Burns, Wes

Owned by Chandler Museum
Jun 10, 2022
2 min read

“Wes has a BS in Business Administration from the University of Redlands, and Master of Public Administration degree from Seattle University. He enlisted into the US Coast Guard Reserve in 1998 and is a plank owner of Port Security Unit (PSU) 313 in Everett, Washington. After attending Officer Candidate School in 2002, he served on active duty for 30 months; initially with the Group Seattle Vessel Board and Search Team, but most of this time was as a Homeland Security Watch Officer and Watch Supervisor in the Sector Puget Sound Command Center. Subsequently, he was the first reserve officer assigned to Coast Guard Station Seattle. He later led Sector San Diego's Enforcement Division, Incident Management Division, Weapons Division, and served as Assistant Reserve Logistics Department Chief. In 2015 Wes returned to PSU 313 as the Operations Department Chief and deployed to Joint Task Force Guantanamo in Cuba, where he served for nearly a year. He also served as the unit's Executive Officer before becoming the Reserve Force Manager for Deployable Specialized Forces at Pacific Area Command in Alameda, California. He most recently served as the Senior Reserve Officer at USCG Base Miami Beach and retired in July 2021 with over 22 years of service. Wes actively supports Veterans causes through all entities of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and serves on the executive board of American Legion Post 91 in Chandler.” -brief biography of military service submitted by Commander Wes Burns

Awards, Medals, and Commendations: Port Security Unit Insignia (Officer and Enlisted), Boat Force Operations Insignia, Coast Guard Commendation Medal (03), Coast Guard Achievement Medal (05), Army Achievement Medal, Coast Guard Commandant Letter of Commendation Ribbon (03), Global War on Terror Expeditionary Service Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Volunteer Service Medal (02), Coast Guard Reserve Service Medal, CG Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, Dept of Homeland Security Outstanding Unit Service Ribbon, 9-11 Service Ribbon, Unit Commendation Ribbon (03), Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon (05), Meritorious Team Commendation Ribbon (08), Special Operation Service Ribbon (04), Overseas Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Mobilization Device (05), Expert Rifle Medal, Expert Pistol Medal.