What kind of name would you associate with a man that was involved in saving more than 170 people and who is personally responsible for saving more than forty lives?
What about a man who dedicated thirty-eight years of his life to serving his country and coming to the aid of countless mariners in his community?
I would call that man a hero.
Fortunately for myself and my shipmates, that hero is Master Chief Fred Bowman, the officer in charge at Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat Station Siuslaw River, Ore. Master Chief has been and will continue to be an inspiration to those that have served with him, as well as any who have had the opportunity to meet him.
Master Chief is admired for his calm and lighthearted demeanor, and is respected throughout the surf community as the surfman that others should strive to be like. He has crossed many rough bars into the perilous ocean to save the lives of others. He’s shared his knowledge and wisdom as a mentor, and in turn has motivated surfmen to become better and young coxswains to reach their ultimate goal.
I had the honor of having Master Chief Bowman as my commanding officer and was given the opportunity to interview him before his retirement. The memories and experiences he shared with me made me truly appreciate the Coast Guard, and realize how much I have left to learn.
On behalf of the Station I wish Master Chief the best after retirement and that he will truly be missed.
THE INTERVIEW
SN NEWELL: What made you want to join the Coast Guard?
BMCM BOWMAN: There were about fourteen of us that lived in the same area in Southern California and it seems the draft numbers were really high in that area so we all registered for the draft, like we were supposed to. I was still in high school, I was 17. Both my father in law and my neighbor were both retired Navy and they said you don’t want to join the Army or the Marine Corps; you want to join the Coast Guard.
SN NEWELL: Was there a long wait when you decided to join?
BMCM BOWMAN: Absolutely! There was a long wait because Vietnam was still really active at that time. It was an 18 to 24 months wait, but the neighbor was a retired commander in the navy, so he wrote a letter, and took me right down to the recruiters in April, when I was still in high school, and they said we’ll take you right now. I said no, I want to enjoy my summer and go surfing! So they said okay, but I signed the papers that day and ended up going to boot camp on Sept. 6, 1971. Anyway, out of the 14 of us, a few of us joined the Coast Guard and the rest were drafted. In fact, when I was in basic training for the Coast Guard, I received my draft letter from the Army! I went to the Company Commander and gave him my letter, he was a First Class Boiler Tech, and when he opened my letter he said no son, you belong to us.
SN NEWELL: There’s a surfman program in the Coast Guard presently, but there wasn’t a program in order when you joined. So how is qualifying as a surfman differ in today’s Coast Guard as opposed to when you first joined?
BMCM BOWMAN: The actual training was more intense back then, but we didn’t have the documentation that we have now, we didn’t have all the planned programs or the PQS we have now. Our surfman book was about an eighth of an inch thick, but it encompassed more of a single line or short paragraph describing what you had to do. We didn’t have volumes of information or study material, so your training was all on the job, or from somebody else.
SN NEWELL: Was it mandatory to become a surfman at a surf station?
BMCM BOWMAN: When you were stationed at a surf unit, it was already assumed that you would become a surfman. And that’s the goal you’d already set for yourself if you got stationed there.
SN NEWELL: So how long did it take you to make surfman?
BMCM BOWMAN: Actually I was on the Yocona out of Astoria, Ore. When I was on the Yocona I had originally put in for Radio Man School, and the open rate list had come open for BM3, and BMCM Quigley took me up to the Captains Office and said well, we don’t want you to be an RN, we want you to be a Boatswain’s mate, and as soon as we get back from the gulf of Alaska you going over to see Tom McAdams and Larry Hicks from the Cape, and they’re going to teach you how to run motor lifeboats. So that was back in 72, and I think it was Jan of 73’ that I went to the 13th District Motor Lifeboat School.
SN NEWELL: So when you came back from school were you a surfman?
BMCM BOWMAN: Oh no! I was still attached to the Yocona but I spent a lot of time at the Cape after school, running the motor lifeboats. BMCM Quigley was a surfman, BM1 Orr on the Yocona was a surfman, and late Larry Hicks, who taught me at the Cape originally was a surfman, and eventually became the chief on the Yocona. They basically all told me I was going to be a surfman. So I left the Yocona in 1975 and went to my first lifeboat station in Coos Bay. To my surprise as I walked in there to check in, I hear a snicker and realize the XPO was BM1 Orr, who I was stationed with on the Yocona. So he chuckled and told me to stow my gear and get down to the docks to light off the motor lifeboat. He already knew I was really familiar with the 44’ Motor Lifeboat, so I assumed that was the one I would be lighting off. So I got into my gear and went down and lit off the 44408 and he came down with the duty engineer and they checked it out and said, yeah that’s nice but that’s not the boat we want you to light off. And then they pointed over to the 36’ Motor Lifeboat right next to it. They said we already know you know how to the run the 44’ Motor Lifeboat but you don’t get qualified until you run the 36’ MLB.
SN NEWELL: What made you decide you were going to make it a career?
BMCM BOWMAN: When I was on the Yocona, about 9 months before the end of my enlistment, the detailer called me up and said, I can send you to Yaquina Bay right now if you want. I said no because I wasn’t sure. I was still young and single, didn’t owe any bills and was an E-5 with plenty of money in my pocket. So the detailer said okay and said he’d call me in a few months. Well when he called he said, so what are you going to do Bowman? I said well I guess I’ll stay in. He said great! I can send you to Coos Bay, Ore., when can you be there? I told him tomorrow, and he said no, two weeks is fine. So I showed up too Coos Bay and that determined my staying in as a career. I figured if I’m going to stay in over 4 then I’ll just stay in at least 20.
SN NEWELL: So why did you stay in after the 20 year mark?
BMCM BOWMAN: I was just really fortunate! The units that were made available to me were just great. When I was on the Yocona the mentors I had were BMCM Quigley, BM1 Orr, and Larry Hicks. And they all told me early on that there’s only two jobs as a Boatswain’s Mate that you really want to do. A lifeboat sailor and a patrol boat sailor. And if you can stay in those two areas or two types of units, you’ll have the greatest career you could ever have. And fortunately that’s exactly what happened to me. The planets aligned up perfectly because I was either at a lifeboat station or on a patrol boat my whole career. And some of them back to back. It’s just the greatest job there is. The Coast Guard is the greatest job there is, there just couldn’t be anything better.
SN NEWELL: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from anyone since you’ve been in?
BMCM BOWMAN: Probably from my mentors, BMCM Quigley, BM1 Orr, and Larry Hicks. They told me pass on the information that you learn. Don’t keep it to yourself . Don’t be afraid of sharing it with anybody, don’t be afraid of somebody passing you up. You need to share it so it doesn’t affect the team when you’re gone. In fact, they took me down to the Boatswain’s locker and asked, how important are you Bowman? Well I thought, hey I’m young and studly I’m pretty important around here! So they said stick your hand in that bucket of water. Go ahead stick your hand in that bucket of water, what happened when you pull it out? Well the water filled back in after my hand left the water. They said that’s exactly what you want to happen when you leave a unit. You don’t want to leave a hole where you left. And you make sure that doesn’t happen by sharing everything you have, all your knowledge.
SN NEWELL: What did you like most about the Old Guard compared to present day Coast Guard?
BMCM BOWMAN: There were a lot of good things that happened back then and a lot of bad things. We didn’t have the knowledge about group dynamics that we have now. A lot of things were forceful. Discipline was a little different. Pride is high in the Coast Guard today, but I think it was a little higher when it came to the motorlife boats. I think our egos were longer back then. And we were pumped up all the time with our egos, which can be bad, It can be really bad but we were highly motivated back then . As far as the people and the quality of people back then, I really don’t think much has changed. The heart of the Coast Guard is the humanitarian spirit that people have. They want to serve. They want to be part of something bigger then them. That part hasn’t changed.
SN NEWELL: What’s your most memorable experience in the Coast Guard?
BMCM BOWMAN:I think it would have to be the first time I looked into the eyes of someone I pulled out of the water and saved their life. It tears you apart but in a good way. They look at you like you’re an angel because you saved them. That’s the most awarding feeling.
SN NEWELL: What advice would you give to a young person thinking about joining the Coast Guard?
BMCM BOWMAN: Do a lot of soul searching. Why are you considering the Coast Guard? Those should be the first questions you ask yourself. Don’t come in because of educational benefits, don’t come in because your medical and dental is paid, come in because you want to serve. Because that’s exactly what you’ll end up doing. Whether it be lifeboat station or a patrol boat or a cutter , you want to serve. That’s why you join the Coast Guard, because you want to help people. And don’t judge the Coast Guard on the first couple of years you’re in. People come in and they have these little blinders on and they only see down this narrow corridor and it’s usually about yourself. As you stay in longer your field of vision opens up and you start understanding why we do things we way we do.
SN NEWELL: What has been your favorite uniform?
BMCM BOWMAN: The crackerjacks. That’s what we used to call them. 13 buttons, all wool. I loved those things. They were warm, they were comfortable, and easy to take care of! And one uniform I didn’t get to ever wear were the Khakis. They converted to SDBS’s in '75 and the Khakis were only for chiefs and officers and I never got to wear them. I loved those things! I wanted to wear Khakis! I might buy some on the 13th, just to wear them. ( BMCM Bowman retired Nov. 12, 2009)
SN NEWELL: Do you ever think about the lives you’ve saved?
BMCM BOWMAN: I remember almost all their faces. How happy they were, how ecstatic some of them were about what you did for them. But at the time, you’re more concerned with getting them out of the water, getting them out of the surf ,that it really didn’t set in your mind what you had just accomplished because your not looking for a reward. You’re just trying to get them out of trouble. Because when a lifeboat is called out into a storm, or heavy weather, something has already gone wrong , and you don’t want anything else to go wrong. So you want to get them back to shore as soon as possible.
SN NEWELL: Do you have a favorite surf station?
BMCM BOWMAN: No. No favorites. But if I had to pick one, and not just because I’m here, Siuslaw River has been the most enjoyable station because there’s never been a group of people that have accomplished as much you folks have in such a short amount of time. And I’m not saying it because it’s my last unit. I thought about this the last six months, if I had to classify a unit as a favorite it would be here just because of what the crew has accomplished.
SN NEWELL: If you had to pick an asset which boat have you had the most fun driving?
BMCM BOWMAN: Undoubtedly the 52’ Motor Life Boat. It’ll bring you home every time. When you go out on those nights when you hear the waves pounding before you even get to the bar and there’s sea foam everywhere, that’s the boat you want.
SN NEWELL: Would you change anything about you career in the Coast Guard?
BMCM BOWMAN: I couldn’t have choreographed a better career. And I didn’t do it. I got every type of unit and location that I wanted. It worked out fabulous.
SN NEWELL: What are your plans for retirement?
BMCM BOWMAN: Eventually I’d like to end up some place near the snow, by the Rockies. Maybe Montana, Colorado, or northern Nevada. For now I’ll be here for the next couple of years on the northwest because I love it so much. I don’t know if I will ever want to get away from the pounding surf.
- SN Chantal Newell
Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River, Ore.
A spill-response contractor this morning placed floating boom around the vessel to stop the spread of oil on the water's surface. A diver plugged fuel-tank air vents from which the fuel was escaping. Cleanup crews pumped out approximately 100 gallons of diesel that remained in the boat's fuel tanks. 
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