John Busavage served in the United States Coast Guard for 23 years, retiring in 1992; with principal assignments as Captain-of-the Port at key US port facilities and as Federal On Scene Coordinator (FOSC) and Director of the CG Crisis Center for several major oil and hazardous material spills and other national emergencies. Captain Busavage represented the US Coast Guard in Congressional hearings and liaison, in interagency hearings, councils, and advisory groups. He interfaced with public agencies regarding environmental and crisis issues, and conducted conferences and public hearings on environmental issues around the country.

Earlier in his career Captain Busavage taught at the US Coast Guard Academy, commanded a search and rescue cutter, and commanded a patrol boat in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, where he earned numerous awards including the Bronze Star with Combat V, and Presidential Unit Citation.

Since retiring from the USCG, Mr. Busavage has assisted government and commercial clients in the implementation of state-of-art financial analysis and reporting systems, as well as information systems to current ISO 9000 or 14000 Certification Standards. Mr. Busavage has also applied his strong background in Instructional Systems development and Computer-Based Training to solve customer problems. He has applied his extensive knowledge and experience in environmental protection and remediation in meeting both government and private industry customer needs. Mr. Busavage joined APEX Inc. in 1996 as a Senior Systems Engineer and Vice President. He was responsible for the development and management of data base projects for the US Treasury Department and for the Department of Homeland Security. He has managed the systems engineering aspects of heritage systems conversion to modern state-of-the-art technology and current software technology for the US Army Corps of Engineers, the National Imagery and mapping Agency, and others.

Mr. Busavage earned the Bachelor of Engineering degree in Marine Engineering from the US Coast Guard Academy, an MS Degree in Physics and an MS Degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Connecticut, and an MBA in Operations Research/Management from the University of Cincinnati.

John Busavage is a native of Coaldale and a 1962 graduate of Coaldale High School. John grew up on West Phillips Street next door to the Saint John’s Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church, which the family attended. John’s father operated a barber shop on a part time basis in the home and was well known to Coaldale residents. John married Jane Mallets of neighboring Lansford, and they have lived in northern Virginia for the last 24 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.

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Captain John Busavage’s Memorial Day Address will cover the role of the US Coast Guard during the Vietnam War and During National emergencies and conflicts in the Mid-East and other places in the world. The responsibilities of the Coast Guard in protecting our ports and our seafaring citizens, and in responding to environmental issues and emergencies will be discussed as well.

Press Release by Bill Gaddes