Career US Coast Guard officer retiring after 38 years

WEST ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) - A U.S. Coast Guard officer who has spent 38 years in the service is being honored at his retirement ceremony on Long Island.

New York City-based Coast Guard officials say the gathering for Rear Adm. Francis Pelkowski is being held late Saturday morning at the West Islip Fire Station in Suffolk County.

Pelkowski served as the Coast Guard’s deputy commandant for operations and senior reserve officer. He oversaw the readiness of 7,000 reservists who respond to emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Last year, he helped coordinate the Coast Guard reserve personnel’s response to three devastating hurricanes that hit the U.S. mainland and the Caribbean.

Pelkowski holds degrees from New York Law School, the New York Institute of Technology and the New York Maritime College.