John Fitzgerald (United States Coast Guard)
John Fitzgerald is the current Commandant of Cadets of the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. He previously served as Assistant Commandant of Cadets under Captain Judith Keene. Fitzgerald holds the rank of captain.
After graduating from the Coast Guard Academy in 1987, Fitzgerald served as a deck watch officer on board the USCGC Midgett (WHEC-726). Following his service on board Midgett, he was assigned as Commanding Officer of Coast Guard LORAN Station on Kure Atoll, Hawaii. He then served as a controller at the USCG District 9 Command Center. He then returned to sea as the Weapons Officer on board USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716).
In 1994, he attended Boston University and then reported to Juneau, Alaska to server as Seventeenth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Officer with his new degree in Mass Communications. He then was transferred to serve concurrently as the Atlantic Area and Fifth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Officer.
In 2000, he returned to sea again to serve as the Executive Officer of the USCGC Legare (WMEC-912). He then ventured to Washington, D.C. to serve as the Press Secretary for the Commandant of the Coast Guard. Following this, Fitzgerald returned to sea again as the Commanding Officer of the USCGC Confidence (WMEC-619). On board Confidence, Fitzgerald played an integral part in the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief effort.