New London — A change of command ceremony at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday that bid farewell to Superintendent Rear Adm. Michael Johnston and welcomed his successor, Rear Adm. Gregory Rothrock, was steeped with the kinds of pomp and protocol that traditionally mark such military transfers of responsibility.
There was the formal reading of orders announcing Johnston’s retirement after 35 years — along with Rothrock’s directive to take responsibility for the academy — along with personnel inspection and several smart salutes, all taking place on a stage festooned with red, white and blue bunting.
But the ceremony inside Leamy Hall was also punctuated with smaller, intimate moments, including a heartfelt ode Johnston offered to his wife, Darlene, and a quiet commendation to the outgoing superintendent by Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard’s acting commandant.
“Well done, Michael,” Lunday murmured as he shook Johnston’s hand.
The event, attended by hundreds of Johnston’s fellow officers, academy cadre and community representatives, marked the end of Johnston’s two-year tenure as the 43rd head of the institution and its first Black superintendent.
“This has been the most meaningful assignment of my career,” said Johnston, who spent much of the afternoon grinning and wiping away tears. “This job isn’t about running a campus but about shaping the future. It’s about those quiet moments when a cadet figures out who they are.”
Johnston’s career included stints in Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C. amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He returned to the campus in May 2023, decades after graduating in 1990.
Johnston’s habit of wearing his heart on his uniform sleeve was noted by Lunday who described him as an exemplary example of how to lead with joy and “unboundless optimism.”
Keynote speaker Sean Plankey, senior advisor to the Secretary for the Coast Guard, lauded Johnston’s role in elevating the academy by opening its gates to the public, lawmakers and prospective students.
Plankey, a member of the academy’s Class of 2003, also trumpeted the new Force Drive 2028 initiative — and its billions in related funding — that aims to create a more agile, capable and responsive fighting force through a series of top-level personnel cuts, streamlined acquisition and contracting work and an aggressive recruiting push.
“This is the finest military academy in the nation,” Plankey said, before charging Rothrock to continue his predecessor’s work.
Rothrock is a 1995 academy graduate who most recently served in the U.S. Cyber Command Joint Force Development office. He also served as the U.S. Coast Guard budget director, led the Research and Development Center and served as an engineering officer aboard the USCGC Spencer.
“What a thrill to join this academy team,” Rothrock said. “This place, this experience strengthens character and prepares future officers in time of peace and war. I am really looking forward to all we accomplish together.”
Lundy called Rothrock “the right leader at the right time.”
A place of miracles
Among the event’s hundreds of attendees were several of Johnston’s former shipmates, including retired Cmdr. Elijah Flynn who recalled his years as a Black cadet in the mid-1970s.
“Back then, the highest-ranking officer we ever saw was maybe a lieutenant commander,” Flynn said. “To see a Black superintendent was just inspiring. It’s a big deal.”
Academy superintendents typically serve four-year terms, but Johnston, in a May interview with CGA Alumni Bulletin, said he accepted a shorter assignment soon after the death of his father.
Johnston, who said he planned to enjoy some much-delayed family time, paid tribute to his wife, who he called his anchor and best friend.
“You’re the greatest mystery I want to spend my life figuring out,” he said.
Johnston also congratulated Rothrock as the 44th academy superintendent prepared to take on “the finest assignment in the Coast Guard.”
“Miracles happen here every day,” he said.
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