» Local Coast Guard pilot, commander volunteers in Bandon

By Lise Hull
Staff Writer
Monday, March 30, 2009 | No comments posted. The rumbling of engines and the high-powered whirring of wings emanate from the bright red helicopters based in North Bend when they fly over Bandon. The helos not only imply an emergency in progress, but also create a powerful sense of safety for Bandon residents, who know that the U.S. Coast Guard is always on call. Three or four days in any week, the life-saving aircraft is piloted by Bandon’s own Cmdr. Evan Grant, who is a reserve police officer in his spare time.

A regular duty-standing pilot whose 24-hour shifts are just part of his normal work week, Grant has served in the Coast Guard for 32 years.

“I can’t imagine being any more fulfilled,” he said.

Grant chose the Coast Guard not just because it was a family tradition of sorts — his older brother was also in the CG and his grandfather served at Guadalcanal — but also because the Marine recruiter with whom he had talked missed their appointment. He liked that the CG recruiter didn’t give him a high-pressure sales pitch.

After finishing 14 grueling weeks of basic training at the top of his company, Grant was assured he would have the pick of duty stations. His first choice was a small boat in Maine, where his family lived, followed by Charleston, S.C., where a brother was stationed and, lastly, “Anywhere in the Far East.”

He ended up in Guam. It was at Guam that Grant learned about CG aviation and chose to specialize as a flight mechanic.

“I was reaching for the sun,” he said.

Grant spent the next 13 years in the enlisted ranks aboard different aircraft serving as a helicopter mechanic, flight crewman and crew chief, and as a rescue crewman. Duty stations included Cape Cod, Mass., Puerto Rico and Humboldt Bay, Calif.

Characterizing himself as something of an adrenaline junky, Grant has enjoyed the glamour, excitement and demanding nature of the job.

“It is rewarding to save a life,” he explained.

Rescues along the Oregon Coast are particularly challenging, he said, due to the extremely cold water and the tempestuous weather. And, the conditions rival Humboldt Bay and Alaska for poor visibility, high seas and swift winds. Seeking out greater career challenges, Grant went to officer candidate school at Yorktown, Va., where he was commissioned as an ensign, and then headed to flight school in Pensacola, Fla., for 18 months of arduous, stressful training.

As a junior officer, he knew he’d be expected to fly and looked forward to it.

“I was grateful for the opportunity to start over as an officer,” he said.

His first tour at North Bend, where he piloted an HH-65, took place from 1992 to 1997. After serving in Kodiak, Alaska, he returned to Humboldt Bay, Calif. He won the Frank Erickson rescue award for his role in rescuing fire fighters stranded on a cliffside in the Siskiyou Forest during the Biscuit Fire of 2002.

Grant headed back to North Bend as an instructor pilot from 2003 to 2007. After a year-long stint in Haiti, Grant returned again to North Bend in 2008. The time spent in Haiti was an experience which visibly impacted his life.

Volunteering for the assignment, Grant served in Haiti as senior military officer in the U.S. embassy and representative of DOD to the State Department. He commanded U.S. Army and Navy personnel and worked with Haitian police to maintain security on the island and enforce U.S. foreign policy.

Anyone in Grant’s position would have found the job more than challenging, as American lives and those of the Haitian people, were always at risk. But, in many ways, he said with deep conviction, his efforts in Haiti were the “most rewarding” of his career.

In addition to bringing food and water to the local people, Grant coordinated security for a visit by the hospital ship, USNS Comfort, which provided health care to the general population, who would otherwise not be seen by medical practitioners.

“Folks here (in the U.S.) don’t realize how good we have it,” he reflected. “Every day, Haitians endure random acts of violence, incredible poverty and threats from armed gangs.”

Grant downplays his accomplishments. Instead, he praises the efforts of fellow service members.

“I am more impressed by the work done by the boat crews,” Grant said. “They are truly incredible.”

Grant and his wife, Barbra, who was born in Portland, want to retire in the Bandon area.

“My wife wouldn’t leave unless Bandon is hit by the black plague,” he said.

Grant hopes to become a police officer after he retires from the CG and would like to serve with the Bandon Police Department. He believes that community service is very important and would be grateful for the chance to start over with the police department.

“From the chief down to the patrolmen, they are great folks,” Grant noted.

In fact, Grant already spends his days off as a reserve officer, volunteering more than 80 hours a month. “My honey-do list is getting very long,” he said.

Not surprisingly, Grant willingly goes above and beyond the call of duty.

BPD Office Assistant Rachel Panter noted, “He is always willing to help any of the officers with official tasks such as investigations, search warrants or with trivial tasks such as cutting firewood, building a shed or fence or any personal project.”

Grant often buys dinner or lunch for his fellow officers and donates items from his own collection, such as holsters.

“He’s there for any of us or our children,” Panter added.

“Many of our children call him ‘Uncle Evan’ or ‘Uncle E’ because he is constantly spoiling them with birthday/Christmas gifts and his time and attention. I have personally heard my little 3-year-old Shelby say that ‘Uncle Evan’ is going to buy her a swimming pool, horsey and a backpack full of toys. (That happened to be around Christmas time and you know how toddlers have wild imaginations.)

“If you call him, he’s there or will be there shortly,” Panter continued. “He seems to exude this compelling quality of empathy. He unknowingly brings calm to a heated situation and is especially exceptional at comforting those in a crisis.

“And, the best part is that he doesn’t know how ‘great’ he is,” she said. “He’s very humble; no arrogance or condescending attitude.”