Philip F Smith

Philip Francis Smith (August 23, 1932 – June 22, 2017) was the second Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, serving as the enlisted advisor to the Commandant of the Coast Guard, from 1973 to 1977.

Smith became the Master Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard on August 1, 1973, succeeding Charles Calhoun. He enlisted in the Coast Guard on September 20, 1949, and after recruit training served on board the buoy tender USCGC Rhododendron, based at Seattle, Washington. After attending Yeoman School at the Coast Guard Training Center at Groton, Connecticut in 1950, he returned to Seattle to serve in the Operations Division, 13th Coast Guard District. Following a tour of sea duty on board the USCGC Bering Strait in the Pacific out of Honolulu from September 1952 to May 1954, he returned again to Seattle to serve as Yeoman in the Personnel division of the 13th District office.

There followed tours of duty at the Marine Inspection Office, Guam, M. I., Coast Guard Air Station, Port Angeles, Washington, the Personnel Division at the 17th Coast Guard District office, Juneau, Alaska, Coast Guard Air Station, San Diego, California, and the Personnel Division of the 11th Coast Guard District office at Long Beach, California. From March 1968 to March 1969, he served on board the icebreaker USCGC Staten Island, operating out of Seattle. He then returned to the Personnel Division in the 13th District. He was promoted to the rank of two-star Master Chief Yeoman on July 1, 1966. While serving his last tour of duty at Seattle, Smith was selected as the second Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Chester R. Bender. His service medals and awards include the Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal with silver star, National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, United Nations Service Medal, Korean Service Medal.

Master Chief Smith died on June 22, 2017 in Seattle, Washington.