By Abby LaForest

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — The most recently-discharged veteran interviewed for our veteran profile series was Layne Kime. Kime, 22, joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 2020 and served for four years as part of the Ice Rescue and Search and Rescue units. His military journey led him to being stationed in Sault Ste. Marie, hundreds of miles from his home back in Texas.

During his time with the Coast Guard, Kime saw no “traditional” conflict as he puts it, but was mainly involved in two campaigns: Operation Panama Express and Operation Vigilant Sentry.

Operation Panama Express is an inter-agency, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, focusing on preventing illegal narcotics, mainly cocaine, from entering the U.S. through South American shipments. In comparison, Operation Vigilant Sentry is focused on preventing illegal maritime migration down near the Caribbean area of the southern United States, specifically from Cuba and Haiti along the Florida coast.

Kime said some of the hardest parts of working with alien migrant interdiction during OVS was that not everyone leaving foreign countries had ill intent, with many being children without parents and pregnant women attempting to come to the U.S. seeking safety from terrible situations.

“Doing alien migrant interdiction, you see a lot of horrific things,” Layne mentioned. “…you see people on the worst day of their lives, so I think that really stuck with me.”

The humanity of the migrants is something that stuck with Kime during his service, and working with OVS wasn’t always the easiest experience. Being able to distance himself from his emotional involvement in their lives in order to do his job effectively is something he’s pondered.

“It’s just one of those things where you have to do it. It’s my job to do it, so, I don’t know, you disassociate yourself from it,” Kime said. “It’s like ‘I’m not doing it, I’m just being used to do it’ and so you cut [off] all emotion…I’ve seen people detach and keep going and they don’t see these people [migrants] as people anymore, just ‘Oh no, we’ve got more migrants, this sucks [because] we have to work now’ instead of they [the migrants] could’ve sank at sea and all died…they’re the ones in the tough situation, and we’re really lucky to be on the other side of it.”

Aside from some of the difficult emotional aspects of the job, Kime also experienced a variety of health issues during his service and following his discharge, including a torn ACL and reconstructive knee surgery. He mentioned how he now lives with tinnitus, back pain, knee pain, and a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis.

Despite some of the negative experiences Kime had, there are parts of his service that he looks back on fondly, including all of the opportunities he had to travel. His service took him to many international ports, including Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Panama, in addition to ones closer to the U.S. like Puerto Rico and the St. Thomas Virgin Islands. He remembers being in Haiti when the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Gang and their allies slowed down the government beginning in 2020. He says that being able to travel to other countries, especially ones that are still developing or facing crisis, has humbled him in ways.

“It really made me appreciate what we have here in the States, [after] seeing a country in a nationwide gang war,” Kime recalled of his time in Haiti.

The learning aspect seemed to be the highlight of Layne Kime’s service, as he emphasized how he’d gained a greater sense of responsibility and knowledge overall, being taught how to do a variety of different skills on top of his traditional Coast Guard duties. In spite of some of the negative experiences he had, he’d be willing to serve again and gain the skills and growth that he was fortunate to receive during his time.

“I would [serve again], despite everything I said and my negative experiences, I think a lot of the positive experiences outshine it. I think I’ve gained more responsibility [and] knowledge. It’s aged me in a positive way,” said Kime. “I feel like I’ve learned so much while in the Coast Guard, from ice rescue, search rescue, firefighting, law enforcement and dealing with international treaties, dealing with law enforcement on the open ocean, [they’re] complex subjects that take a lot of learning and…I feel like a sponge when it comes to knowledge.”

After falling in love with the area, he decided to stick around in the Upper Peninsula following the end of his service in 2024, and is now attending Northern Michigan University with the help of the G.I. Bill., which helps veterans pay for schooling and job-training related expenses.

“…If I didn’t join [the Coast Guard] and tried college when I was 18 years old, I don’t think I could do it, versus now, I feel like I can really push myself as much as I can in school. I would do it again…”

Though Kime refers to himself as a “lowercase ‘v’ veteran,” given that he left the Coast Guard after his four year service, he shows immense gratitude for his time in the military and the way he’s grown due to the circumstances he was in.