Meet The Next Guardian Of The Great Lakes

On July 13, responsibility for ensuring the safety on the Great Lakes will transfer from Sean Cross to Greg Matyas. That’s the day of the United States Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City “change of command” ceremony, and the first official day as commanding officer for Greg Matyas in Traverse City.

The Ticker sat down with Cross and Matyas to review Cross’ past two years of leadership and to look forward with Matyas – who prepares for as big a change in weather as anyone could possibly face.

Cross took the helm on June 7, 2012, and says he can’t believe how quickly two years in TC passed.

“I can’t believe it’s over,” he says. “I tell people all the time. I’ve lived in San Diego and Norfolk – both supposed to be pro-military towns – but I don’t think either compares to the level of support the Coast Guard receives here in Traverse City. It’s just been a great place to live.”

When asked about his legacy here, Cross says simply, “I think Greg would agree that you want to be a C.O [commanding officer] to make a difference in the lives of people and leave your fingerprints on the unit. That hopefully will be my legacy here, that I tried to make not only the military life at the unit better, but life better for them and their spouses.”

Cross says several search and rescue operations were memorable, but one in particular stands out. A mother and two boys were kayaking off Sturgeon Bay.

“Because the children were about the same age as mine , I was pretty attached to the operation. They were found, hoisted to safety and given medical care. But the cool thing was they were later reunited with the crew that rescued them, which rarely happens for us.”

Cross is headed to Seattle and the 13th Coast Guard District, where he’ll serve as the Chief of Incident Management.

Seated next to Cross, Uniontown, Pa. native Greg Matyas [prounounced “Mattis”] says he’s ready to lead the 130 members of Air Station Traverse City and protect all of Lake Michigan (including Chicago), Lake Superior, northern Lake Huron, and the Red River in North Dakota.

Matyas will arrive for his two-year rotation July 1, moving with his wife from – slight adjustment – Hawaii.

“Yes, when I told some friends in Hawaii where we were going, the response was, ‘oooh,’” says Matyas. “But,” he adds, “someone said Traverse City is ‘the Hawaii of the Great Lakes!”

Prior to this visit, Matyas had never been to Traverse City, but he says he’s ready for the new opportunity and promotion.

“I’d be lying if I said there weren’t nerves…having the ultimate responsibility for everybody and everything in that unit. But if your next job isn’t challenging you and you’re not a little apprehensive, it’s not the right job. This is a growth opportunity for me and I have huge shoes to fill.”

How did he first hear he’d landed the prestigious position at Air Station Traverse City? He saw a note on the Coast Guard messaging system back in January. But Captain Cross sent Matyas his own personal congratulatory message via text message.

“I sent him a photo of the Mackinac Bridge all iced up and said, ‘no palm trees here!’”

During the application process, Matyas was asked to rank his locations; he ranked Traverse City first. “It’s well known as a great spot. And I’ve always wanted to have Great Lakes experience. It will be a change of pace," he says. 

Any last words from Captain Cross as he departs?

“I absolutely loved it here. The Coast Guard actually pays me to go fly helicopters around. And I have to say, I’ll be kind of sad as I walk out the door; I don’t think I’ll ever have as good a job as this one has been.”