LV Guardsman patrols Alaska fishing

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Feb. 22, 2001 | 8:55 a.m.

Las Vegas diners enjoy the fresh seafood served in restaurants on and off the Strip, but few give a second thought to how the ocean's fruit gets to the desert.

Dan and Michele Buress, however, now have a deeper appreciation of what it takes.

Watching over the fleets of crabbers and fishermen in the northern Pacific is what their son, Petty Officer 3rd Class Dan Buress Jr., has been doing in recent weeks as a navigator and radio operator aboard a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 out of Kodiak Air Station.

Buress flies between 60 and 80 hours a month in addition to his duties of maintaining batteries for the C-130 patrol aircraft and HH60 and HH65 rescue helicopters assigned to Kodiak.

"Most of the work we do up here consists of fisheries law enforcement," Buress said. "We also resupply other Coast Guard facilities in the area and, of course, conduct search and rescue. Our unit's area of operation is the biggest in the Coast Guard, stretching from the most southeast portion of the Alaskan coast to Atu, which is the last U.S. island in the Aleutian chain."

Buress has been assigned to Kodiak since October 1999. The avionics technician says he and his wife, Angie, along with their two children and one on the way, should remain at Kodiak until at least 2003 and wouldn't mind staying longer.

"This is a beautiful place. Its simply breathtaking," he said.

However, his stay in the arctic paradise may be cut short if he achieves his goal of going to flight school. "I love my job and sitting behind the pilots is fun, but I would rather be sitting right up front with my hands on the controls," he said.

The 1992 Chaparral High School graduate takes college courses in his off-duty time to make himself eligible for Officers Candidate School, the next step toward Coast Guard pilot's wings.

In brief

* William A. Smith Jr., the son of William A. and stepson of Jan Smith of Las Vegas, recently reported for duty at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo. The Air Force medical logistics technician, is assigned to the 374th Medical Support Squadron.

* Army National Guard Pvt. Dale Coppedge, the son of Lawrence and Joanne Coppedge of Las Vegas, has graduated from rough terrain cargo specialist advanced individual training at Fort Eustis, Va. During the course he received training in terminal operations safety, rigging and stowage of cargo, winch operations, and the loading, securing, and discharging of cargo and heavy lifts for rough terrain operations.