Chester R . Bender Chester R . Bender ( March 14 , 1914 – July 20 , 1996 ) served as the fourteenth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1970 to 1974 . He also served as Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy from 1965 to 1967 . Early life and education . He was born in Burnsville , West Virginia and later moved with his parents John I . Bender and Inez Harbert Bender , to Plant City , Florida in 1925 . In 1936 , he became the first Florida resident to graduate from the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London , Connecticut . During his time at the Academy , he served on the boxing squad and as humor editor of the Academy yearbook . He served as gun captain during his senior year . Career through World War II . Upon graduation from the Academy , he was commissioned as an Ensign , and was assigned as a line officer on the Coast Guard cutters USCGC " Mendota " and USCGC " Bibb " ( WPG - 31 ) , on patrol in the Atlantic Ocean . In 1938 , he was transferred to the USCGC " Ossipee " ( WPR - 50 ) , on duty in the Great Lakes region . During this tour of duty , he met and married Annamarie Ransom of Sault Sainte Marie , Michigan on September 1 , 1939 . Their marriage lasted until her death in 1992 . They had one son , Mark A . Bender That same year , he was selected for flight training and reported for duty at Naval Air Station Pensacola , Florida . A year later , he earned his aviator wings and was assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City , North Carolina . During World War II , he flew anti - submarine patrols out of Elizabeth City . From June , 1943 to December , 1944 , he commanded an air - rescue squadron based out of San Diego , California . During the last few months of the war , he served as air - sea rescue advisor and liaison officer for the Far East Air Force Headquarters , based in the Philippines , earning the Bronze Star for this service . Mid - career assignments . In December , 1945 , he was assigned to Coast Guard headquarters , as Executive Officer of the Air - Sea Rescue Agency . From 1946 to 1950 , he served as personal aide and pilot to Commandant Joseph F . Farley . From 1950 to 1953 , he served as Executive Officer of the Coast Guard Air Station St . Petersburg , Florida , and in 1953 assumed command of the Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City , Michigan . In 1955 , he returned to Coast Guard headquarters , assuming command of the War Plans Division . Three years later in 1958 , he was promoted to Captain and given command of the Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point , Hawaii . In 1959 , after two decades of aviation duty , he assumed command of the USCGC " Bering Strait " ( WAVP - 382 ) , based out of Honolulu , Hawaii . From 1961 to 1964 , he served as Mobilization and Readiness Officer for the San Francisco , California - based Western Area Command . From 1964 to 1965 , he served as Commander of the Cleveland , Ohio - based 9th Coast Guard District . From 1965 to 1967 , he served as Superintendent of the United States Coast Guard Academy . During his tenure , he established the U . S . Coast Guard Museum in order to preserve and display artifacts from early Coast Guard history . From 1967 to 1970 , he served as Commander of the San Francisco - based 12th Coast Guard District , where he was responsible for all Coast Guard operations in the Pacific Ocean , Northern California , and most of Nevada and Utah . Commandant of the Coast Guard . On April 16 , 1970 , he was nominated by President Richard Nixon to replace Admiral Willard J . Smith as Commandant . Following Senate confirmation , he took office on June 1 , 1970 . During his tenure , he implemented the distinctive " Bender Blues " uniforms , designed to distinguish the Coast Guard from the Navy . In 1972 , he was awarded the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal . As Commandant , Bender was known for his support of environmental protection and was recognized for his management of Coast Guard programs relating to new environmental responsibilities . In 1973 , he served as delegate and alternate chairman of the U . S . Delegation to the Marine Pollution Conference of IMCO in 1973 . Later years . Following his retirement from the Coast Guard in 1974 , he moved to Moraga , California . He died there after a long illness and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery .