Magaw out at TSA

Does his USCG career date back to Elizabeth Dole's tenure as D.O.T. head and USCG peacetime commander? That might not be the best indicator of the political flags he follows, but might be wort consideration along with other points.

Bio here:

[Text Only]

James M. Loy

1998-2002

Admiral James M. Loy, USCG
(Click on image to see full-size photo)

Admiral James Milton Loy was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania on 10 August 1942. He entered the Coast Guard Academy in 1960. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in General Engineering, he was commissioned an Ensign in 1964. He commanded four Coast Guard cutters including the Point Lomas on combat patrols in Vietnam; CGC Valiant, homeported in Galveston, Texas; and CGC Midgett, homeported in San Francisco, California. He has also served in flag assignments as Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District, New Orleans, Louisiana and as Chief, Office of Personnel and Training at Coast Guard Headquarters.

Prior to becoming Commandant, Admiral Loy served as the Coast Guard Chief of Staff from 1996-98, during which time he redesigned the headquarters management structure and overhauled the Coast Guard planning and budgeting process to focus more sharply on performance and results. From 1994-96, he was Commander of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area, commanding U.S. forces during the mass Haitian and Cuban migrations of 1994 and Coast Guard forces participating in Operation Restore Democracy. His other flag assignments were as Chief of Personnel and Training, and Commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District.

He became commandant of the Coast Guard in May, 1998 and served through May 2002. Admiral Loy focused his leadership during his tenure on restoring Coast Guard readiness and shaping the future of the the nation's oldest continuous sea-going service. Although both themes involved many initiatives, the most visible expression of restoring readiness was rebuilding the workforce to authorized levels, improving retention and managing the operational tempo of the service. The most important element of shaping the future was probably his oversight and leadership in the Integrated Deepwater System acquisition project, which was the overall plan to modernize the ships, aircraft, and sensors that the Coast Guard utilizes to perform its many missions.

Admiral Loy attended postgraduate school at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, Rhode Island earning Masters degrees in History/Government and Public Administration. He attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at Fort Leslie J. McNair in Washington, DC. He was also an intern at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He has received the Department of Transportation Distinguished Service Medal, four Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medals, the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Legion of Merit awards, the Bronze Star with Combat “V,” the Meritorious Service Medal, five Coast Guard Commendation Medals, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and other unit and campaign awards.

Admiral Loy has been recognized by the American Society of Public Administration and Government Executive with their Leadership Award for 2001. He was named SEATRADE Personality of 2000 in London, UK; has received the NAACP Meritorious Service Award for 2000 and was recognized by the Soldier's, Sailor's, Marine's and Airmen's Club with their Military Leadership Award for 2001.

He retired from the Coast Guard on 30 May 2002 and was immediately appointed to the newly created post of Deputy Under Secretary for Transportation Security and Chief Operating Officer of the Transportation Security Administration by Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.

Admiral Loy is married to the former Kay McGirk. They have two grown children, Kelly Loy Morf of Cary, North Carolina, and Lieutenant Michael Loy of Williamsburg, Virginia. The Loys have two grandchildren.

A photo of Vice Admiral James Loy
Vice Admiral Loy talks with the crew of a cutter in August, 1994.

MORE INFORMATION:

SPEECHES: Click here to access speeches he gave while commandant.

DIRECTIVES: Click here to access the directives he issued while commandant.

TESTIMONY BEFORE CONGRESS: Click here to access his statements to Congress while commandant.

OPEN LETTER: Click here to read the open letter to all Coast Guard personnel in December 2001 regarding the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on our nation.

RETIREMENT PRESS RELEASE: Click here to see the official DOT press release regarding his retirement and subsequent appointment as the Chief of the TSA.

A photo of Vice Admiral James Loy

[Historians' Office]

[USCG Home Page]
Added: June 2002

There was a story on NBC Nightly News (yes, I know, but I don't have cable) about Magaw's firing, and that's what they called it: a firing. The primary--if not the only-reason given by the reporter was that Magaw was not doing a good job preparing for airport security.

Significantly, though, there was not a whisper about the arming-the-pilots issue. This was almost certainly by design, lest the commoners get any hint that there may be support for this among the knowledgeable.

Magaw was a self-absorbed idiot.

The heat FOR armed pilots is INTENSE--especially from the pilots' union--and there is the possibility of strike out there, with this as just one of the issues.

no WAY does the Administration want a strike in the airline industry, now reeling from 9/11 and the recession--and which is borrowing from the Government to stay afloat.

So Magaw, for personal, professional, and political reasons has taken the nightshade.

Good.

Thanks, archy!I'll be reading it all later tonight!

I hope you haven't missed posts 80 & 81.

I agree that with you regarding what Bush should do. I just think they want to keep their only Democrat happy and on board a little longer. I don't agree with that thinking at all.

Magaw is a horse-toothed jackass and was on the job about a year and a half too long. The fact that he is gone gives me great pleasure.

You left something out of your Bush-Bashing post. You forgot to mention that Bush told the UN to get stuffed regarding their International Ban On Small Arms Trafficking Treaty (read: would have been the death of the 2nd Amendment had we signed that treaty).

And there are only two sides, right, so which side does that place Bush on since he told the UN to bugger off when they tried to kill our 2nd Amendment?

Oh, you also got it wrong on the ICC. Bush didn't cave. There were no celebrations in Europe of Leftists dancing with glee that Bush forced the UN to admit that the ICC treaty didn't apply in all countries, and that even in countries where it applied that it couldn't apply to citizens of non-ICC-signatory countries for the next 12 months (plus extentions).

Oooops. I suspose facts like that would get in your way of spreading anti-Republican falsehoods, though...