Vice Admiral John P. Currier (December 18, 1951 – March 1, 2020) was the 28th

Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard The vice commandant of the Coast Guard serves as the second-in-command of the United States Coast Guard, behind only the commandant of the Coast Guard. Since 1929, 31 officers have served as Vice Commandant, or, as the position was referred to b ...

. He assumed the position from Vice Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara on May 18, 2012 and was relieved on May 20, 2014 by Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger.
Previously, VADM Currier commanded Coast Guard District 13. He was relieved as district commander by Rear Admiral Gary Blore on July 14, 2009. Admiral Currier was selected for promotion to vice admiral and subsequently served as Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard.

Background

Currier was born in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

and graduated from Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine, in 1970. He lived in

Westbrook, Maine Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States and a suburb of Portland. The population was 20,400 at the 2020 census, making it the fastest-growing city in Maine between 2010 and 2020. It is part of the Portland– South Port ...

with his family and then joined the Westbrook Police Department. John Currier was commissioned in the U. S. Coast Guard after graduating from Officers' Candidate School in 1976 and, on completion of Naval Flight Training, was designated a Coast Guard Aviator in 1977. A graduate of the

University of Southern Maine The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universit ...

, he held a Masters in Business from Embry–Riddle University. He was a 1996 graduate of the U. S. Air Force Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama. Previous assignments have included duty at Coast Guard Air Stations Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Sitka, Alaska. He was designated an Aeronautical Engineer in 1982 and served as Engineering Officer at Coast Guard Air Stations Traverse City, Michigan and Astoria, Oregon. Other assignments have included Deputy Program Manager (Engineering) for the U. S. Coast Guard HH-60J and Navy HH-60H helicopter acquisition at the Naval Air Systems Command in Washington, DC. VADM Currier commanded Air Station Detroit, Michigan from 1996 through 1998. He served as Chief of Search and Rescue Operations and Director of Auxiliary for the Ninth Coast Guard District (Great Lakes) from 1998 through 2001. He then commanded Air Station Miami, the world's busiest

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 IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergency water landings as well as people ...

unit, from August 2001 through June 2003. Subsequently, he served as Pacific Area Chief of Operations, and then as Area Chief of Staff. Promoted to Flag rank in 2005, his most recent assignment was Assistant Commandant for Acquisition at Coast Guard Headquarters. VADM Currier was a veteran aviator with over 6000 flight hours in Coast Guard and Navy fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. His professional recognition includes the Harmon International Aviation Trophy, the Alaska Air Command SAR Pilot of the Year Award, American Helicopter Society, Fredrick L. Feinberg Award and the Naval Helicopter Association SAR Aircrew of the Year, all awarded for hazardous rescue missions. Currier died on March 1, 2020, aged 68 at his home in

Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population wa ...

. Currier was married to the former Mary Jane Greenleaf of

South Portland, Maine South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state, incorporated in 1898. At the 2020 census, the city population was 26,498. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is sit ...

and had two sons.

Awards and decorations

Currier's awards include: During his late service he was the Ancient Albatross, which made him the longest serving Coast Guard Aviator on active duty. His professional recognition includes the

Harmon International Aviation Trophy The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix, and aeronaut (balloon or dirigible). A fourth trophy, the "National Trophy," was awarded from 1926 through 1938 in av ...

, the Alaska Air Command SAR Pilot of the Year Award, Fredrick L. Feinberg Award of the American Helicopter Society, and the Naval Helicopter Association SAR Aircrew of the Year. All of these were awarded for rescue operations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Currier, John 1951 births 2020 deaths United States Coast Guard admirals Military personnel from Portland, Maine People from Westbrook, Maine University of Southern Maine alumni Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal Harmon Trophy winners Recipients of the Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal American police officers Aviators from Maine Vice Commandants of the United States Coast Guard