Coast Guard Auxiliary holds Change of Watch Ceremony
The US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 91 Fort Myers Beach will hold its annual Change of Watch Ceremony at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3, at Charley’s Boat House Grill, 6241 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach.
“The Change of Watch ceremony is a time-honored tradition which formally symbolizes the continuity of authority as the command is passed from one individual to another. It is a formal ceremony, which is conducted before the assembled company of the Command. The Change of Watch is traditionally practiced within the Coast Guard and is unique in the world today; it is a transfer of total responsibility, authority, and accountability from one individual to another.”
Dr. Stuart Kaplan will retain the Flotilla Commander position and Dr. David Schwartz will replace Mr. Daniel Eaton as the Vice-Flotilla Commander.
Dr. Kaplan, a board-certified optometrist, runs a comprehensive practice devoted to healthy eyesight with the Cape Coral Eye Center since 2002. He is the program director for their Dry Eye Treatment Program and serves as president of the Southwest Florida Optometric Association.
A decorated Gulf War veteran, Dr. Kaplan spent four years in the United States Army and continued four more years in the Florida Army National Guard prior to starting his collegiate studies. He is Past Commander of the Southwest Florida Jewish War Veterans Post 400.
Dr. Kaplan started his undergraduate studies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, and received his B.S. in Vision Science at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. He completed his Doctorate studies at Nova in 2001. Dr. Kaplan is happy to call Southwest Florida home with his wife, Dr. Angela Kaplan, and three wonderful children. His interests include spending quality time with his family, boating, scuba diving, and biking.
Dr. Schwartz, a native from Norwalk, Connecticut received his B.A. Degree from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, his M.D. Degree from Einstein Medical School in New York and performed his Surgical Residency at Boston City Hospital and Radiology Residency at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Mass. He served as a Major in the Air Force and became Staff Radiologist and Radiology Department Chairman at the Medical Center of Central Massachusetts in Worcester. His commitment to medical sciences continued as the Chief of Thoracic Imaging and Associate Professor at University of Miami School of Medicine. He joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary in 2008 and currently serves as the Flotilla Staff Officer for Operations and a boat coxswain. David and his wife Nancy call Fort Myers their home with 2 sons and 5 grandchildren.
The US Coast Guard Auxiliary was established by Congress in 1939 and has grown to 30,000 members across the United States. Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach is supported by Division 9, the largest in District 7, which consists of Flotillas from Rotunda West, North Port, Charlotte Harbor, Cape Coral, Upper Caloosahatchee, Fort Myers Beach, Wiggins Pass, Naples and Marco Island.
-submitted by Daniel Eaton, Public Affairs Officer, US Coast Guard Auxiliary