Oral history of Brian Shamis
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by Averi Brice with Petty Officer Brian Shamis on April 4, 2023, in Clemson, SC. Born in September 1973, Shamis joined the United States Coast Guard influenced by his experience being rescued by the Coast Guard after becoming stranded on an island as a teenager.
Shamis enlisted in 1993 and his first assignment was aboard the United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Messenger, a tugboat at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland. He worked as a fireman's apprentice maintaining ship engines and assisting with ship movements and repairs. He went on to become a machinery technician and transferred to Southwest Harbor, Maine, where he served as boat engineer and boarding officer conducting fisheries inspections. In his final two years, Shamis transitioned to the Coast Guard Reserve in Savannah, Georgia, and then attended Clemson University.