Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen celebrated their change of command at the Base Borinquen aircraft hangar in Aguadilla, Wednesday.
In the ceremony, Capt. Jeffrey P. Owens relieved Capt. Lawrence D. Gaillard as Air Station Borinquen’s commanding officer before unit members, aviators, shipmates, partner agency representatives, family and friends, who witnessed the formal transfer of command authority from one commanding officer to the next.

Capt. Willie L. Carmichael, Seventh Coast Guard District chief of staff, presided over the ceremony in which he presented Gaillard with the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal (gold star in lieu of a third award) recognizing his achievements during the three-year tour.

Under Gaillard’s leadership, Air Station Borinquen achieved extraordinary success in executing 5,400 flight hours, encompassing 423 Search and Rescue missions with 1,088 lives saved, or assisted. His decisive leadership enabled the successful completion of 49 law enforcement cases, resulting in the interdiction of 729 undocumented aliens and the seizure of 51 million dollars in illegal narcotics.