BUFFALO, N.Y. — It was a big day for the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Buffalo happened Friday as they performed a change of command ceremony.
Captain Lexia Littlejohn was relieved of her command, and Captain Mark Kuperman has taken over the post.
The command ceremony is a tradition in the Coast Guard that signifies the formal transfer of responsibility to another commanding officer.
Captain Littlejohn has been in command since 2019, and she spoke Friday about why this is one of the hardest jobs in the sector.
"This job is probably the hardest job at the sector. I think it is the hardest job, because it is the ultimate paradox in leadership in that to be effective you have to work within the chain of command, but also outside of it. you have to be able to lead, but at the same time you have to be able to serve. you have to listen generously and communicate carefully," Captain Littlejohn said during the ceremony.
The U.S. Coast Guard sector Buffalo is responsible for more than 570 miles of shoreline, stretching from just north of Potsdam, New York, all the way to west of Cleveland, Ohio.
Littlejohn has spoken frequently in recent weeks at efforts to save USS The Sullivans gathered attention nationwide.
On Thursday, a time-lapse video shown during a news conference provided a look at the 22-day effort to refloat the ship after it took on water April 13 and then started listing.
Littlejohn said Thursday that the ship, which was listing at a precarious 20-degree-plus angle, is now back to roughly a 1 percent slight, or less list, to starboard (or the right).
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