CDR Bret Nichols

XO's Biography

Commander Bret Nichols was born and raised in Southern California in the Glendale area. He graduated from the US Coast Guard Academy with a mechanical engineering degree in 2007 and was selected to attend Naval flight training. There he flew the T-34C and the TH-57B/C and earned his wings in February 2009.

Commander Nichols’ first Air Station was Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles based between the runways at LAX, where he upgraded to Aircraft Commander in the MH-65 and was selected into the Aeronautical Engineering Program. Next, he moved to Air Station Kodiak, as a member of the tight-knit ALPAT division, deploying aboard cutters patrolling the Bering Sea. Following that, he was assigned to Air Station Port Angeles, WA, where he served as the Aviation Engineering Officer, providing aviation resources to the Puget Sound region from 2016-2020. He attended the University of Michigan and earned a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering Structures before serving in multiple divisions at the Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center starting in 2022. At ALC, he served in both Business and Industrial Operations Divisions.

Commander Nichols has accumulated 4,000 flight hours and his professional awards include two Coast Guard Commendation Medals, three Coast Guard Achievement Medals.

Commander Nichols married his wife Lily in 2010 and has been with him every step of the way for this Coast Guard experience. They have two wonderful children, a daughter Lena, and a son, Elan.