Retired Coast Guard Vice Admiral Completes 2,170-Mile Ride Supporting Coast Guard Families

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One Man. One Mission. Helping Our Own.

BAR HARBOR, Maine — Retired Vice Adm. Manson K. Brown completed a 2,170-mile solo and unsupported bicycle journey Thursday from Key West, Florida, to Bar Harbor, Maine, raising more than $25,700 for Coast Guard families through Coast Guard Mutual Assistance.

Vice Adm. Manson Brown, 69, completed the ride along the Eastern Seaboard on June 11, welcomed by dozens of Coast Guard members, retirees, family members, Auxiliarists, volunteers, and supporters gathered at The Town Pier in Bar Harbor. Senior Coast Guard leaders also joined to welcome Brown at the finish line, including Capt. Matthew Baker, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England in South Portland, Maine.

What began as a personal challenge to celebrate his 70th birthday with an initial fundraising goal of $3,000 ultimately generated more than eight times that amount in support of families facing financial hardship, disaster recovery, and unexpected life challenges.

“As Coast Guard members, we spend our careers answering the call for others,” Brown said. “This ride was about answering the call for Coast Guard families. Behind every mission is a family carrying the weight of service, sacrifice, and uncertainty. Supporting those families is worth every mile.”

As one of the six Armed Forces of the United States, the U.S. Coast Guard safeguards nearly 95,000 miles of coastline, facilitates more than $5 trillion in annual commerce, conducts search-and-rescue operations, interdicts narcotics, protects critical infrastructure, and supports national security missions around the world.

Supporting the Coast Guard Community

Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, the official relief society of the U.S. Coast Guard, supports the men and women behind those missions through emergency financial assistance, education programs, disaster relief, transition support, and family-focused programs serving active-duty members, Reservists, retirees, civilian employees, Auxiliarists, and surviving spouses.

“For more than 100 years, CGMA has answered the call when Coast Guard families face life’s unexpected challenges,” said Jason Wong, chief operating officer of Coast Guard Mutual Assistance. “Vice Adm. Brown’s journey reminds Coast Guard families that they never face hardship alone.”

Wong noted that CGMA provided more than $12.1 million in direct assistance to over 4,000 Coast Guard members in 2025 alone, including nearly $2 million in emergency assistance to Coast Guard civilian employees during the recent government shutdown.

Brown’s ride comes at a time when a recent Blue Star Families study found more than 27 percent of military families report food insecurity. Amid rising living expenses and inflation, CGMA has also seen requests for debt management support triple over the past three years.

One Man. One Mission. Helping Our Own.

Brown’s ride, conducted under the theme “One Man. One Mission. Helping Our Own,” followed a route from Key West to Maine through heat, rain, elevation changes, and thousands of miles of roadway, completed solo and unsupported.

The campaign also helped raise awareness of CGMA and its mission throughout the Coast Guard community and beyond.

“Coast Guard families serve alongside every member who wears the uniform,” Brown said. “If this ride helped even one family feel seen, supported, or connected to CGMA, then it was worth it.”

CGMA officials said the success of the campaign reflected the strength and generosity of the broader Coast Guard community.

“People responded because they saw authenticity, service, and commitment,” Wong said. “This was never about cycling. It was about reminding Coast Guard families that someone will always answer the call for them.”

Brown crossed the finish line flanked by a U.S. Coast Guard Color Guard as servicemembers rendered honors and supporters cheered. It was a fitting conclusion to his 70th birthday journey.

Support Coast Guard Families

Donations supporting Coast Guard families through CGMA are still being accepted.

Learn more.