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Coast Guard MWR Director Scheer Retires, Hands Reins to
Former Community Services XO Perciak

• CHESAPEAKE tialized a centralized commercial
fter 44 years of active duty and fed- The “Gym Rats” of TRACEN sponsorship program. Since 2013,
Cape May. Gary Scheer is
Aeral service, Gary Scheer, director standing in the back row, these commercial sponsorships
of Coast Guard Morale, Well-Being and third from the left. have generated over $280,000 in
Recreation (MWR) programs, retired on funding from USAA and
March 30, 2018. Matt Perciak, former GEICO for Coast Guard
executive officer of the Coast Guard Com- Day events benefiting
munity Services Command (CGCSC), is thousands of Coast Guard
Scheer’s successor. family members.
Scheer, a 1976 graduate of the U.S. When the Office of
Coast Guard Academy, served in several Scheer the Secretary of De-
operational and staff assignments during fense (OSD) launched
his 20-year active-duty military career. He served several a partnership with the
afloat tours, was commanding officer and group commander NCAA and ESPN to
at several sites, and at the pinnacle of his active-duty service host the Armed Forces
as a Coast Guard officer, he served as chief, Budget Coordi- Classic Basketball game
nation Staff in the Office of Personnel and Training at Coast in 2012, Scheer recog-
Guard Headquarters. nized an opportunity
to bring top-of-mind
awareness to the Coast
Guard. He developed
an on-going partner-
ship with numerous Coast Guard program
offices and OSD, culminating in the 2014 Armed
Forces Classic Basketball game hosted at CGAS
Borinquen, P.R., which also included an ESPN
live telecast of the Coast Guard Academy versus
Hampden-Sydney College basketball game prior
to the Division I matchup.
Scheer established the Coast Guard Elite Athlete
Gary Scheer (far right) was joined by several other luminaries who were at the 2014 Armed of the Year awards and the Coast Guard Unit Sports
Forces Classic Basketball game in Borinquen, P.R., including (left to right) then-CSC Executive Team of the Year award, providing well-deserved
Officer Cmdr. Matt Perciak, USCG; then-University of Kentucky Basketball Coach Rick Pitino
and his son, University of Minnesota Coach Richard Pitino; and then-CSC Commanding recognition to the Coast Guard’s top athletic perform-
Officer Capt. Robert Whitehouse, USCG. CGCSC PHOTOS ers. He also created the inaugural MWR Program
of the Year award, recognizing outstanding MWR
programs in six categories for ashore and afloat units,
After retiring from active duty in 1996, Scheer had a brief allowing commands the ability to nominate and recognize the
stint working for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) commitment of their MWR staff to the readiness, resiliency
for Escambia County, Fla. In 1997, he returned to service with and retention of Coast Guard personnel.
the Coast Guard in a civilian role as the director of Morale,
Well-Being and Recreation (MWR).
During his 21 years in the position, many of Scheer’s career
highlights helped shape the direction of Coast Guard MWR
and other service entities.
He drafted the first Coast Guard MWR manual, streamlining
programs and policies for standardization. He worked alongside
44 MWR Coast Guard enterprises, providing oversight to the
management of MWR Category C activities, including lodg-
ing facilities, food and beverage operations and golf courses,
which together generate sales exceeding $17 million per year.
In 2009, Scheer was a critical player in the establishment
of the Community Services Command. His leadership allowed
the CGCSC to centralize MWR and Coast Guard Exchange
(CGX) functions to operate more efficiently, and provide long-
term oversight of the Coast Guard’s non-appropriated fund
workforce. Gary Scheer (second from left) was at the March 26, 2009, Commissioning
Ceremony of the USCG Community Services Command (CGCSC) with
Leveraging the efficiencies and capabilities of the new (left to right) Marilyn Holloway, CGX; Rear Adm. Daniel A. Neptun, USCG,
CSC command structure to bring outside investment to sup- then-commander of the Coast Guard Personnel Service Center; Capt. Ed
port MWR programs throughout the Coast Guard, Scheer ini- Eng, USCG, then-CSC commanding officer; and CWO Cecil Hurt, USCG.

4 MILITARY CLUB & HOSPITALITY | APRIL 2018