BMC Floyd "Butch" Hampton, (USCG, ret).

Vice National President
Coast Guard Combat Veterans Association

Hi, I'm Floyd C. Hampton, but I prefer to be called Butch. My wife, Kim & I, live in the "Swamp" (Elizabeth City, NC).

     I was elected as your CGCVA Vice President for the next two years at the 2011 Convention, and if you missed it, you Missed a great one. I hope I serve you well. I believe with the men and women backing Swifty & myself we can only "screw up so much".  Now, having said that, I'll tell you a little about myself.

     I joined the Coast Guard August 20, 1965 & retired February 1, 1992. During those years I/We had many hours of fun only to be interrupted by moments of shear horror.

     I when to Boot Camp at Cape May, NJ, and was in one of the last groups to go through 16 weeks. From boot camp I when to the CGC Baritaria in Portland, ME, where I did several Ocean Station trips & a trip to Bermuda.  While at the Coast Guard Yard I did a mutual to the CGC Ingham, stationed in Norfolk, VA, and more Ocean Stations, etc.  I left the Ingham for Commissary School in Groton, CT, and good times were had by all.  Upon graduation of CS school I got orders to CG Base Elizabeth City, NC.  I lived in a little place called Aydlett, about 35 miles from EC & did not know they had a CG Base there. I thought it was Navy.    I left Elizabeth City in August/September 1968, heading for the West Coast for training to go to Vietnam.

I departed the "Good Ol’ USA" Nov. 15, 1968 for Danang.  I was assigned to the CGC Point Dume 823265 where I did many exciting things during the many patrols etc.  On June 22, 1969 we were supporting an Army unit that was under fire.  We had fired about 16-18 mortar rounds when we got an order to commence fire again.  At that point the mortar I had in my hands had premature ignition of the incumbent bags which caused the tail fin to explode.  I dumped the round over the side.  A Dust Off was called for and up in the helo I went.  Got a shot of morphine in each thigh and I was ready to play John Wayne.   I went to a field hospital outside of Danang and was Medevac’d to an Air Force hospital in Japan.

     I arrived at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in September '69 and after discharge from hospital I went back to CG Base Elizabeth City. That is when I started looking at changing my rate and going into aviation.  So after going back to sea in '71 on the CGC Absecon, I blew my brains out and put in for AM school.  Eventually I won the battle and they let me fly away into aviation.  After finishing AM school it was back to Elizabeth City.  I left there in '76 for Kodiak and then back to The Swamp in '78.  I got transferred to Air Station Borinquen, PR, then back to Elizabeth City in '88 where I retired in '92.

     Since retiring I tried fishing & crabbing… Not!!!   I decided I would try to help my fellow veterans with their VA Disability Claims so I'm a life member of the Disabled American Veterans and one of their Chapter Service Officers.  Needless to say, I'm here to Help.

     So, as your new VP I encourage you to recruit new members... They are our Life's Blood.  Again, thanks for your support

     God Bless our Troops, their families, our veterans and God Bless America!!  Semper Paratus!

Butch was elected to his first term as the association Vice-President at the 2011 convention in Herndon, Virginia.