U.S. Coast Guard Senior Petty Officer Terrell Horne III was second in command aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Halibut the night on December 1, 2012 as they encountered suspected smugglers off Santa Cruz Island, California. Very early December 2nd in an encounter in which the alleged smugglers purposefully rammed a 21 foot RIB with four men on board including Terrell, he was ejected, and struck by the boat propeller. Terrell Horne III was declared dead when they reached the dock.

The annual Coast Guard Cadence Contest 2013 is now underway with 5 new marching cadence (marching drill chants). The cadences are being released individually over this week. A cadence titled, “Oh Dear Rachel” has been dedicated to Terrell Horne’s wife. The cadence is written as a message from Terrell to her the last few minutes of his life.

You can “like” the cadence from the Coast Guard Boot Camp Facebook Page or from the post on YouTube to vote for it in the cadence contest.

The Coast Guard sees the contest as a means of educating their recruits. A panel of senior staff selected the top 5 cadences submitted from across the Coast Guard. A film crew captured the cadences as they were performed by Recruit Company Quebec 188 at Cape May. The results have been posted to Facebook and YouTube for public voting.

Over 80 percent of the Coast Guard’s workforce is trained by the Training Center at Cape May.