Date:

Contact:

September 29, 2008

Petty Officer Kevin J. Neff (510) 437-3325

Coast Guard to honor canine hero at retirement ceremony

WHO: The Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) San Francisco 

WHAT: A retirement ceremony will be held to honor the service of "Hawk", one of the Coast Guard's K-9 members.  After four years of Coast Guard service, "Hawk" is being retired due to a spinal defect, which causes him severe pain.  The ceremony will include a bag pipe player and will include over two dozen canine teams from various federal, state, and local agencies.  This rare ceremony will pay tribute to both the service of "Hawk" and his partner Petty Officer Sandor Csitar.  Some of the accomplishments of Csitar and "Hawk" include:

• Petty Officer Csitar was the first canine handler in the MSST
• Responded to over 60 motor vehicle accidents
• Responded to more than 10 bomb/suspicious package threats
• The first Coast Guard canine team to arrive in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
• Provided security for the 2007 All-Star Game at AT&T Park
• Provided security for President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, Senators Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and various foreign dignitaries

WHEN: 10 a.m., Thursday, October 2

WHERE: Gresham Hall on Coast Guard Island, Alameda, Calif.

**EDITOR'S NOTE:  Media interested in attending the event or possibly doing a feature on our Maritime Safety and Security Team in connection with this event should contact the Public Affairs Office to arrange access on to Coast Guard Island.  Due to the illness of "Hawk", he will be put to sleep on Friday, October 3, so it is requested that any interviews be conducted prior to the afternoon of October 2.  Additonal information on the accomplishments of "Hawk" and Petty Officer Csitar, as well as possible interviews, are available upon request.

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