By Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Nick Ameen, U.S. Coast
Guard District 5 DoD News, Defense Media Activity
PHILADELPHIA, January 11, 2016 — Coast Guard Chief Warrant
Officer Richard Sambenedetto is many things. Known by all as “Mr. Sam,” he’s
forever a Coast Guard chief, a cutterman by trade and a chief warrant officer
by choice, but above all he lives by his personal motto: “Shipmate for Life.”
“Shipmate for Life,” Sambenedetto explained, is his way of
saying, “You need to help a fellow sailor out at sea -- you only have each
other.”
Sambenedetto’s presence does not go unnoticed. He is a tall
and boisterous man decked out in nautical tattoos that embody the sailor’s
spirit. “Shipmate” is spelled out across the fingers of both hands, and even
his feet are tattooed -- a rooster on his right and a pig on his left,
representing an old nautical belief that tattoos will keep a sailor afloat at
sea.
Sambenedetto, the finance and supply division chief for the
logistics department at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia,
emphasizes the importance of mentoring others.
“Between leadership and mentorship, you use your past
experience with current policy to help everyone out,” he said. “No one’s
perfect.”
That mentorship extends in every possible direction, from
junior enlisted service members to the wardroom and the chiefs’ mess -- of
which he is an active member. He’s worked closely with Master Chief Petty
Officer Brian Diner, who became Sector Delaware Bay’s chief of the mess in
August 2015.
“In the last couple of months, coming into the sector, I’ve
really gotten to see Mr. Sam’s involvement in the chiefs’ mess,” Diner said.
“He’s helped me get to know who’s who around here, and he brings 25 years of
experience. He has a solid history here.”
Diner said Sambenedetto personifies the ideal of a chief
warrant officer -- he is involved and always available.
“He doesn’t sugarcoat anything,” Diner said. “It’s nice to
have such a straight-shooter chief warrant officer as a member of the chiefs’
mess.”
The Coast Guard may be composed of individuals, but they do
not complete the mission individually, Sambenedetto said.
“It’s not just about you -- it’s about others,” he said.
“It’s a team. You need active duty, reservists, auxiliarists and civilians.
Across all facets of that, everybody helps each other out.”
Embracing Teamwork to Accomplish Missions
Sambenedetto learned about teamwork as he served on multiple
Coast Guard cutters for more than 10 years of sea time. His primary duty was as
a cook, but among other duties he was also a firearms instructor, firefighting
team leader, boarding officer and supply officer.
“Most colleges only take your pay grade into effect -- they
don’t necessarily analyze your experience at sea to assign college credits,” he
said. “With over 10 years of sea time, I always say, ‘I got a master’s degree
from the Atlantic Ocean University!’ You learn a lot out at sea.”
Imagine a small group of people being limited to merely
hundreds of feet of walking space while floating at sea. They’re bound to form
a fellowship and learn from each other. The numerous cutters on which
Sambenedetto served varied in size and crew complement, but the essence of a
crew working together to complete the mission was consistent. He likely has
enough sea stories to fill volumes.
At Sector Delaware Bay, Sambenedetto’s office is reminiscent
of a life at sea. Intricate nautical knot work adorns his workspace. More than
a dozen ball caps represent where he’s served. Coast Guard Cmdr. Kurt Richter,
chief of logistics at Sector Delaware Bay, said Mr. Sam’s motto of “Shipmate
for Life” is a good fit.
“I don’t think I know anyone else who has ‘Shipmate’
tattooed on his knuckles,” Richter said. “He’s constantly looking out for his
shipmates. On a daily basis, I see people coming to him for mentoring and
counseling.”
‘A New Normal’
Sambenedetto continues to make himself available to his
shipmates despite a dramatic turn of events in his personal health.
Diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease that
causes muscular weakness and fatigue, he now uses a cane for extra stability,
but even that is embellished in nautical knot work reflecting his cutterman
pride. Some symptoms of myasthenia gravis include impaired vision, difficulty
swallowing and slurred speech.
“My whole career I’ve been helping everybody, and now,
ironically, I’ve got a medical condition and now my shipmates are helping me
out,” he said. “That’s very humbling. When you put pride aside, to be a leader,
you have to take care of others and lead from the front.”
Sambenedetto added, “When junior members are coming up
through the ranks during peacetime, you let them lead. But when you’re doing an
actual mission, [you] do what you’re trained to do and focus on it. Now with my
condition that’s a little harder to do. The simple things aren’t so simple. The
normal is now a new normal. I just have to learn how to accept it and move on
with it, and it’s through my shipmates I’m getting that done.”
Medical Care, Prognosis
Sambenedetto’s shipmates pitched in to help him in a
multitude of ways, but he’s also getting help from a team of medical
professionals, including Public Health Service Lt. Cmdr. Jason B. Buenaventura,
an osteopath assigned to Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, New Jersey.
“The weakness is worsened by activity and is better with
rest,” Buenaventura said. “It is autoimmune, meaning; the body produces
antibodies that are attacking the body itself.”
He said myasthenia gravis isn’t contagious or inherited, and
the cause is not known. There isn’t a cure for the disease; however, many
treatment options are available.
“Mr. Sam is actually the first person I’ve ever met in my
nine years of practicing who has myasthenia gravis,” Buenaventura said. “This
condition is not very common at all, but every time I interact with him, he
seems to be in good spirits.
“I’m sure he’s done his research, and he understands what it
means for him long term,” Buenaventura continued. “He was dealt this and he
seems to be such a very resilient individual that he’s not going to let it get
to him. He’s going to bounce back. I truly believe that once we get the right
treatments for him, he’s going to do fine – ‘Shipmate for Life.’”
Sambenedetto received approval to get a service dog, though
there is a considerable amount of paperwork involved before he can actually
bring the dog home. He said the dog will help tremendously with everyday tasks
that have become more and more burdensome to him, and he’s doing everything in
his power to move the process along.
Despite his medical condition and a looming medical
retirement from the service, Sambenedetto remains involved in mentoring his
shipmates. He continues to play a major role in the Chief’s Call to
Indoctrination, a two-month process that transitions Coast Guardsmen from
junior enlisted to senior enlisted.
When talking about CCTI and its final events -- the Rites of
Passage and the Acceptance Dinner -- Sambenedetto said, “This is my Super
Bowl!”
As he prepares himself for the next chapter of his life, he said
he’ll always stay connected to the chiefs’ mess.
“I’ll handle it one task at a time,” Sambenedetto said. “In
a storm, it doesn’t rain forever, but now I have to learn how to dance in the
rain.”
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