"Butch" Thayer was born in Butte, Montana. After graduating from high school, he applied to and was accepted to attend the U S Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, from which he was graduated in 1933 and commissioned as Ensign. 26 years and 10 assignments later, Captain Thayer moved the OCS and MMS Schools from the Academy to a former Navy school property in Yorktown, VA and commissioned the facility as the Coast Guard Reserve Training Center. His vision was that, over time, the property would be renewed and transformed into a modern, major facility for the training of Coast Guard...