On Sept. 18, 2026, a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter flew over Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 4, known as Coast Guard Hill, where the Coast Guard Memorial honors the service’s sacrifices in World War I. The two symbols of the service branch were appropriate for a final salute to Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Franklin Welch, the ninth Coast Guardsman to hold the service’s highest enlisted position. Welch’s interment marked a historic milestone: he is the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard to be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
Welch enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1980 and served for 26 years, spending substantial time aboard at least six cutter vessels. In 1992, he served as the cutter’s acting commander when Typhoon Omar hit Guam, helping save the crew of a damaged fishing vessel. Later, he commanded on board the USCGC Sockeye during a 6,000-nautical-mile transit from New Orleans to Bodega Bay, California. Welch went on to serve as the command master chief at the Chief Petty Officer Academy in Petaluma, California, where he befriended Petty Officer Keith Kirkpatrick. “Welch would bend over backwards to do anything for you,” Kirkpatrick remembered fondly of his colleague.
On Oct. 10, 2002, one year after the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom and amidst the reorganization that brought the Coast Guard under the Department of Homeland Security, Welch assumed office as the ninth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles Bowen, who succeeded Welch, said Welch excelled at “telling truth to power.” He noted Welch’s leadership in establishing Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, which supported mission-ready Coast Guard forces in the Middle East. “A lot of enlisted people were involved with that,” Bowen said, “and he was the link between the enlisted and the commandant.”
As the war progressed, the first Coast Guardsman since the Vietnam War, Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Bruckenthal, was killed and laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on May 7, 2004. Welch and his wife, Mari, attended the funeral service, where Welch told her that he wanted to be buried at the cemetery when his time came, specifically on Coast Guard Hill.
Welch’s request was granted when a hearse brought his casket to the Hill. His funeral service included the helicopter flyover, a firing party firing three volleys, a bugler sounding Taps, the Coast Guard band playing “America the Beautiful,” and a bagpiper playing “Amazing Grace.”
The 28th Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Kevin Lunday, told the large crowd of mourners that Welch loved the sea. “And in return, the sea made Frank a navigator,” Lunday said. “Someone with clarity of vision and foresight, to see the future that others could not see, to inspire, to care for and love a crew, to lead them through winds and waves and uncertain storms and to get home safely.”
Reverend Vincent Patton III, who served as the eighth master chief petty officer of the Coast Guard before Welch, presided over the service, providing prayers and reciting the poem “The Boatswain’s Pipe.” Patton called Welch an exceptional man, “whose presence brought life and warmth to the lives of those fortunate to know him.” After Mari received the flag, which had covered her husband’s casket, four other master chief petty officers of the Coast Guard, who served before and after Welch, offered condolences to Mari and their son, John.
Mari and John later reflected on what the funeral service meant to them. “The helicopter was poignant because my husband served on cutters conducting search and rescues,” said Mari. “It was lovely.” John was impressed with the service’s location. “The fact that he was honored on Coast Guard Hill, where he wanted to be, was a big deal for us,” he said, “and having him near the Coast Guard Memorial is very significant, not just for us, but for the Coast Guard.”
*U.S. Coast Guard photos by Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Wisdom