During his time at the academy, he served two years on the boxing squad and as humor editor of ''Tide Rips'', the academy yearbook. He served as gun captain during his senior year. He graduated from the academy on June 8, 1936 and received a bachelor of science degree and a commission as a Coast Guard ensign. He was the first Floridian to graduate from the academy.Admiral Chester R. Bender, U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office

Career

Early assignments

Upon graduation from the academy, Bender's initial assignment was as a line officer aboard Coast Guard cutters ''Mendota'' and , on patrol in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. In 1938, he was transferred to , on duty in the

Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of North America is a binational Canadian–American region that includes portions of the eight U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin along with the Canadian p ...

. During this tour of duty, he met and married Annamarie Ransom of

Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the second-most populated ...

on September 1, 1939. Their marriage lasted until her death in 1992. They had one son, Mark A. Bender. That same year, he was selected for flight training and reported for duty at

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

, Florida. A year later, he earned his aviator wings and was assigned to

Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City is a United States Coast Guard Air Station co-located at Elizabeth City Regional Airport in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, along the Pasquotank River near the opening of the Albemarle Sound. The base has ...

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he flew anti-submarine patrols out of

Elizabeth City, North Carolina Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, Pasquotank County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and largest city of Pasquotank County. It ...

. From June 1943 to December 1944, he commanded an air-rescue squadron based out of

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. During the last few months of the war, he served as

air-sea rescue Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and International Maritime Organization, IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergenc ...

advisor and liaison officer for the Far East Air Force Headquarters, in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, earning the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for his service.

Mid-career assignments

In December 1945, he was assigned to U.S. Coast Guard headquarters, as the executive officer of the Air-Sea Rescue Agency. From 1946 to 1950, he served as personal aide and pilot to U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Joseph F. Farley. In 1950, Bender was transferred to

Coast Guard Air Station St. Petersburg United States Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater (CGAS Clearwater) is the United States Coast Guard's largest air station. It is located at the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Clearwater, Florida and is home to nearly 700 USCG ...

, Florida, where he served as executive officer. In 1953 he assumed command of the

Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City was established in 1946 and operates under the authority of the United States Coast Guard's Ninth District (USCG). It is situated on the southern end of Grand Traverse Bay in Northern MichiganCoast Guard Air Station Barbers Point Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point is an air station of the United States Coast Guard located approximately 13½ miles west of Honolulu, at the Kalaeloa Airport, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Initially the Coast Guard established a base on ...

, Hawaii. In 1959, after two decades of aviation duty, he assumed command of , based in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

. From 1961 to 1964, he served as mobilization and readiness officer for the

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

-based Western Area Command. On July 1, 1964 Bender was promoted to the rank of rear admiral and assumed command of the

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

-based Ninth Coast Guard District. From 1965 to 1967, he served as superintendent of the

. During his tenure, he established the U.S. Coast Guard Museum in order to preserve and display artifacts from early Coast Guard history. From 1967 to 1970, he served as commander of the San Francisco-based Twelfth Coast Guard District, where he was responsible for most Coast Guard operations in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, Northern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and most of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

and

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard

On April 16, 1970, Bender was nominated by U.S. President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

to replace Admiral

Willard J. Smith Willard John Smith (May 14, 1910 – April 1, 2000) served as the 13th commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1966 to 1970. He was born in Suttons Bay, Michigan, and was the son of Oscar Smith, a retired commissioned warrant offic ...

as commandant. Following Senate confirmation, he took office on June 1, 1970. During his tenure, he implemented the distinctive "Bender Blues" uniforms, designed to distinguish the U.S. Coast Guard from the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

. In 1972, he was awarded the

Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal The Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal (CGDSM) is a military decoration of the United States Coast Guard that was established 4 August 1949 and is presented to coast guardsmen for "Exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a dut ...

. As commandant, Bender was known for his support of environmental protection and was recognized for his management of the U.S. Coast Guard's programs relating to new environmental responsibilities. In 1973, he served as delegate and alternate chairman of the American delegation to the Marine Pollution Conference of the

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...

in 1973.

Later life and death

Following his retirement from the U.S. Coast Guard in 1974, Bender moved to

Moraga, California Moraga is a town in Contra Costa County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The town is named in honor of Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed Californio family. As of 2020, Moraga had a total population of 16,870 people. Moraga is ...

. He died there on July 20, 1996 after a long illness and is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

.Burial Detail: Bender, Chester R
– ANC Explorer

Awards

In addition to the Bronze Star Medal, Bender's World War II campaign medals include the America Area, American Defense, Asiatic-Pacific with two bronze stars, Philippine Liberation with two bronze stars, Philippine Presidential Unit citation, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Service Medal (two awards).

Dates of rank

Citations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, Chester R 1914 births 1996 deaths Commandants of the United States Coast Guard United States Coast Guard admirals United States Coast Guard Aviation United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II Recipients of the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal United States Coast Guard Academy alumni People from Burnsville, West Virginia People from Plant City, Florida People from Moraga, California Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from California