I thank all veterans, but my special “thank you” is for my brother, Chief Boatswain’s Mate Thomas E. Erickson Jr., U.S. Coast Guard (retired). He served from May 1981 to November 2007, during the Cold War and the Persian Gulf War, also known as Desert Storm.
His enlistment brought him to numerous Coast Guard stations around the country. Half his career was spent as a coxwain aboard 41-foot utility boats running search-and-rescue cases on Lake Erie and Lake Superior. He has been deployed on U.S. naval ships as well as a British ship, and policed waters near South America to stop drug trafficking into the United States.
Tom ended his career in Duluth at the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office, working with local agencies in disaster preparation. He served the Coast Guard with honor to duty, dedication and pride. I am proud of my brother and thank him for his service well done.
Happy Veterans Day.
Submitted by Toni Erickson Barrett of Duluth.
Read the article: Thank you, veterans, for your service
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