Whitehall Township native Richard Gladish returned home Aug. 2 to a celebration of his 30 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Coast Guard.

The event took place at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7293, Egypt, with blue skies and a Navy F-16 jet fighter serving as the backdrop.

The crowd included members of Gladish's Coast Guard unit, family members, state Rep. Julie Harhart (R-183rd), Whitehall Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr., former Whitehall High School Basketball Coach Dick Tracy, members of the WHS state basketball championship team which Gladish was a member and a host of friends.

Coast Guard Captain Kathy Moore, commander, Sector Delaware Bay, lauded Gladish as a hero for "springing into action" and saving lives during his career.

"Chief Warrant Officer Gladish embodied core values," Moore said.

Gladish was known to jump from helicopter platforms to save lives. On one occasion, he did so along the North Carolina coast and another time on the Delaware River, Philadelphia.

At the ceremony, Gladish was given a shadow box containing a folded American flag along with many ribbons and pins of achievement that he earned during his career.

Gladish also received the Presidential Award. A citation from President Barak Obama was read at the program.

Gladish entered the Coast Guard in August 1983, completing basic training at Cape May, N.J. During his first assignment, as a small-boat crew member at Coast Guard Station Shark River in Avon, N.J., he assisted hundreds of boaters and completed a myriad of law enforcement tasks at sea.

He attended aviation survival technician school in North Carolina and trained at the Navy Rescue Swimmer School in Florida.

From Cape Cod to Alaska, Gladish advanced through the ranks.

He was commissioned June 1, 2003 as chief warrant officer and marine inspector in New York. In 2008, as a CWO3, he received his final assignment, marine casualty investigator in Philadelphia at Sector Delaware Bay.

From 2008 to 2013, he completed approximately 500 marine casualty investigations and earned 15 marine safety qualifications.

Gladish, dressed in a white uniform, described retiring as "bittersweet."

Talking about his career, he said, "It passed quickly like a cloud."

Back in civilian life, Gladish will serve as a security officer with the Northampton Area School District.