Hours after President Donald Trump known as for a society that’s “merit-based” in his inaugural handle, he fired the primary girl to move a navy service in American historical past. 4-star Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan was waiting to have a photograph taken with the brand new president the identical night time she discovered she was being dismissed, in line with The New York Instances.
What exceptional hypocrisy. Her 36-year rise by means of the ranks, together with vital milestones in Seattle, is the very definition of meritorious. Her dismissal got here as a shock to the Coast Guard, together with at its 11 stations in Washington.
Trump’s choice to fireside Fagan was political, vengeful and will by no means replicate her embellished profession. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, a member of a Home subcommittee on the Coast Guard and maritime transportation, known as the choice to fireside Fagan “reckless” and one which “will harm readiness.” That features in Seattle — a rising base of strategic significance that features practically 1,300 lively obligation, civilians and reservists.
The checklist of these fired by Trump from federal service grows longer by the day: Jan. 6 prosecutors within the Justice Division; impartial federal watchdogs referred to as Inspectors Normal; Democratic commissioners of the U.S. Equal Employment Alternative Fee and Nationwide Labor Relations Board. However even beneath the guise of making a authorities with bow-down fealty to the president, Fagan’s unprecedented firing was, as Sen. Maria Cantwell rightly known as it, “appalling.”
Puget Sound has a particular place in Fagan’s coronary heart. She served as a marine inspector right here and earned her grasp’s diploma on the College of Washington. Extra lately as commandant she was overseeing Seattle’s planned base expansion, the place an expanded fleet of icebreakers will finally exchange two growing older ones.
Trump’s administration tried to assign blame to Fagan for shortcomings and scandals that had been essentially challenges she addressed at full velocity. Her accomplishments included:
● Tackling a shortfall in ranks since 2017 by opening new recruiting workplaces, creating new scores to provide members larger flexibility in profession pursuits and new bonuses for mortgage repayments and training. The end result exceeded 4,200 recruits in 2024, past the service’s expectations.
● Taking up new efforts to stop sexual assault and harassment and to raised guarantee perpetrators are held accountable, following an investigation referred to as “Foul Anchor” that uncovered a cover-up by the earlier commandant of rapes and assaults on the Coast Guard Academy.
● With the nation woefully poor in Arctic vessels than can problem Russian dominance within the quickly altering area, Fagan oversaw the acquisition of a secondhand industrial vessel that has been transformed into the icebreaker CGC Storis.
● Beneath Fagan’s management, the Coast Guard was turning into way more reflective of American society. Ladies made up about 15% of the service and minorities 30% when she grew to become commandant; at the moment the cadet class is nearly 40% girls, the best share of the navy’s service academies, in line with Cantwell’s workplace. Greater than 40% of the category of 2025 comes from underrepresented populations.
Fagan’s place in Coast Guard historical past is safe, no matter Trump’s makes an attempt to sully it.
“I acknowledge I’m now offering a set of shoulders for individuals who will come after,” she stated in a CBS interview when she grew to become vice commandant in 2021.
It doesn’t matter what Trump does, you continue to do, Adm. Fagan.
