Station Brant Point Welcomes Lance Wiser As New Master Chief

Master Chief Andrew Babione was honored by Station Brant Point Thursday morning at the station’s Change of Command Ceremony for his 27 years of service in the United States Coast Guard. As Babione was honored, the island’s Coast Guard also welcomed in their new master chief, Lance Wiser, who comes to Nantucket with over 20 years of experience.

Babione said he will miss the island. He departed Thursday night and will be in North Carolina Friday evening. He said he is thankful for the relationships and the connections he and his family made here but is looking forward to the next chapter of his life.

“Lots of good things happened out here for me and my family,” Babione said. “It is a charming community. It is very unique. The Coast Guard mission is unlike any other in the Coast Guard. We wish nothing but the best for Nantucket moving forward. I’m ready to move onto this next chapter of my life but first I’m looking forward to spending some time with my family on this vacation we have scheduled.”

As for Wiser, he comes to Nantucket with 22 years of Coast Guard experience. His previous assignment was as Officer in Charge Station Charleston, South Carolina. This will be the third island he has served on, with previous stops at Station San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Hopefully I fit in well. I am a big Red Sox fan,” Wiser said. “But just the history and the small-town community I mean, the Coast Guard here is the only show in town military wise. meanwhile in these larger cities like Charleston there is this massive military presence. It is exciting to be a part of a small-town community, especially in the wintertime when I know it gets slow. We have been part of small towns before and always enjoy a small-town community feel.”

Wiser grew up in Warren, Connecticut and enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2002 at the age of 19. He reported to CGC FARALLION, Miami Beach, Florida after graduating from Recruit Basic Training in Cape May, New Jersey. His following tours included stops in Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Portsmouth, Virginia, Buffalo, New York, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Wiser is a permanent Cutterman and Coxswain, Advanced Boat Forces, Pursuit and Tactical Coxswain, Boarding Officer, Expert Pistol and currently holds a 100-ton Captains license.

Some of Wiser’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, three Achievement Medals, three Commandant’s Letter of Commendation, Seven Good Conduct medals and numerous other unit and personal citations.

Wiser is also earning a degree in management from Purdue University at this time. He said he hopes as Master Chief he can carry on the success Station Brant Point has had of supporting the community in any way they can.

“I just want to keep pushing through and keep all of these guys trained. They are awesome. I have only been here one week and they have already had four or five (search and rescue) cases this since I got here. I have an awesome crew and just want to set them up for success. I want us to keep rolling and doing what they have been doing. I look forward to making a lot of friends outside of the Coast Guard too.”

Below are some photos taken during the Change of Command Ceremony.