The Citadel

Rick Brennan

On April 16th CDR Rick Brennan took command of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Ship Rainier.  Rick, Citadel Class of 1990 (Hotel Company), was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering.  CDR Brennan started his noaa career in 1992 aboard noaa Ship Rude. Since then he has served nine out of his eighteen years of service in the field conducting hydrographic surveys.  He earned a M.S. in Ocean Engineering from the University of New Hampshire in 2005 where he specialized in Ocean Mapping at the Center for Coast and Ocean Mapping and noaa’s Joint Hydrographic Center.  Most recently, CDR Brennan served as the final Commanding Officer of noaa Ship Rude, Executive Officer aboard the noaa Ship Fairweather, and a land assignment as Chief of the Atlantic Hydrographic Branch in Norfolk, Virginia.

NOAA Ship Rainier is 231 feet in length and is one of the most modern and productive hydrographic survey platforms of its type in the world. The ship is designed and outfitted for conducting coastal hydrographic surveys in support of NOAA’s nautical charting program. The ship supports high-precision near-shore surveys. The ship operates off the U.S. Pacific Coast, and in Alaskan coastal waters. Rainier is named for Mount Rainier in Washington state. The vessel is homported at the Marine Operations Center - Pacific in Newport, Oregon and is operated by NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.

Van Horton

Van Horton, Delta Company 1990, graduated from the Land Management Training Program (LMPT) class 202 at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. The LMPT class is a 17 week intensive training course for federal law enforcement officers involved in natural resources and land management agencies. Van will be working as the game warden for Parris Island, South Carolina at the United States Marine Corps recruit depot. For LMPT-202, Van won awards for driver training; the highest class score for pistol marksmanship (scoring 299 out of 300); the Distinguished Fitness Award (scoring 90% or higher) on the Physical Efficiency Battery; and the Director's Training Award. Van is a retired South Carolina Natural Resources Officer and is currently a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.