Rudy Holm

Holm, Rudy Thomas Age 55, lost his battle with cancer on February 7, 2012 in Albuquerque, NM. He was born in New York, NY on July 4, 1956, to Thomas and Anita Holm. He grew up in Brooklyn with twin brother Carl, and later moved to Waldwick, New Jersey. Upon graduating from Waldwick High School and Ramapo College, he immediately entered the Service and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps with orders to flight school at Naval Air Station Pensacola. He was designated a Naval Aviator on 29 August, 1980. His first tour of duty was with HMM-268, a CH-46 helicopter squadron at Tustin, California. A gifted soccer player, he played for the Marine Corps and was selected to participate in the U.S. CISM team, the military version of the Olympics. Upon completion of his USMC obligation, he joined the Coast Guard. He flew HH-3F Pelicans out of Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, where he participated in Counterdrug law enforcement, search and rescue, and numerous other missions. He was one of the first pilots on scene after the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy, participated in the seizure of tons of illegal drugs, and rescued numerous boaters, fisherman, and other people in distress during this tour. He then received orders to Sitka, Alaska; where he participated in the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup, search and rescue and aids to navigation work which included servicing lighthouses and other NAVAIDS. Luck was on his side when he received an opportunity to fly as an exchange pilot with the Canadian Air Force with 442 Squadron, located on Vancouver Island, B.C. at Canadian Forces Base Comox. After getting an expedited promotion to Lieutenant Commander, he was allowed to complete a follow-on tour as the Squadron Operations Officer. After his Canadian tour Rudy received orders to Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod as an HH-60J Jayhawk pilot. During this tour he volunteered to participate in Operations Desert Storm and Sharp Guard, enforcing U.N. Sanctions to curtail weapons smuggling; and participated in the TWA Flight 800 recovery efforts. He then transitioned to several intelligence billets, to include Coast Guard Liaison Officer to the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) run by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and was further selected to be the Coast Guard representative to the Counterdrug Executive Secretariat (CDX), a presidential initiative to improve information sharing between the law enforcement and intelligence communities. Immediately after 9/11, CDR Holm deployed to the FBI Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC) as the Department of Transportation Liaison to assist in the 9/11 investigation. CDR Holm was then tasked with setting up a maritime intelligence unit at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), as part of the Joint Intelligence Task Force Combating Terrorism (JITF-CT). After 25 years in uniform, CDR Holm joined the newly formed Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He eventually became the Protective Security Advisor (PSA) for New Mexico. He is survived by wife Diana, and son Thor and daughters Raven and Ursula. His remains will be cremated and buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Daniels Family Funeral Services 7601 Wyoming Blvd NE Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87109 505-821-0010