A Family’s Connection with the Coast Guard Foundation Comes Full Circle

Hours before dawn on March 23, 2008, U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer O’Brien Starr-Hollow worked with his crewmembers to rescue 47 fishermen at the site of their sunken fishing vessel in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska.

The 184-foot fishing vessel, Alaska Ranger, took on too much water from their rudder room and sent out a distress call. The Coast Guard responded along with the vessel’s sister ship, Alaska Warrior, to provide an expedient rescue. 

Crew members were located by rescue swimmers and lifted out of the freezing waters by helicopter. The fishing ship’s captain and several other crew members succumbed to the freezing temperatures, but thanks to the Coast Guard and the Alaska Warrior, 32 people survived the harrowing ordeal.

“Sadly, lives were lost, but so many were saved,” retired Coast Guard rescue swimmer, O’Brien Starr-Hollow, reflects. “I was really honored and privileged to be a part of it.” 

The Coast Guard Foundation honored Starr-Hollow and his fellow rescuers for their bravery at the 28th Annual Salute to the United States Coast Guard in New York event in New York City that same year. Starr-Hollow later retired as a Chief after 20 years in service.

Almost 20 years after the historic rescue, Starr-Hollow’s son Mulu is attending trade school at Orange Coast College in California. 

“How does it make me feel to watch my son pursue what he wants to do?” Starr-Hollow said, “It's amazing. How wonderful, to watch somebody who sees what they want to do and then just… go after it! I'm really proud. I'm super proud of him.”

Mulu will focus on learning carpentry skills for construction work, and gain valuable knowledge and experience with electrical and plumbing trades. 

“What really excites me about going to school is learning how to build things,” Mulu said. “That’s a skill I want to learn.”

He shared that growing up, he would spend time with his mother looking at houses of different builds and architectural designs. This, in part, inspired him to pursue carpentry. Shop class in high school and a construction job over the summer have given him the opportunity to begin developing the skillset and affirm his choice.

Now, he plans to expand his skills further in California, and will spend the next two years learning from some of the best tradespeople the West Coast has to offer, living in a new place, and making friends as he starts to build his future. 

When asked what he’d say to another young person considering career paths, Mulu said, “People who are considering either trade school or college, just do what you really want to do and what you're interested in. I think everyone's situation is kind of different. For me, I wanted to go to trade school. I wanted to do more hands-on projects rather than just being in class the entire time. And I think I will enjoy it a lot more, doing something I enjoy and setting myself up for a career.”

Title image: Mulu and his father, O’Brien, pose for a photo together during Mulu’s graduation from high school this past spring.