Cape May County Says Farewell to Capt. Prestidge

New beginnings are on the horizon for both Capt. Prestidge and Cape May County as we prepare to say goodbye to the Commanding Officer of U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May (TRACEN).
Meet Capt. Prestidge
Capt. G. Todd Prestidge, Commanding Officer of TRACEN, grew up in a military family with a father in the Army, which resulted in moving every two to three years while growing up. But if he had to affiliate one place in the country as “home,” it would be Texas. Prestidge’s parents, along with himself, were born and raised there, and it is where he graduated high school. His parents now reside there, and he has been fortunate enough to be stationed there a few times.
For Prestidge, it was never a decision on whether or not he would join the military. It was more of a decision on what branch of the military he would join. The military had always been good to his family growing up, and most of the significant figures in his life were a part of the military. “As a young boy, I saw my dad’s pride in the way he wore his uniform, and that made a lasting impression on me,” says Prestidge.
Coming out of high school, there were many opportunities for Prestidge, including scholarships for Army ROTC and a possible future in the Navy. But there was one thing about the Coast Guard that had always inspired him – they have a peacetime mission, not just a wartime mission. Prestidge grew up during the Cold War, so after the Vietnam War he watched his father train for something he and his family hoped would never happen. Prestidge desired something different. Inspired by his paternal grandfather who was in the Coast Guard during World War II, the Coast Guard seemed like the only way to go, and he has never regretted that decision.
Prestidge attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. in 1986, right out of high school. Four years later, he launched into becoming a Commission Officer after obtaining a degree in civil engineering. Since then, he has served on five different ships, three of which he was a captain, spending 11 years at sea. “I’ve been very fortunate to do some amazing things in the Coast Guard, and I’ve always had a good time doing it,” Prestidge shares.
Landing in America’s First Seaside Resort
In 2001, Prestidge’s boss encouraged him to read a book on career goals, write down his professional goals, perfect them and accept criticism on them. Prestidge’s absolute career goal was to be promoted to Coast Guard Captain and one day be assigned to Cape May. He wrote this goal on a little yellow Post-it note and took it with him on missions, enduring 12 years of tears, holes and coffee stains before Prestidge finally accomplished that goal.
Prestidge was supposed to command another ship, but after much persistence finally ended up in Cape May in 2013.
But what was the reason for this goal? Why Cape May? “I couldn’t think of a better place to have a lasting impression on the future of the Coast Guard,” Prestidge says. “I could have gone back on the other ships, but this is really a place that you can give back and make sure the first step is the right step.”
At TRACEN, Prestidge is helping to establish the Coast Guard’s cultural identity through the new hires. He is “growing” the recruits from the ground up to have service above self-interest, professionalism and attention to detail. “If you don’t start at day one the right way, the cultural identity and who this service is won’t be impacted,” he says.
An inspiring story, Prestidge answers our question, “Why Cape May?”
“Every Tuesday at 10 a.m., I meet with a recruit who is thinking about quitting Cape May. They have to come through me in order to leave. I want to see why they’re quitting. I have the assumption that something happened to them here that caused them to lose faith. Maybe they have a family member dying. Maybe they think it’s too hard. Maybe it’s not what they thought it would be. Maybe they have buyer’s remorse. I hear all sorts of reasons and excuses, sometimes good reasons, something unfortunate. This is a very important part of my week, because I try to encourage them to stay. One Tuesday, a young man came to me named Robert Berg. He was having a crisis of faith. He thought he couldn’t do it and was ready to give up. He met with some adversity here and failed a few things in training. He was at his wit’s end, and was emotionally and physically exhausted. So I talked to him, and I was hard on him. I explained the consequences of failing to uphold his word to the country, and how he’d have to explain this at every job interview for the rest of his life. He then asked me, ‘Why you do it? Tell me something I can hold on to. Tell me a story about why it is you believe so strongly in this service.’ So I told him, ‘That’s easy.’ I showed him a photo of my grandfather. I told him I never regretted my decision. I have a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees – sure, there are other things I could be doing. But when I go to sleep at night, I truly believe what I’m doing makes a difference. I feel personally rewarded. Then he told me, ‘I’m back.’ He graduated two weeks later and while shaking my hand at graduation, gave me a challenge coin – a coin given to a recruit who stands out in my eyes or has achieved something – the only challenge coin I’ve ever received from a recruit. I turned it over, and it said, ‘You’ve saved my life.’ And this is why I wanted to come to Cape May. These are real people with real dreams and real futures, and I’m honored that the Coast Guard trusts me to develop the future of our service.”
Life at Home
Prestidge came to Cape May engaged, and was married two months later to his wife, Corry, a retired Naval Aviator. While in the Navy, Corry flew Hawkeyes off of aircraft carriers. “She is an amazing, accomplished woman in her own right,” says Prestidge. Corry now resides in Cape May and is a financial advisor at First Command Financial Services in Cape May Court House, the first of the company to serve Cape May County.
Prestidge has two children from a previous marriage, Noah and Grace. Noah is appropriately named after the world’s first ship captain. He wants to follow in the family footsteps and join the military, either Navy or Coast Guard. Grace is 15 going on 25, and has daddy wrapped around her finger. The kids have visited Cape May quite often, and always enjoyed walking around the Coast Guard base, meeting new people and assisting dad in speaking duties.
Cape May Career Highlights
Although Prestidge shares that he has enjoyed every second of his career here in Cape May, he does have quite a few career highlights that he is particularly proud of. One of the biggest highlights was earning the designation of Coast Guard Community and holding the first Coast Guard Community Festival. “This was a huge accomplishment for everybody,” he says.
Prestidge is also very proud of the Coast Guard’s involvement in the community. The Coast Guard holds active shooter exercises and has plans in place with local first responders, which showcases a relationship with the local community and law enforcement on a local, state and federal level. The Coast Guard is heavily involved at Cape May City Elementary School, participating in homework clubs, cleanup projects and more. The Coast Guard has a strong relationship with the Nature Center of Cape May, helping to hold clinics and other programs.
One thing that has happened as a result of this community effort is a resurgence of engagement with local elected officials. Prestidge says, “I often find myself being invited to events to speak, events that maybe in the past I wouldn’t have been a part of. If you put yourself out there, you get tons more in return.”
What’s Next?
Cape May County says farewell to Prestidge as he prepares to continue his career at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Prestidge will be working in the Office of Human Resources as Executive Assistant to Rear Adm. William G. Kelly, whom Prestidge relieved – Kelly was the previous Commanding Officer of TRACEN, making this move a significant one.
Prestidge achieved his ultimate goal coming to Cape May in 2013, but he knew coming into it that he wouldn’t be able to stay here forever. He explains it as a finite duration, a two- or three-year set of orders. This is based on the fact that not every assignment is the same, and those Coast Guard personnel on ships can’t stay at sea forever. Because of this, the Coast Guard needs a steady supply of people who are up for assignment and ready every two to three years.
Future Visions for Cape May County
Although Prestidge is leaving Cape May County, he does envision positive growth and development as a Coast Guard Community. He says, “I believe that to take the next step, the whole County has to embrace the Coast Guard Community Festival.”
Prestidge would like the see that each city and borough within the County proclaims a relationship with the Coast Guard as a Coast Guard Community. He would like them to advertise the Coast Guard Community Festival just as proudly as they advertise any other event happening in their town. Every business in the County should paint their store fronts with Coast Guard stripes; restaurants should have special menu items named after the Coast Guard; all businesses should help generate interest in the Festival, bringing more people to the area and making a positive impact on everyone. This way, more people can learn about the Coast Guard and join in our pride as a Coast Guard Community.
Prestidge envisions a bigger Festival in years to come, with parades, concerts by the U.S. Coast Guard Band, sports tournaments and more, which can happen with our growing enthusiasm as a Coast Guard Community. “If we build it, they will come,” he says. “The enthusiasm is there, but it needs to continue. People need to think big.”
One thing our community often wonders is if TRACEN will ever go away. Many people remember a time when this was a rumor as a cost savings mechanism. But when Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, spoke at last year’s Proclamation Ceremony declaring the County a Coast Guard Community, he reassured everyone that Cape May is the Coast Guard’s hometown and is now a part of the Coast Guard’s culture – the Coast Guard will never leave Cape May.
The Coast Guard plans to build an Enlisted Memorial in Cape May, which is more reassurance that the Coast Guard won’t be going anywhere. Prestidge tells us that there are many small memorials throughout the world, but there is no one memorial that’s lists all of the names of those Coast Guard personnel who lost their lives in service.
The Coast Guard is planting roots and building history right in our very own backyards, and is here to stay.
Cape May County wishes Capt. Prestidge good luck in his future endeavors, and we thank him immensely for his service and all he has done for our community.
So long, Captain.