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Up for sale a VERY RARE! "Commander Atlantic Area" VADM William Rea Signed 4X6 Card. This item iscertified authentic by Todd Mueller and comes with their Certificate ofAuthenticity.
ES-8056
REA III, VICE ADMIRAL WILLIAM FREELAND, United States Coast Guard, Retired, passed away on Saturday, December 11, 2004, in Coral Gables, Florida. He was 86. VADM Rea had a long and wonderful career with the United States Coast Guard, his last command being Commander Atlantic Area United States Coast Guard - Governors Island, New York (which included the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami, Florida). A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, VADM Rea graduated from the Coast Guard Academy with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering and Commission as Ensign in December 1941. During World War II, he was Watch Officer and Navigator on US Coast Guard Cutter STORIS on the war- time Greenland Patrol, and finished WWII with the Marine Inspection Office in Norfolk, Virginia . In 1946-1947, he helped organize and train the Korean Coast Guard. He returned to Norfolk and served in the Marine Inspection Office then served in Port Arthur, Texas. From 1952 to 1954 he served as Executive Officer and then Commanding Officer of the Destroyer KOINER (WDE-431) on ocean station patrol in the Pacific. He then served as Senior Investigating Officer for four years in The Office of Marine Safety in New Orleans, Louisiana. He then commanded the US Coast Guard Cutter TAMAROA (WMEC-166), based out of Governors Island, NY. From 1960 to 1964, he was based out of Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC, where he was Chief of the Vessel Inspection and Managing Requirements Branch and then Assistant Chief of the Merchant Vessel Inspection Division. He was Officer-in-Charge of the Marine Inspection Office New York, then returned to Coast Guard Headquarters in 1967 to become Deputy Chief, Office of Merchant Marine Safety. He was nominated by President Lyndon Johnson and, with approval of the US Senate, was appointed a Two-Star Flag Officer in 1968. He was assigned to the Ninth Coast Guard District, Cleveland, Ohio, with operational jurisdiction for the entire Great Lakes Region. He became Chief of Merchant Marine Safety at Coast Guard Headquarters in 1970. He was promoted to Three-Star rank and assumed Command of the Atlantic Area US Coast Guard, based at Governors Island, NY. This tour of duty included organization and execution of the United States Bicentennial Celebration in July, 1976, with the Tall Ships in New York Harbor. VADM Rea's active duty decorations include The Legion of Merit and The Meritorious Service Medal. Following his retirement in July 1978, VADM Rea served as a consultant to the American Bureau of Shipping for 20 years, and he remained active in other endeavors in the Marine Industry. VADM Rea was a member of The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, The US Naval Institute, and The Propeller Club. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Jackson Friend Rea, and his three children, spouses and grandchildren Bernardine Friend Rea, Amelia Ruth Rea Maguire and Jose Gelabert Navia, William Sheip Rea and Karen Ellerie Rea, Claudia Jean Rea, Chase Jenna Rea and Caroline Teresa Gelabert. The family will have a memorial service in Coral Gables at Saint Philips Episcopal Church on Saturday, December 18, 2004 at 12:00 noon. The funeral service and burial will be held in Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, DC, in January or February, 2005.
