Yoest, who helped shape post-Cold War Coast Guard, dies

Yoest, who helped shape post-Cold War Coast Guard, dies Gerard P. Yoest, who is credited with writing the guide that helped the U.S. Coast Guard and related agencies abroad shift from Cold War activities to modern maritime safety and search-and-rescue missions, died of a heart attack on May 12, according to today's The Washington Post. He was 61.
   Yoest was the lead author of the Model Maritime Service Code. The code was later translated into six languages.
   Yoest's career in transportation dates back to the early 1970s. The Post reported that in 1974, he was appointed director of telecommunications and containerization for the American Institute of Merchant Shipping. He served as manager of international operations and organizations for the Federal Aviation Administration before joining the Coast Guard as international affairs and foreign policy advisor to the Coast Guard commandant. Yoest retired from the federal government in 2004.
   He also served as a Federal Maritime Commission practitioner and was a board of trustees member of the Coast Guard Academy.
   The Post noted Yoest's survivors include his second wife of five years, Rae Ellen O'Hair of Alexandria, Va.