Charles W. Bowen

Charles W. Bowen
MCPOCG Charles "Skip" W. Bowen
Nickname	"Skip"
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Coast Guard
Years of service	1978—2010
Rank	Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
Awards	Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal (4 awards) Coast Guard Commendation Medal (4 awards) Coast Guard Achievement Medal (3 awards)

Charles "Skip" W. Bowen was the tenth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard (MCPOCG). He assumed the position from MCPOCG Frank A. Welch on June 14, 2006, and was relieved on May 21, 2010 by Michael P. Leavitt. Bowen was previously assigned as the Officer in Charge of Coast Guard Station Marathon.

Coast Guard Career

After attending basic training at Coast Guard Station Cape May in Cape May, New Jersey in 1978, his first duty station was to a patrol boat, USCGC Point Swift in Clearwater, Florida. From there he was assigned to Coast Guard Station Marathon in the Florida Keys just in time for the Mariel boatlift in 1980. A subsequent assignment at Station Fort Pierce, Florida, was followed by another patrol boat, this time the newly commissioned USCGC Farallon, homeported in Miami. From south Florida he traveled to the Mid-Atlantic seaboard to join USCGC Point Arena as the Executive Petty Officer. Upon advancing to Chief Petty Officer he was assigned as the Officer in Charge of Coast Guard Station New Haven, Connecticut, in June 1990. Following a successful tour at New Haven, he was transferred to Station Sand Key in Clearwater Beach, Florida in 1994.

In 1997, Bowen was assigned as the Officer in Charge of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Point Turner in Newport, Rhode Island, until her decommissioning in April 1998. During May 1998 he was assigned as the Officer in Charge of Coast Guard Cutter Hammerhead, based in Woods Hole, Massachusetts; this cutter was first of the high-tech 87-foot (26.5 m) Patrol Boats on the east coast.

From 1999 to 2001, Bowen served as the Seventh District Command Master Chief. In May 2002, Bowen graduated with distinction from the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. While at the Academy, he was selected as one of the few non-Army students ever to serve as a class vice president. Upon graduation, he was awarded the prestigious "William G. Bainbridge Chair of Ethics Award." From June 2002 to June 2004, Bowen served as the Command Master Chief of the Headquarters' Units. In addition to those duties, he also served as the Interim Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard from July 2002 through October 2002.

Awards and decorations

• Advanced Boat Force Operations Insignia
• Cutterman Insignia
• Officer-in-Charge Afloat Pin
• Officer-in-Charge Ashore Pin
• Commandant Staff Badge
• Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard

	Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal
	Meritorious Service Medal with 3 gold award stars and "O" device
	Coast Guard Commendation Medal with 3 gold award stars and "O" device
	Coast Guard Achievement Medal with 2 gold award stars and "O" device
	Commandant's Letter of Commendation
	Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation with "hurricane symbol"
	Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award
	Coast Guard Unit Commendation with award star and "O" device
	Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation with 1 silver and 2 gold award stars and "O" device
	Meritorious Team Commendation with silver and gold award star and "O" device
	Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation
	Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal with 1 silver and 4 bronze service stars
	National Defense Service Medal with 1 service star
	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
	Humanitarian Service Medal with service star
	Special Operations Service Ribbon with 2 service stars
	Sea Service Ribbon with 2 service stars
	Non-Commissioned Officer Development Ribbon with award numeral 4
	Expert Rifle Marksmanship Medal
	Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon with silver sharpshooter device

• 8 Service Stripes.

Personal

Bowen's educational accomplishments include a Bachelor of Science Degree magna cum laude from Excelsior College and a Master of Business Administration summa cum laude from Touro University International. Bowen is married to Janet Kay Bowen (née Cartwright) of Norfolk, Virginia. He has four children, Mason, Joshua, Joseph, and Kristen. His son, Mason, is currently on active duty in the Coast Guard.

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the U.S. Coast Guard's official biography.

• "Senior Leadership Biographies". U.S. Coast Guard. http://www.uscg.mil/comdt/mcpocg/bio.asp. 

External links

Media related to Charles W. Bowen at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by Frank A. Welch	Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard 2006-2010	Succeeded by Michael P. Leavitt

Persondata
Name	Bowen, Charles W.
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