US COAST GUARD Bertholf outreach

Petty Officer 2nd Class Alex Luna and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jesse Kassbaum, crewmembers of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf teach students at Alak School in Wainwright, Alaska, about the effects of cold water exposure to the human body, Sept. 7, 2012, as part of the Coast Guard's Operation Arctic Shield. Community outreach is an important part of the operation and the Coast Guard dispatched teams of Coast Guard personnel, including the Bertholf crew, to Arctic communities to conduct water safety outreach at schools and with residents. Many of the Arctic communities rely on subsistence harvests from the surrounding ocean for their survival. The Coast Guard instructors provided education about important water safety practices that can be used by local residents throughout their lifetimes and can be taught to future generations. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Tamargo