STURGEON BAY, Wis. (WFRV) — After years of service that have taken her across the country and around the world, a U.S. Coast Guard leader is wrapping up her time in Wisconsin — and taking home one of the community’s highest honors.
Chief Petty Officer Emily Hand, second in command at U.S. Coast Guard Station Sturgeon Bay, was recently named the station’s Coast Guard Person of the Year. The award is given annually to a local Coast Guard member who exemplifies the service’s core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty.
Between Station Sturgeon Bay, the Marine Safety Unit, and the cutter based in town, each unit nominates one member. The Door County Maritime Museum board reviews the nominations and selects a winner.
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For Hand, the honor comes just as she is finishing her final day at the station and preparing to move back home to Missouri.
“[I was] shocked and surprised,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting this. I want to recognize the junior members and celebrate their progress and careers.”
Hand’s Coast Guard journey began with a family connection — both of her grandfathers served in the Navy during World War II, and her brother also served. After deciding to join, she shipped off to boot camp just two months after applying.
From there, her career took her to a 378-foot cutter out of San Diego, Boatswain’s Mate school in Virginia, stations in Michigan and Georgia, and a cutter in Crescent City, California, that she helped decommission by sailing through the Panama Canal.
She’s taken part in search and rescue missions, drug interdictions, and fisheries enforcement, saying the only region she hasn’t worked is the Gulf Coast.
Her move to Sturgeon Bay came with a specific goal: to become Executive Petty Officer (XPO) — the No. 2 position at a station.
“I love being an XPO. I love taking care of the crew and people. I’m passionate about people,” she said.
That passion extends well beyond her Coast Guard duties. Hand co-founded “Safe Waters,” a nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual assault in the military, regardless of branch or duty status. The group offers advocacy, a weekly book club, and peer support.
“If you’ve been sexually assaulted in the service, any service, you can call and we’ll help you out,” Hand explained.
Her work with Safe Waters is connected to growing national attention on misconduct in the Coast Guard. In 2023, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability released a memorandum on “Operation Fouled Anchor,” an internal investigation into decades of sexual assault and harassment cases at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
According to the report, numerous cases were mishandled or not properly addressed, sparking reforms and congressional scrutiny. Hand says those revelations only strengthened her resolve to take action.
“There’s been a lot of light shed on this within the Coast Guard… so that’s what really brought me to the level of someone who needs to do something. So, why not me?” she said.
When she’s not at the station or working with Safe Waters, Hand has given more than 600 volunteer hours as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Green Bay, mentoring a local teenager through outings like go-karting, movies, and Packers Family Night.
“I just think anybody who has the time to give back to their community is great,” she said. “These kids need someone in their life who is a champion for them and is their person.”
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Hand says she’s still figuring out her next steps. She will join the Coast Guard Reserve in Alameda, California, while continuing to expand Safe Waters’ reach — with plans to travel to more isolated units across the country.
“I don’t do this for the recognition,” she said. “I just want to take care of my crew, support survivors, and volunteer my time… I think everyone should give back to their community.”
To learn more about Safe Waters or to donate, visit SafeWatersUnited.org.
