Rear Admiral Paul M. Blayney returned to the Pacific Northwest to assume command of the Thirteenth Coast Guard District in August of 1998. He began his Coast Guard career on a buoy tender sailing the coasts of Oregon and Washington in the mid sixties.
With a background in both operations and law, Rear Admiral Blayney most recently served as Chief Counsel at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He has extensive service in all regions including the Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean, Alaska, and inland waters.
Rear Admiral Blayney is an experienced leader. All of his service since the late seventies has been in operational command or in charge of legal offices, with the exception of one tour as Chief of Operations on the staff of Commander, Atlantic Area.
Other tours include: Commander of the Second Coast Guard District spanning the river system of 22 states throughout the Midwest; Commander of Greater Antilles Section in the Eastern Caribbean; Chief Trail Judge; Commander Group Muskegon (now Grand Haven), Michigan; Special Trial Attorney with the Admiralty and Shipping Section of the Department of Justice; and Commanding Officer of the cutter Cape Higgon and the patrol boat Point Slocum on combat patrols in Vietnam. He has also let legal teams on a base, district, regional, and service-wide level.
Rear Admiral Blayney grew up in Jefferson, Wisconsin. He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1965 and earned a Juris Doctor Degree from Catholic University of American Law School in 1972. He is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and the prestigious Senior Seminar conducted by the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of State. His awards include three Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star with Combat "V" and two Meritorious Service Medals.
Rear Admiral Blayney enjoys a variety of outdoor pursuits including tennis, skiing, fishing and hunting. He is convinced the wisest thing he ever did was marry Mary Saccardi in 1971.