Breeze Summer 2012 Final.pdf - USCGAUX District 7

United States Coast Guard Auxiliary 7th District
Breeze Volume LVIII Number 2 Summer 2012
http://www.cgaux7.org/

UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
District Commander:
RADM William D. Baumgartner, USCG
Is the official publicaon of the
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
7th District
hp://www.cgaux7.org/
Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012
Director of Auxiliary District 7
CDR Jose’ Quinones
U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
District Commodore
COMO Walter Jaskiewicz
District Chief of Staff
John Tyson
Immediate Past District Commodore
COMO Donald L. Frasch
District Captain North
Robert Weskerna
District Captain West
Melvin Manning
District Captain East
Judith Hudson
BREEZE is the official and educaonal
tool of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary 7th
District and is intended as a publicaon
to keep the membership apprised of the
acvies of the Auxiliary. All arcles and
photographs submied must be consistent
with the policies of the Coast Guard and
the Auxiliary and may not be returned.
Electronic submissions are encouraged.
Personal informaon of members is
protected by the Privacy Act of 1974.
The use of these rosters, addresses
and telephone numbers on any
computer or online service including
the Internet is prohibited by the Act.
Comments are encouraged and may be sent
to Dorothy Riley, Editor (District Officer-
Publicaons) at: doeriley1@verizon.net.
Arcles in the BREEZE may be reprinted
provided credit is given and a copy is sent to
the above Editor and Publicaons Officer.
Do not send changes of address to the
BREEZE. You can obtain a change of
member informaon report (7028) from
your Materials Officer and submit it
through channels.
Auxiliary Sector Coordinators
ASC Sector Charleston
Reginald B. Hollar
ASC Sector St. Petersburg
Donald C. Hoge
ASC Sector Jacksonville
David C. Cawton
ASC Sector Key West
R. Dewey Jackson
ASC Sector San Juan
Osvaldo M. Canchi
ASC Sector Miami
William V. Tejeiro
Division Commanders 2011
Division 1……...........…………………Angel Benero
Division 2….….......…..……....... Loren R. Emery II
Division 3….….........….……….. Samuel E. Duda
Division 4………..........William J. Sorrenno, Sr.
Division 5……….…............…….... Gary P. Barth
Division 6……..........……….…….Thomas R. Walker
Division 7…..............…..…...….. J. Michael Shea
Division 8……........................... Paulee Parent
Division 9……….....…….....….. David C. Crockwell
Division 10………….............…..Warren M. Wilson
Division 11……..............………….. Jimmy R. Ryder
Division 12…………............……….Vito W. Giardina
Division 13…………….............. Jeffery A. Bronsing
Division 14…….…….................…Henry T. Hayden
Division 15……….............……………….. Craig Elliot
Division 16……….......................…... Lee E. Elvins
Division 17……..............……....…..... Carl D. Motes
District 7 Directorate Chiefs
Logiscs
James Dennen, DDC-L
Prevenon
David M. Fuller, DDC-P
Response
Donald A. Zinner, DDC-R
District Staff Officers
Prevenon Department
Lyle E Leeer …….................................DSO-MS
Frank R. Lann ….………...................…..…DSO-MT
Ronald D. Foreman……………..............….DSO-PV
David M. Wall....……..……...............……..DSO-PE
William S. Griswold……..…..............…..…DSO-SL
Chuck Kelemen ……....................…………DSO-VE
David Cawton …………………....................DSO-NS
Response
Department
Cecil Christopher..…………..….................DSO-AV
Harry S. Reynolds…..…...…...............…..DSO-CM
Dudley W. Davis .....……………..................DSO-OP
Jerald Henderson.……......................…..Chief QE
Logiscs
Department
David Hasngs....…...……...............……...DSO-CS
Susan Z. Hasngs……...……...…................DSO-IS
Alejandro M. de Quesada.......................DSO-His
Constance O. Irvin...…………...............….DSO-PA
Dorothy J. Riley…. ……………................…DSO-PB
Angela Pomaro .…..…...….............….…..DSO-HR
Terry Barth ……………...…...............……..DSO-MA
Richard J. Leys………...............…………....DSO-DV
Other
Lillian G. GaNun …….……………................DSO-SR
Thomas Brickey....................................DSO-MC
Douglas Hanson..…...….…..……..................DSSO
Douglas Hanson..…………................……..….DFSO
Andrew Anderson………….............….…….DSO-LP
Antoinee Borman………….............….……....D-LL
James Mayer.......…………................…..…DSO-FN
Richard Leys………..….………....................PPDCPA
Peter Fernandez……................Plan Coordinator
District Administrave Assistant & Aide
Carolyn R. Hooley ……...…..........................D-AD
Elaine J. Cornell ……………………..................D-AA
Barbara Jaskiewicz.....................................D-AA
COMO Mary T. Larsen ...………............Advocate
hp://d7materials.org/index.php
The center is now open
Monday & Thursday 1000-1600
You can reach the center by phone
during these hours at:
(727) 535-2593

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 1
The official publication of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary 7th District
In this issue...
2 From the Bridge: Commodore Walter Jaskiewicz
3 From the Bridge: John Tyson, DCOS
4 District Captain North
Robert Weskerna, DCAPT-N
6 District Captain West
Melvin Manning, DCAPT-W
8 District Captain East
Judith Hudson, DCAPT-E
10 Clearwater: Florida’s First Coast Guard City
Karen Miller, ADSO-MT D7
11 Coastie: Clearwater’s ‘First Dog’
Karen Miller, ADSO-MT D7
12 Ocean Festival Key West
Dorothy Mattern, SO-PA Division 13
14 Vessel Safety Day
M.D. Schlitt, FSO-PA Flotilla 98
16 Keeping our Hawk Eyes Open
Jeffery Carrier, Flotilla 13-3
18 AUXCHEFs in Training
Paulette Parent, ADSO-HR/AUXCHEF
20 District Directorate Chief-Prevention
David M. Fuller, DDC-P
23 What’s the Weather
Judi Bidwick, FSO-PA 86
24 District Directorate Chief- Logistics
James Dennen, DDC-L
24 Historical Coast Guard Sites: Baltimore, Md.
Alex deQuesada, District Staff Offi cer- Historian
27 District Directorate Chief- Response
Donald Zinner, DDC-R
29 WWII Cutter to be Sunk Off Sanibel Island
Constance Irvin, DSO-PA D7
30 Service Beyond the Call of Duty
Dudley Davis, DSO-OP D7
32 Betty Underwood Wins Jefferson Award
Arthur Slepian, FSO-PA/PB 51
34 National Safe Boating Week Around District 7
17 Sea Cadet Mission GAR a ‘Go’
Andrea Rutherfoord, Flotilla 36
Cover photo: PORT EVERGLADES, Fla.—Jan Cox from Flotilla 38 Plantation, Fla. gets friendly with Oscar.
The training dummy rarely wears a hat, but at least he is in uniform on this day. Photo by Brian Lichtenstein,
Flotilla 38

2
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
From the Bridge
Commodore Walter Jaskiewicz
District Commodore D7
Due to great planning and
the many hours that you
dedicated last month, public
attendance at Seventh
District’s 2012 National
Safe Boating Week events
was the highest on record.
Your efforts have provided our District’s recreational
boating public with the educational tools that will—not
“may”— save lives and prevent ent boating tragedies.
Your Seventh District abounds with opportunities ortu
ties to
focus our member’s energy on meeting the new chal-
lenges of the Coast Guard Auxiliary as an effective and
efficient force multiplier for the Coast Guard. To this
end, we have implemented two new
strategies.
“Operational Performance e Development” (OPD)
Dashboard. Over the last several months, District Executive
Committee has developed a data
measurement
“dashboard.” Rather like the dashboard on your boat,
this tool will allow each flotilla, division and sector to
see at a glance its specific performance in six key areas.
With the dashboard, each Auxiliary iary
unit can monitor
its own performance quarterly, as well as the performance
of other units, to see where they are meeting
Uncommon Strength Unwavering Service
objectives and where they might improve their performance.
The D7 Commodore’s Cup Award will
be based upon data from this dashboard. This insures
fairness in the awards for all units, regardless of size,
as each will be competing against their own previous
performance.
“Auxiliary Mass Rescue Operations Specialist” (AM-
ROS) Designation. Recent disasters such as Hur-
ricane Katrina and Deepwater oil spill have shown
the need for qualified response teams to provide
mass operational support. Our dedicated appointed
AMROS Committee selected 16 Auxiliarists from
among some sixty applicants who met the commit-
tee’s requirements. These D7 members are now re-
ceiving specialty training as responders to Type #3
and higher incidents. The new specialty areas include
Division/Group Supervision, On-Scene Coordina-
tion, Landing Site Operations, Reception Center
Operations and Contingency Planning. Our new
“Sector Centric” Strategic Plan requires each Sector
to have a team in place based on this pilot program.
There is nothing strange or mystical about these
changes. They simply call upon your creativity and
your willingness to step beyond the mission and
bring our new strategic vision to life.
You, the members of the Seventh District, have the
talents and skills that allow me to anticipate our success
in achieving our goals. Be assured that, for this,
I have the greatest admiration for all that you do. Ω
Semper Paratus
UPPER KEYS, Fla.—Conrad Sankpill, currently in
training for Pollution Response Investigator in Sector
Key West, opens a length of containment boom.
Sankpill and others will likely go on to qualify as
Auxiliary Mass Rescue Operations specialists. Photo
by Patricia Gross, Flotilla 13-8 Upper Keys

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 3
From the Bridge
John Tyson
District Chief of Staff
By now you may have visited the new “District Dashboards”
page on the Seventh District Auxiliary website.
If you have not done that, you will find the “District
Dashboards” tab on the left side of the member’s home
page. You may also access the page directly by using
the link www.cgaux7.org/D7Perf.html. When the
page opens, click on the name of the flotilla or division
you want, and you will see results for first quarter 2012,
as well as a comparison with the results achieved in the
same quarter last year. As the year progresses, the results
will be posted for each quarter, and a year-to-year
comparison will be posted at year end.
Why is flotilla and division performance data being
made available to flotillas and divisions Because the
data provides Seventh District Auxiliary units with a
ready score card for measuring their performance. In
addition to that, its use in decision making is universally
recognized as a sound leadership practice. The data
displayed graphically in the “District Dashboards” will
also be important to programs that recognize units and
individuals for their contribution to the organization’s
success.
Although the use of data measurement and analysis
may be new to many Auxiliarists, it has been used by
the Coast Guard since 1993, when it adopted the Malcolm
Baldridge Award Criteria as a guide for Coast
Guard leadership practices. Today, a Coast Guard
unit that achieves the highest level of mission effectiveness
under the Malcolm Baldridge Criteria
may be awarded the prestigious Alexander Hamilton
Award. Not surprisingly, the Coast Guard found
that guiding leadership practices by elements of the
Malcolm Baldridge Criteria significantly improved
goal achievement and mission effectiveness. Using
measurement and analysis of data to guide leadership
practices is an element of both the Malcolm
Baldridge and Hamilton award criteria.
When Seventh District Auxiliary leadership elected
to follow the Coast Guard in using Hamilton Award
Criteria as a guide for leadership practices, the use of
measurement and analysis by Auxiliary units became
essential. Training in the
use of data to measure
and analyze performance
was introduced at the district
leadership training
workshops earlier this year.
The “District Dashboards”
page on the D7 web site
followed in early April.
While many units have begun using dashboard data
to guide action plans, more work needs to be done to
ensure that all elected and staff leaders are comfortable
employing the dashboard data. Additional leadership
workshops are planned for the remainder of this year,
and a workshop on leadership practices and the Hamilton
Criteria will be conducted at the District Training
Meeting (D-TRAIN ) in September.
And speaking of D-TRAIN 2012, mark your calendar
and plan to attend the September 20-23 meeting at
the Hilton Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida. The location
is outstanding, and the opportunities for learning
will be among the best to be offered at any district
meeting! Ω
Semper Paratus,
John Tyson

4
District Captain North
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
Robert Weskerna, DCAPT-North
...Also proudly
serving!
If you ever had a
chance to read an e-
mail from our District
Commodore
(DCO) during his
first year in office,
you would note that
he always closes his
message,
“Proudly
Serving,
COMO
Walter R. Jaskieis
laudable: I’m serving,
and I do so with
wicz.” The message Walter sends pride.
Accordingly, my Breeze articles are usually ua
about the
members I meet in my role as District Captain ain North
– our members who are Proudly Serving. In this
article,
I’ll add a few names to this list, but first
a “thank you”
note.
On April 18, John Sollecito, Flotilla Commander of
Flotilla 93, welcomed the District 7 Executive Committee
(EXCOM) to his fantastic flotilla building ing in
Naples, Fla. Trust me, having a building dedicated to a
single flotilla, complete with Flotilla Commander’s office,
boatlift, etc., is something to be envied by the many
of us who meet at Coast Guard Stations, firehouses,
lighthouses, municipal buildings, etc. Thanks for your
hospitality, John. The tour was great, and we wish you
and your flotilla members all the best!
Coming back to South Carolina from Naples, Jackie
and I stopped off in Savannah to attend a Division
10 meeting and to visit with Warren Wilson, Division
Commander 10, and his group. At this meeting, I had
the pleasure of speaking with the “Gepetto” (carpentercum-puppeteer)
of Coastie, Don Wellons. As Division
10’s Staff Officer-Communications and Assistant District
Staff Officer-Communications D7, Don is our very
own Gepetto, who says he can re-build a Coastie in less
than a day. This means a fully functional Coastie. Please
contact Don by linking to the National Directory for
members at www.cgaux7.org. He’s very capable, easy to
talk to, and willing to help you with your Coastie issues.
On March 31, while attending a Division 2 meeting in
Ackworth, Ga.,
I had the
luck to meet Auxiliarist Miguel
Corco, o Flotilla ll
23. I understand that Miguel used to live
in south Florida, so perhaps more than a few of you know
him. On the day we met,
Miguel was just back from an
assignment si
nt in Barbados ad
as a member of the Auxiliary’s
Interpreter rete
r Corps. He had
just flown in that morning at
3 a.m.
but
was
happy py to
share some of his experiences
with us.
I’ll leave e out the
details of our conversation for
the sake
of any security issues, but suffice it to say that
the Interpreter rete
Corps does a great service for the Coast
Guard and other branches. I’ve seen the spreadsheets of
Interpreter re
Corps members and know that we have many
remarkably rkab
ably
talented individuals available for this service
under our Auxiliary banner. To each of you, as well as
Miguel, please accept my sincere thanks for your service.
As one of your district captains, I have the privilege of
meeting a handful of you and listening to the details of
the contributions that you make to our organization.
Your talents, efforts, and accomplishments are nothing
less than amazing. In spite of the occasional hiccups we
all experience with the ‘system,’ you – and I – continue
on – Proudly Serving. Ω
Left: NAPLES, Fla.— The home
of Flotilla 93, the host of April’s
EXCOM meeting. Thanks to the
dedication of a number of Flotilla
93 members, this 1950s structure
looks like it was built recently.
Photo by RobertWeskerna

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 5
Top left: JACKSONVILLE, Fla.— USCG Commander James Rush stands beside Tom Hayden, Commander
of Division 14, and William Sekeres, Division Vice Commander, at the Division 14 meeting held at Queen’s
Harbor Recreation Room on March 24, 2012. Photo by Robert Weskerna
Top right: ACKWORTH, Ga.— Bob Weskerna, District Captain North meets Miguel Corco, Staff Officer-
Materials Division 2 and member of the Auxiliary Interpreter Corps, at the division’s spring meeting held on
March 31, 2012. Photo by Jackie Weskerna
Below: ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. —A rebuilt Coastie makes a new, young friend. Photo provided by Don
Wellons

6
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
District Captain West
Melving Manning, DCAPT-West
Following the successful
television series
Coast Guard Alaska, Al
Roker Entertainment
launched its next project
highlighting the United
States Coast Guard—
Coast Guard Florida.
The new series will focus
on Coast Guard
activities throughout
Florida, with its production
headquarters at
Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Florida.
Filming has already commenced, ed, and the Auxiliary
has
been photographed in scenes in the Gulf of Mexico off
Clearwater. On April 19 th , film crews boarded Auxiliary
Facility Sea Bear, with Lou Davis, Flotilla l
la Commander
11-9 Tarpon Springs, Fla., Coxswain, to film
the training mission of a C-130 Hercules es aircraft af
from
Air Station Clearwater. Despite e less
than ideal weather
conditions, the filming mission was accomplished. comp
The
television series will be offered by The Weather er Channel
beginning in October of 2012.
Hurricane season officially begins on June 1, 2012. At
that time, Hurricane Readiness s Condition 4 ( Jun.
1 to
Nov. 30 – Seasonal Hurricane Condition
for
all
District
Seven Units) will be in effect. All divisions in the
west region have been diligent in finalizing notification
procedures in their flotillas. This includes preparing and
maintaining current accountability membership lists to
comply with District Seven and Sector St. Petersburg
requirements for both heavy weather drills (e.g. Hurricane
GISPERT drill at the end of May) and actual
storm conditions. The flotillas have their Hurricane and
Disaster Contingency Plans in place and are prepared
for appropriate deployment if needed.
The Atlantic East Auxiliary Search and Rescue Competition
(ASAR) is scheduled for finals at the Coast
Guard Academy in July. West Region teams, including
an all-female team from Division 9, are eagerly preparing
to represent District Seven.
Spring is buzzing with activity at all levels. Auxiliary
public affairs exhibits at local events are taking place
throughout the area, involving hundreds of Auxiliarists
and thousands of visitors. Public Education classes are
in full swing, and Member Training is in high gear, preparing
members for Qualification Examiner missions,
as well as offering Auxiliary Operations classes and
general knowledge training. Air and surface operations
are conducting missions at a heightened pace, after the
windy winter caused numerous cancelations. Much of
this activity took place in conjunction with National
Safe Boating Week activities.
The AUXCHEF program continues to grow under the
tutelage of Paulette Parent, Division Commander 8 and
Assistant District Staff Officer-Human Resources/
AUXCHEF, with the latest class concluding at Air Station
Clearwater on the weekend of April 29. There are
now over forty graduates in District Seven who have
completed all training requirements and are AUX-
CHEF qualified. Paulette and five other AUXCHEFs
are scheduled d to be deployed to Barbados in June to
support one Food od
Service Facility for Southern Command
(SOUTHCOM). OM In mid-April, two AUX-
CHEFs assisted sistst
at a reception for incoming cadets to
the Coast Guard Academy hosted by Admiral
Baumgartner. r.
This type of duty is becoming fairly com-
mon,
as is
serving in galleys at numerous Coast Guard
facilities.
Finally, the
Auxiliary also continues to prepare for the
Republican National Convention being held in Tampa
in
August. us
Although the main event will be centered
at the
Tampa Bay Times Forum, in downtown Tampa,
delegates will be housed and events scheduled in venues
from Saddlebrook Resort at Wesley Chapel, in the
north, to St. Petersburg and Clearwater Beach, south
and west of Tampa. Numerous waterways and ports
will see the impact of heightened security to process
the delegates and manage the thousands of demonstrators
and visitors expected in the area at that time. Auxiliary
tasking is expected to support the Coast Guard and
other government agencies, both afloat and ashore. Ω

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 7
Photo by Brian Lichtenstein, Flotilla 38 Plantation, Fla.
Coming Soon on the Weather Channel
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Al Roker is greeted by Captain John Turner, Commanding Officer Air Station
Clearwater, on March 21, 2012, as he arrives at the Air Station to plan the filming of his new series.
Below: Roker talks about his planned series, Coast Guard Florida to the media. The series comes on
the heels of the most successful Coast Guard Alaska. Photos by Deb Mallory, Flotilla 11-1 Clearwater,
Florida

8
District Captain-East
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
Judith Hudson, DCAPT-East
The Eastern area of responsibility
of District
7 is busy, busy, busy,
and it is definitely not
just “busy work.” As the
rest of the Auxiliary nation,
every division in
the East planned many
events for National
Safe Boating Week, is
involved in boat crew
and coxswain training,
and many are taking part in air operations training. In
addition, many members are earning new certifications
as Vessel Examiners, Assistant t Pollution Investigators,
tors
and radio watch standers. Joint planning with
sectors
and stations is taking place, preparations to participate
ip
at
in changes of command are under way,
recruiting ruit
ing plans
are being developed, many visits to schools ols by Sea
Partners
are making an impact, and public affairs air
events ents
are
transpiring. More and more, Auxiliarists ists
are
working
at Coast Guard units, enabling those
on active duty to
train and perform higher priority duties. WOW!
W!
We
are very active in every mission area.
a.
In addition to all of that, Division ion 5 celebrated ebra
not one,
but two Flotilla 70th anniversaries recently – Flotilla
lla
58, Ft. Pierce, commanded by Joe Walsh, and Flotilla
la
59, Stuart, commanded by Lonnie Mister. These mem-orable
occasions were very well planned and executed,
and a joint program of the two flotillas was held on
Sunday, April 15, at Coast Guard Station Ft. Pierce.
Gary Barth, Division Commander, conducted the ceremony,
which was highlighted by the attendance of, and
speeches from, our own Commodore Walter Jaskiewicz
and Rear Admiral William D. Baumgartner, our Seventh
District Commander.
At these celebrations, units displayed amazing historical
news articles, pictures, past publications and other
items commemorating their history; active and retired
members educated and entertained us with stories
about the accomplishments and antics of the past; delicious
lunches were served; awards were presented; the
appropriate anniversary streamers were attached to flotilla
flags; and a wonderful fellowship for all transpired.
Remembering and recounting our histories always
makes us swell with pride at what our forbearers contributed
to our communities and to the Coast Guard.
Congratulations to both of these active flotillas! Your
festivities, as well as your histories, were very impressive,
and you continue to contribute significantly to our
missions today!
With all of this being said about how much all flotillas
and divisions are accomplishing, we return to the fact
that there is always room for improvement, right As
we all know, we have talents and skills that are not being
utilized, members who have become inactive, and
members who are disappointed because their expectations
are not being fulfilled. What percentage of our
membership is actually performing all of our activities
50% Less Think how much more we could do if 75%
or even another 15% of our membership were actively
involved. Have we become too focused on the mem-
bers
who
do attend meetings, go on patrols, teach pub-
lic education, and
conduct vessel exams to care about
the members mber
we are not seeing We are part of a service
organization on created e to serve and support the Coast
Guard, our
local l areas and our nation. But, don’t we
have
a responsibility il
it
to
serve first our fellow shipmates
Commandant n Papp continues to remind us to “respect
our shipmates.” s.” Forgetting or ignoring those who are
absent from our training, meetings, and missions does
not equal respect. ec
Please make contact with our missing
members:
mber
ers:
• Give these members a call,
• Express that he/she h/h is missed,
• Learn if they need our help or support,
• Question why they have become inactive,
• Examine what is needed to motivate him/her to regain
their enthusiasm and participation,
• Tell them we need their help,
• Inquire as to what mission(s) they would like to join,
and let them know we can help them to do that,
• Ask when they can participate,
• Set a date for them to have coffee with you, attend
a meeting, participate in an activity, go to a training
session, etc.
• Assign a proactive mentor.
Continued on page 9

• Mentoring is not only for prospective or new members.
Not all will respond, but if only a few become
active again, we have better served our first customers
- our shipmates, our family. We will all benefit
from regaining their participation.
Thank you all for everything you are doing to make D7
the best. With our current Organizational Performance
Measures, which offers us quarterly charts showing
Right: FT. PIERCE, Fla.—RADM William D.
Baumgartner, Commander 7th District USCG,
watches as Joe Walsh, Flotilla 58 Commander,
cuts the cake at the 70th Anniversary celebration
on April 15, 2012. Assisting is William Tejeiro,
Auxiliary Sector Coordinator Sector Miami, with
Gary Barth, Commander Division 5, behind him.
Photo by Terry Barth
Below left: KEY WEST, Fla.— Auxiliarists Janie
Gallagher and Nick McManus assist fishing
instructors Mike Gorton and Jamie Connell with
students Drew and Ryan Kaye during the Key
West Ocean Festival on March 24, 2012. The
USCG Cutter Ingham in the background. Photo
submitted by D. Mattern
Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 9
our results, and with the clear direction this program
provides, we are improving and getting even better. We
just need to constantly examine how we can continue
to grow and serve, welcoming new ideas that improve
our progress.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so
much.” Helen Keller Ω
Below right: PORT EVERGLADES, Fla.— George
Kozel and Marc Brody bring aboard a raft bag,
one of three hooked together that the HC 144A
Ocean Sentry drops during training exercises on
May 11, 2012. The two served as crew, along with
fellow flotilla member Burnie Radosh, aboard
the Auxiliary vessel Heartbeat, owned by Brian
Lichtenstein, Flotilla 38 Plantation Fla. Photo by
Brian Lichtenstein
E

10
CLEARWATER, Fla.—
Even months later, Clearwater,
Florida, is still basking
in the glow of being
declared the 12 th Coast
Guard City in the United
States and the first one in
Florida. Enacted by law
in 1998, the Coast Guard
City Program is designed
to recognize communities
nationwide that go above
and beyond in their support
of the Coast Guard Family
– active duty, reserves, Auxiliarists
and all their families.
Clearwater worked hard
to earn the designation
of Coast Guard City. The
Clearwater Chamber of
Commerce, the multiple
Coast Guard Stations,
the Naval Sea Cadets, the
Clearwater City Council,
Clearwater Veterans Alliance,
local and federal congressmen and numerous
other parties all contributed to the effort. Besides the
formal application, the City of Clearwater submitted
a picture scrapbook of the long and mutually beneficial
relationship between the city and the Coast Guard.
Several members of Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 11-
1, Clearwater, were pivotal in supplying material for the
application, the cover letter and the picture scrapbook.
What does it take to become a Coast Guard City
Clearly it’s the support of the community for the Coast
Guard members and support of the Coast Guard members
for the community. The City of Clearwater meets
those criteria in spades! It’s home to Air Station Clearwater,
the largest air station in the Coast Guard, where
the men and women of the Coast Guard support a
variety of missions that extend from the local area, all
the way to the Caribbean. A few miles to the west of
Air Station Clearwater is small boat Station Sand Key,
home to more than 45 active duty members who are
responsible for over 2,000 square miles of near shore
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
Florida’s First Coast Guard City – Clearwater
By Karen L. Miller, ADSO-MT D7
CLEARWATER, Fla.—Mayor Frank Hibbard and Admiral Bob Papp display the
proclamation designating Clearwater, Fla. the 12th Coast Guard City at a public
ceremony on Jan. 27, 2012. Photo by Karen Miller
and Gulf of Mexico waters. Then there’s the Port Security
Unit 307, a reserve unit based in Clearwater, which
concerns itself with the safety of local ports and has
regular deployments to the Middle East.
The Coast Guard City celebration officially occurred on
January 27, 2012, in downtown Clearwater and was attended
by hundreds of Coast Guard members and even
more local citizens. The event was hosted by Clearwater’s
former mayor Frank Hibbard and featured Coast
Guard Commandant Bob Papp and many other federal,
state and local dignitaries. Admiral Papp and Mayor
Hibbard read the proclamation declaring Clearwater a
Coast Guard City. This was followed by short speeches
from the dais. Admiral Papp concluded his remarks by
saying, “I am absolutely delighted to see Clearwater
named a Coast Guard City. Clearwater has a real sense
of community. It is not just the climate that is warm –
it is the citizens. When our men and women return to
Clearwater, it’s not just a welcome home, but a welcome
home to a Coast Guard City.” Ω

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 11
Coastie: Clearwater’s ‘First Dog’
By Karen L. Miller, ADSO-MT D7
Jim Ryder, Commander Division 11 (left),
scratches Coastie’s back while Clearwater
Mayor George N. Cretekos (below) gets
up close and personal with the city’s first
community sponsored guide dog. Since
Clearwater was recently designated a “Coast
Guard City,” city officials voted to name this
service dog Coastie – an affectionate name for
a Coast Guardsman. Photos by Karen Miller
Since becoming a Coast Guard City,
has Clearwater“Gone to the Dogs”
CLEARWATER, Fla.—On May 17, during their
regular City Council Meeting, Clearwater, Florida’s
mayor and council members formally introduced
“Coastie,” the city’s first community-sponsored
Southeastern Guide Dog in training. Since Clearwater
was recently designated a “Coast Guard City,” city
officials voted to name this service dog Coastie – an
affectionate name for a Coast Guardsman.
A fourteen week old Lab, Coastie will be in foster
care for the next year, while he learns the social skills
he will need when he goes into service. When ready,
he will be brought to Palmetto, Florida, to the Southeastern
Guide Dog headquarters to train as a guide
dog for the visually impaired.
Captain John Turner represented Coast Guard
Air Station Clearwater at Coastie’s introduction
ceremony, while Petty Officer Lee Koushan
attended from Coast Guard Station Sand Key.
Additionally, Jim Ryder, Commander of Division
11, and Karen Miller, past Commander of
Division 11, represented the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Petty Officer Koushan “pinned” Coastie’s cape
with crossed anchors insignia, representing a
boatswain mate in the Coast Guard. Captain
Turner plans to pin wings on Coastie when he
visits the Air Station, at a later date. Ω

12
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
Ocean Festival Key West
By Dorothy Mattern, Division 13 SO-PA
KEY WEST, Fla—On March 24, 2012, the
city of Key West, Fla., celebrated the vibrant
marine environment of the Florida Keys with
live music, educational exhibits, and activities
for the youngsters, good food and more during
the third annual Florida Keys Ocean Festival.
The five flotillas of Division 13 combined their
talents and resources, as they reached out to educate
attendees about enjoying, preserving and protecting
our marine environment and being safe boaters. Auxiliarists
gave hundreds of pamphlets, coloring books, and
stickers to eager children and their parents. Auxiliary
members manned two booths, talked to many prospective
members from throughout the Keys, and signed
people up for both future boating safety and seamanship
classes and vessel safety checks.
The Visitor Center, created by Mote Marine Laboratory
for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary,
highlights the region’s unique ecosystem with exhibits
of a living reef, as well as the above-water habitats
of a variety of marine wildlife. Located on Key West’s
Truman Waterfront, the center also provides
great fishing experiences for many of the
youngsters. In addition, the glistening, white
USCG Cutter Ingham is docked at Truman
Waterfront, just a short distance away from
the festival. After 50 years of around the
world service, this impressive cutter is now a
maritime museum and national historic landmark.
Presented by Mote Marine Laboratory, the Ocean
Fest event was free to all, and it was estimated that it
attracted more than 6,000 people of all ages. Connie
Irwin, District 7 District Staff Officer-Public Affairs;
Armando Ingratta and Ray Knoll made the trip from
Ft. Myers to Key West and brought along their Coastie.
The children loved interacting with this moving-talking
boat; some even had the opportunity to handle the controls.
Temporary Coastie tattoos were put on dozens of
outstretched arms.
The fishing booth estimated that over 500 children attended
fishing seminars, quickly learning how to use a
fishing rod and reel. Over 100 free rods and
reels were awarded to children between the
ages of 5 and 11 years of age, and the sponsors
could have given away many more.
Nearby, Auxiliarists provided a variety of
personal flotation devices for children to try
on while explaining to their parents proper
size and fit, and using the opportunity to
teach key points about boating safety and
how to protect our priceless marine environment.
Flotilla 13-2 from Marathon and 13-4 from
Ocean Reef each brought and set up their
“trash games” to educate players about how
long it takes for typical trash items thrown
KEY WEST, Fla.—Tom Meyer helps
Officer Snook (Kristy Meyer) give out
stickers to children at the Mar. 24 Ocean
Festival in Key West. The children were
thrilled to interact with and hug the big
fish. Photo by Dorothy Mattern

into the water to disintegrate. All ages really
seem to enjoy this game and players are always
amazed at the facts they learn.
Officer Snook made several appearances
throughout the day. The recent emphasis on,
and increased frequency of marine safety programs
in, the Keys’ elementary schools means
that many children readily identify Officer
Snook and the Coast Guard Auxiliary as
part of their school lessons. There seems to be
something special about hugging this big silver
fish! Many thanks should go to Division
13’s Tom and Kristy Meyer and Sue Redding
for their dedicated work with Snook on such
a warm day.
A variety of crafts people, food booths, marine
artists, and two dozen other exhibitors
and vendors spotlighted the Keys’ conservation
efforts and the work of its non-profit
organizations. A silent auction offered an assortment
of art, crafts and water adventures,
with something for everyone. All proceeds
from the day’s activities went to support
Mote Marine Laboratory’s coral reef restoration
and research programs.
Division 13 was proud to be a major part of
this marine safety and environmental protection
event. Five flotillas, spanning 125 miles,
combined their time, resources and talents to
make this Ocean Festival a special day for all.
Ω
Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 13
Top: Tatoo for You: Connie Irwin, District
Staff Officer-Public Affairs District 7
applies a tattoo on a youngster’s arm while
his sister keeps an eye on Coastie.
Bottom: Auxiliary Air Crewman Nick
McManus chats with local mermaid about
protecting our marine environment at
the Key West Ocean Festival on March
24. McManus is the current Flotilla Vice
Commander, 13-3 Big Pine Key, Fla.
Photos by Dorothy Mattern

14
Vessel Safety Day 2012
By M.D. Schlitt, FSO-PA, Flotilla 98
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—Even brief experience
with recreational boaters confirms the need for
“hands-on” instruction in the use of the safety equipment
required on recreational vessels. Most boaters
have no experience using their safety equipment, and
the middle of an emergency is no time to learn. So,
for the second year, Flotilla 98 put on a “Vessel Safety
Day” in Punta Gorda, Florida.
Boaters lack familiarity with their safety equipment
because it is illegal to set off a visual safety device
(VDS) unless a real emergency exists; because boaters
rarely willingly set a fuel fire or “waste” a Fire
Suppression System device for practice; and because
boaters rarely voluntarily jump overboard to test
their life jackets. Interviews with recreational boaters
told us that they need such “hands-on” instruction
for Visual Distress Signals (flares/pyrotechnic
devices), Fire Suppression Systems (fire extinguishers),
and Personal Flotation Devices (life jackets).
Preparation for the event required coordinating with
Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach, which created
the Securite message that our Watchstanders
and Sector St. Petersburg broadcast every 30 minutes;
the Punta Gorda Fire Department, which supplied
the fuel-fed fire pan and the fire apparatus; and
the Dockmaster of Laishley Marina, who let us use
the marina’s sea-wall for the clinic. The Charlotte
County Sheriff, Punta Gorda Police and Florida
Fish and Wildlife officers were also notified of the
event in case they received reports from the public
about aerial flares. Even so, we stationed an Auxiliary
vessel just off-shore to keep any curious boaters
outside the firing area.
Members of Flotilla 98 who devoted their time to this
worthy event included Renee Plant, Ronald Dressler,
E. Michael English, Stephen Kapin, Kenneth Johnson,
John Ghougasian and Thomas Gramza. These members
ensured safety by monitoring the participants and ensuring
that no one handled a VDS before they reached
the firing line, and ensuring that each participant received
individual attention when their turn came. Additionally,
member participants included the two radio
watchstanders, Richard Sikorski and Kenneth Johnson,
and the crews of the two Auxiliary vessels that provided
the safety zone.
Before Bf participants ii discharged d their VDS, they heard a
brief lecture on what constitutes an emergency, and why
boaters need to have a Marine VHF radio and know
how to use it. I also showed the six types of VDS usually
carried by recreational boaters, including a handheld
flare; a hand-held smoke aerial “sky blazer”; a 12
gauge flare gun; a 25mm. flare gun; and Safety of Life
at Seas (SOLAS) parachute rocket flares. West Marine
of Punta Gorda again graciously provided in-date flares
for all types except the last two so we could compare
them with the expired ones that we used in our demonstration.
In addition, the flotilla had a Recreational Boating
Safety booth adjacent to the demonstration area where
Continued on page 15

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 15
PUNTA GORDA, Fla.— Previous page: Ken Johnson participates in the Punta Gorda Vessel Safety Day event
by serving as radio watchstander in the Flotilla 98 Mobile Radio Van.
Above: Mitch Schlitt demonstrates orange smoke flare on Laishley Marina waterfront located along the Peace
River. In the background is the Flotilla 98 vessel with coxswain Robert Knabe and crewmembers Frank
Wondolkowski and Richard Kenyon aboard. Photos by Dick Carl
Continued from page 14
all five types of life jackets were available to try on. Of
course, they also had boating safety literature and signup
sheets for classes, vessel examinations and Auxiliary
membership.
Although the number of participants was less than anticipated,
everyone who attended expressed their gratitude
to the Flotilla 98 team. As far as the team was
concerned, if their demonstration saved the life of even
one recreational boater, then they did their job.
Two comments received afterwards confirm that conviction:
“Please extend my thanks to the Coast Guard Auxiliary
for the demonstrations they held this weekend. Sunday’s
presenter was excellent. As he said, you have to carry
this equipment but you can’t practice with it. I learned
a lot and the presentation answered all my questions.”
“I had customers in West Marine today letting me know
that they were very pleased with the demonstration.”
Preparation will soon be underway for Vessel Safety
Day 2013! Ω

16
CUDJOE KEY, Fla.—Among the many operational
tasks performed by members of Flotilla 13-3 Big Pine
Key, Florida, and Flotilla 13-1 Key West is the assistance
flotilla members provide to Sector Key West
in standing “Hawkeye” watches. These special watch
standers assist the Coast Guard with maintaining port
security in the busy region of southernmost Florida, an
active area for recreational boating activity and for the
transit of international boat and ship traffic.
Sector Key West must routinely deal with illegal immigrants
and potential drug smugglers. News reports
abound with tales of successful interdictions by evervigilant
Coast Guard assets from Key West, Marathon,
and Islamorada. Flotilla Hawkeye watch standers often
assist by identifying vessels that might require closer
scrutiny by active duty personnel.
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
Keeping Our ‘Hawk’ Eyes Open
By Jeffrey C. Carrier, Flotilla 13-3 Big Pine Key, Fla., and Flotilla 26-4 Alpena, Mich.
Among the assets
available to
Hawkeye and Sector
is “Fat Albert,”
an aerial observation
platform, most
commonly called a
blimp, but among
more technically
savvy personnel,
called a Tethered
Aerostat Radar System
(TARS). Assets
of the United States
Air Force, this series
of balloons is positioned
from California
to Florida
and on Puerto Rico,
providing unbroken
radar coverage along
the entire southern
border of the US.
Coast Guardsmen
from Sector
Key West, Auxiliary
members from
Flotillas 13-3 and
13-1, as well as local
firefighters and
law enforcement personnel were treated to a First Responder
Open House on February 23, 2012. There, they
observed the “care and feeding” of Fat Albert, a term
given to the blimp decades ago by locals accustomed to
seeing the ship flying above its home on Cudjoe Key.
At the open house, these first responders learned how
to recover the blimp in the event of a breakaway and
downing of the ship in local waters, including procedures
for how to secure the scene and how to protect
the public from the many lines and support equipment
associated with the balloon.
CUDJOE KEY, Fla. Emergency responders from the Coast Guard, Coast Guard
Auxiliary, and local firefighters and law enforcement agencies learn the equipment and
procedures used to launch and recover “Fat Albert”, a Tethered Aerostat Radar System
(TARS), in “flight” above Cudjoe Key, in the Florida Keys. Photograph Jeffrey C.
Carrier.
Fat Albert is another hard working, never-tiring “watch
stander” used by Team Coast Guard helping active duty
Coast Guard and Auxiliary personnel to assure safe
boating and port security in the busy region of south
Florida. Ω

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 17
Sea Cadet Mission GAR is a “Go”.
Story and photos by Andrea Rutherfoord, Youth Programs Coordinator for Flotilla 36
BOCA RATON, Fla.—Flotilla 36 has
had a relationship with the Delray Boca
Sea Cadets since late 2010, when Auxiliarists
began to offer the cadets classroom
training including “About Boating
Safely,” marlinespike, and marine radio
operations. This spring, we received approval
to conduct underway training and
held our first on-the-water mission, on an
overcast Sunday, April 22. It proved to be
an outstanding success.
Coxswain Mike Hanuschak’s 65’ facility
had ample room for the 16 persons on
board. Back at the flotilla’s base, radio
watchstanders Jon Derr and Herman Feldman
took up the radio guard.
Before casting off, Coxswain Mike briefed
both Auxiliarists and cadets about the mission
and stepped them through a pre-mission fitness determination
known as a “GAR,” in which crew members
evaluate the complexity of the mission itself, the
conditions under which they will have to operate, and
the fitness of the crew to perform the mission on that
day. The result of that evaluation determines whether
the mission gets a “green light” (“G”), amber (“A”) or
red (“R”); hence the acronym “GAR.” On this day, the
mission rating said “Go.”
Just as each new Auxiliarist gets a mentor, so each Sea
Cadet on the mission received a trainer who stayed with
him/her for the entire mission. The teams rotated stations
throughout the mission stations, working through
each task, without interfering with its regular crew.
Training tasks included knots (and cleating), aids to
navigation checks, anchoring, and a man-overboard
drill.
Both Auxiliarists and Sea Cadets rated
the mission a success and look forward to
participating in future missions together.
Ω
Left: Member Tom Kegan teaches a
young cadet how to correctly call the
radio guard to report location and
conditions.
Top: Trainer Jim Goldasich stands bow
lookout with a sea cadet. The cadets
changed assignments several times
while on board to learn the various
tasks and stations.

18
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
They Heard. They Came. They Saw and They Did:
AUXCHEFs in Training.
By Paulette R. Parent ADSO-HR/AUXCHEF
CLEARWATER, Fla.— Under the watchful eyes of FS2 Forrest Backman, U.S. Coast
Guard (rear), and Instructor Paulette Parent (in white), students Bernardo Alicea, Carlos
Velez, and Brian Garry (behind Parent) make mashed potatoes at the Clearwater Air
Station galley in March 2012. Toni Borman, Instructor, is partially obscured by Parent.
Photo by Judy Bidwick
CLEARWATER, Fla.—They came to
Clearwater from Divisions 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 and
11. Their trip was not funded and all of their
expenses were out-of-pocket. They received
no mileage reimbursement, no hotel reimbursement,
no meal or per diem reimbursement,
and yet they came and they were happy
to be there!
What can produce such a dedicated response
from Auxiliarists It was the Auxiliary
Chef (AUXCHEF) Program offered at
Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater March
23-25, 2012. Under the direction of Paulette
Parent, Assistant District Staff Officer –
Human Resources/AUXCHEF, along with
Toni Borman, Instructor, and Ara Charder,
Instructor, the future AUXCHEFs met for
class at 9 a.m. on Friday. Most of the students
had already visited the Air Station
Clinic earlier that morning to receive the first
of two Hepatitis-A inoculations. (The second
is administered after six months.)
Between Friday morning and Saturday evening,
the eight students were taught subjects
ranging from nutrition to sanitation, spice
and herb identification, and correct knife
handling. Everyone, including some spouses,
gathered for dinner Friday evening at a local
Italian restaurant and soon were like a family,
sharing stories and united in their efforts to
become AUXCHEFs. By Sunday morning
the original group of strangers were working
with the Food Service personnel in the Air
Station’s galley, preparing omelets, pancakes,
Continued on 19

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 19
The final group gathering after
lunch was filled with praise for the
AUXCHEF program. Such a great
sense of accomplishment that it virtually
permeated the room! All the
students were eager to return home
and continue training with their respective
active duty stations. They
were confident that they would
complete their personal qualifications
(PQ s) to become fully qualified
AUXCHEFS as soon as possible.
Many were anxious to serve
in Coast Guard galleys or aboard
cutters and to help with Auxiliary
functions.
Once again, the AUXCHEF program
has inspired a growing cadre
of Auxiliarists who are anxious to
serve. Ω
(For more information on the AUX-
CHEF program in District 7 please
contact Paulette Parent ADSO-HR/
AUXCHEF.)
Continued from page 18
etc., and serving breakfast “on the line” to military personnel.
They were learning hands-on techniques and
performing the lessons they had learned in the classroom,
and they were smiling and enjoying what they
were doing. Many were actually surprised at how far
they had progressed in just three short days. Before attending
the program, some were barely able to boil water
while others had extensive experience in the kitchen.
All were now working as a well-oiled machine preparing
a full lunch menu including soup, boneless pork
loin, garlic mashed potatoes and Southern-style (fresh)
green beans.
Top: Toni Borman, Instructor, supervises as Jim
Scholz and Stu Landau carve a pork roast in the
United States Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater
galley during the AUXCHEF training Mar. 23-25,
2012. Photo by Judi Bidwick
Below: Students and Instructors of the AUXCHEF
program conducted Mar. 23-25, 2012, pose in front
of the Albatross, the HC-130 Hercules aircraft at the
entrance to United States Coast Guard Air Station
Clearwater Annex. From left are Judy Bidwick, Jim
Scholz, Ara Charder (Instructor), Brian Garry, Eileen
Garcia, Carlos Velez, Stu Landau, Paulette Parent
(Instructor). Kneeling are Bernardo Alicea and Joseph
Corrigan. Photo by: Toni Borman

20
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
District Directorate Chief-Prevention
David M. Fuller, DDC-P
Teamwork – Webster defines
this as the action or
effort of people working
together as a group. For
our programs to reach
their maximum potential,
we must rely on cooperation
and assistance from others. Single individual efforts
cannot obtain the same overall program results as
a well-organized team.
One example is in Public Education. The Flotilla Staff
Officer – Public Education must carefully consider the
game plan for their program. They must decide which
classes to offer, when and where to offer them, and put
together a team of Instructors to conduct the classes.
This is where the team becomes critically important. No
matter how well your Instructors perform, unless you
have students in the seats, all the earlier efforts at organizing
and preparing for the classes will not bear fruit
for your flotilla. You need help from your Flotilla Staff
Officer-Public Affairs to get the word out with local
news media, newspapers, radio stations, etc. You need
help from your Flotilla Staff Officer-Vessel Examination
and the team of Vessel Examiners. They need to
have brochures with class schedules to hand out at every
Vessel Examination performed. You need the help
of the Flotilla Staff Officer-Program Visitor and the
Program Visitation team to keep the racks full of class
schedule brochures. Don’t forget your flotilla membership
– they are some of your best sources for referrals
with friends, relatives, and general acquaintances they
make at the supermarket, library, health club, church,
work, and everywhere else they go. For a list of ideas
to increase attendance at your Public Education classes,
go to the 7th District Website at http://cgaux7.org/
and click on “Members Section” and “What’s New in
D7.” Thanks to Judith Hudson, District Captain–East,
and her team for putting this list together. We welcome
your suggestions to add to this list. If something different
has worked for your flotilla, please share it so others
can benefit from your successes.
Other than dues, Public Education is one of the primary
sources of revenue for many flotillas, and success
or failure to put students in the seats can have a substantial
financial impact for your flotilla. Flotillas with
successful Public Education programs share many similar
characteristics, starting with a positive attitude. Our
most successful flotillas have overcome the roadblocks
of competition from the Internet, state programs, and
other courses, some of them free and some paid. Ask
yourself - why should someone pay us to take a class
when they can get one for free First, we can offer many
classes not available elsewhere. Go to the National
Continued on page 21
VENICE, Fla.—Lou Magyar
throws out life jackets to
participants at a Boating
Skills and Seamanship class
and asks them to don the
jackets quickly. This brief
hands-on demonstration,
which emphasizes making
sure that life jackets fit
persons on board, may result
in a somewhat humorous
situation in a classroom
but could result in grim
consequences in a real
emergency. Photo by Judy
Bidwick, FSO-PE 86

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 21
FORT LAUDERDALE,
Fla. Spring break for
schoolchildren in Broward
County means a week of
free classes at local YMCA
for children 2-10 years
old including this “drown
proofing” lesson presented
on March 27 by Auxiliary
members Ron Hady, Flotilla
31, and Dave Cox, Jan
Cox, Brian Lichtenstein
(shown here beside the
front canoe), and Marie
Duda, all from Flotilla 38
Plantation. The Auxiliarists
taught the little ones about
safety in and around water,
the importance of wearing
properly sized life jackets,
and even brought along a
canoe, kayak and a surfboard
for the youngsters to try out.
Photo by Dave and Jan Cox
Continued from page 20
Public Education website and look at all the possible
courses you can offer. Most Flotillas have never considered
all the options. Second, you must add value to the
class as an Instructor. Hands on demonstrations, close
interaction with other students and Instructors, props
in the class – if you are not using these, you are not
adding value. Our students don’t want someone to read
a slide to them! They can do that on-line. When done
properly, your students will feel that it was a good use of
their time and they become great sources for referrals.
Don’t underestimate word-of-mouth. It is one of your
Continued on page 22
ST. THOMAS, U.S.
Virgin Islands—
David Richardson,
Air Observer and
Commander of Flotilla
16-2 St. Thomas,
conducts a Recreational
Boating Safety Program
Visit at Alliance
Aviation before flying
a mission on May 26,
2012, during National
Safe Boating Week.
Photo by C.C. Kreglo

22
Continued from page 21
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
most important and effective recruiting
tools for students, and prospective members
for your flotilla.
By the time you read this, National Safe
Boating Week will be completed. Many
flotillas and divisions planned special activities
for this critical event as we kicked
off the boating season nationwide. Let us
hear about what you did so we can add
your ideas to our list for next year.
Member Training continues at a torrid
pace across the District, with so many different
training opportunities that it would
take just about the entire Breeze to list
them all. Member Training is flourishing
in District 7.
In Marine Safety, Lyle Letteer, District
Staff Officer-Marine Safety, reports that,
so far this year, he has turned in paperwork
for four Trident awards and 20 Marine
Safety Training Ribbons (MSTRs). He
has also assumed the duties of the Verifying
Officer for the Commercial Fishing
Vessel Program at Sector Charleston
and is currently the only Certified Fishing
Vessel Examiner at Sector Charleston.
In Navigation Systems, David Cawton,
District Staff Officer-Navigation Systems,
reports increased Navigation Systems
verification activity and additional
training classes to prepare members to
sign off their Navigation Systems-Personal
Qualification Standards.
In Vessel Examinations, Chuck Kelemen,
District Staff Officer-Vessel Examination,
reports that we are picking up momentum
as the season for Vessel Safety Checks
moves into high gear. Chuck reminds us
to make sure that your Flotilla Commander carefully
reviews all Facility Offers for Use before submitting.
Far too many of them have been returned as incomplete
or incorrect. Many of those errors should have been
caught before being submitted. This causes unnecessary
delays and extra work for all involved. Let’s get them
right the first time when initially submitting.
LEXINGTON, S.C.—Festus Burchfield, a member of the Coast
Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 12-6 East Cooper, S.C., and of the Lake
Murray Safety Consortium, conducts a Vessel Safety Check and
shares boating safety literature with a recreational boater on Jun.
3, 2012, on Lake Murray. Photo by Barbara Burchfield
As we move into the prime boating season of summer,
remember that you can make a difference by actively
participating with your flotilla, no matter what your
area of interest. It takes all of us working together as a
team to help improve boating safety for the public and
to support our partners and the Coast Guard. Ω

What’s The Weather Make it Real.
Judi Bidwick, FSO-PA Flotilla 86 Venice
Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 23
VENICE, Fla.—Teaching weather to recreational
boaters is a challenge. If you’re too scientific, you turn
the class off. If you make the lesson too light, you’re
not really offering anything more than they get on the
weather channel.
Instructors can use visual aids that create an awareness
of everything from cloud formations to the effects of
lightning. Balloons, cotton balls, a bowl of water, a fan
can recreate for a class much more than a PowerPoint
picture.
Often we tie our Boating Skills and Seamanship lessons
to the PowerPoint that is handed to us from the
national site with little or no revision to suit our particular
area. This handicaps the class and the instructor.
Revising the PowerPoint presentations to include pictures
and information from your local area brings a realistic
view of what you want students to see and learn.
Taking a picture of a local inlet, showing the inset of a
local chart, displaying pictures of local signage that includes
lateral markers, buoys, manatee zones, no wake
and minimum wake zones, bridge lights and heights
are just a few of the things that can be added to make
your lesson more interesting and real for the boaters in
your class. This gives your students a picture of what
they will see in their area on the water.
John Kandes, an instructor at Flotilla 86 Venice, uses
cotton balls to show towering cumulus clouds and rubs
two balloons together to demonstrate static electricity,
which generates lightening in clouds. To show how
heat is generated and air is cooled, he lights a very short
cigarette, places the cigarette in his fist, and then blows
on it. The cigarette disappears, much the way weather
dissipates. Not all instructors are magicians and can pull
this off, but it certainly gets the attention of the class.
Judi Bidwick teaches the signs from the Boating Skills
and Seamanship Chapter 13. She has modified most
of the slides to include local bridges and signage, with
particular emphasis on no wake and slow speed zones.
She uses pictures of boats that are overloaded with passengers,
and photos that show what a hull and stern
look like when they are speeding through a no-wake
zone. Additionally, she includes the state and federal
fines for feeding wildlife, since a local dolphin named
Beggar frequents their intra-coastal waters near one of
the popular restaurants on the water.
Lou Magyar, another instructor at Flotilla 86 in Venice,
throws out various types and sizes of life jackets to the
class and asks the students to don them quickly. This
brief hands-on demonstration emphasizes making sure
that life jackets on board fit the passengers, something
that should be done before a boat leaves the dock and
not after an emergency occurs.
In summary, modify the standard, generic slides with
slides that show a relationship to the local area where
you teach and live, and use interesting and relevant
hands-on demonstrations. Students will better learn
about cloud formations and fog and will show more
interest when they recognize local fuel docks, boat
rentals, bridges, islands, inlets, water towers, restaurants,
docking areas, beaches, and lighted markers. Ω
VENICE, Fla.—John Kandes, Instructor at
Flotilla 86 in Venice, is popular with the
students for his many creative demonstrations,
including cotton cumulus clouds, when teaching
the weather portion of the Boating Skills and
Seamanship program. To compete with Internet
and free venues, flotillas must add value to
training offered to the public. Photo by Judi
Bidwick, Flotilla Staff Officer-Public Education
86

24
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
District Directorate Chief-Logistics
JamesDennen, DDC-L
In this issue of Breeze, we
introduce you to someone
who is no stranger to
many in District 7, Alex
deQuesada, our District
Staff Officer-Historian.
Alex is a professional historian
who has worked for both private and government
agencies as a historical researcher and consultant. He is
the author of a host of articles, books and publications.
The Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and other
maritime themes are frequent subjects of his writings.
We are proud to call Alex one of our own.
Historical Coast Guard Sites: Baltimore, Maryland
Article and photographs by A.M. de Quesada, District Staff Officer- Historian D7
Baltimore is rich in maritime history, especially to those
dealing with the United States Coast Guard. Within
the city’s harbor is a collection of “Historic Ships in
Baltimore.” Amongst these are three relics of interest
for devoted “Coastie” history buffs. The sites are a short
walk from each other: USCGC Taney, Lightship Chesapeake,
and the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse.
The US Coast Guard Cutter Taney is one of the famed
Secretary/Treasury Class Coast Guard cutters built in
the mid 1930s that saw extensive service in war and
peace for half a century. Taney’s keel was laid on May
1, 1935, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where she was
built alongside three of her sister ships, Campbell,
Duane and Ingham.
At 327 feet long, with a beam of 41 feet, and originally
displacing 2000 tons, Taney was designed for peacetime
missions of law enforcement, search and rescue,
and maritime patrol. Her original armament consisted
of two 5”/51 caliber deck guns, and two six-pounder saluting
guns. Taney was also originally equipped to carry
a Grumman JF-2
“Duck” float plane.
The Taney was in
Pearl Harbor at
the time of the
Japanese
surprise
attack on December
7, 1941. During
the war, she
served in both
the Atlantic and
Pacific
Theatres.
Worthy to note
that during April
and May of 1945,
at the height of the
campaign,
Taney
was under frequent
USCGC Taney in Baltimore city’s harbor. Continued on page 25

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 25
The Chesapeake, once known as Light Vessel 116 of the United States Lighthouse Service, was decommisioned
in 1971 and is now one of three Coast Guard vessels maintained by the Historical Ships of Baltimore group.
Continued from page 24
A tour of the USCGC Taney reveals many artifacts from her service
during World War II. She is often referred to as, “The Last Survivor of
Pearl Harbor.”
attack and was credited with destroying four Kamikaze
planes and one “Betty” bomber during 119 separate engagements
in which her crew stood to battle stations.
After World War II, the Taney resumed to her peacetime
duties, only returning to military service briefly
during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. By the late
1960s, Taney had become the last United States vessel
still in commission that had seen action during the
December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Hawaii. Consequently,
from that time on, she was often referred to as
“The Last Survivor of Pearl Harbor.” On December 7,
1986, after more than 50 years of continuous service,
Taney was decommissioned at Portsmouth, Virginia,
and donated to the City of Baltimore to serve as a memorial
and museum.
Lightship 116 was built in 1930 at Charleston Drydock
and Machine Company in Charleston,
S.C., for $274,434.00. Lightship
116 took on the name of whatever
station she was anchored at. The ship
was absorbed into the United States
Coast Guard in 1939, as were all vessels
in the United States Lighthouse
Service.
Since 1820, several lightships have
served at the Chesapeake lightship
station and have been called Chesapeake.
It was common for a lightship
to be reassigned from one Lightships
Station to another and thus “renamed”
and identified by its new station
name. Even though the “name”
changed during a Lightships service
life, the hull number never changed.
However, the Coast Guard did as-
Continued on page 25

26
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
Continued from page 25
sign a new hull number in
April 1950 to all Lightships
still in service on that
date. After that date, Light
Ship /Light Vessel 116 was
known by the new Coast
Guard Hull number: WAL
538. The Coast Guard further
modified all Lightship
hull designations from
WAL to WLV, so Chesapeake
became WLV 538.
Chesapeake’s last tour of
duty was from 1966 to
1970, at the mouth of the
Delaware Bay, where she
was named “Delaware.” A
large 104-ton buoy beacon
replaced her at this station
in 1970. After leaving Kamikaze planes and one “Betty” bomber during 119 separate engagements is
The USCGC Taney’s illustrious World War II credits for destroying four
Delaware Bay, Chesapeake
proudly emblazoned above the main deck.
was moored in Cape May,
New Jersey, until her decommissioning on January 6,
1971. She was then transferred to the National Park
Service and used as a sea-going environmental education
classroom until she was handed over to the city of
Baltimore in 1982.
The Seven Foot Knoll Light was built in 1855 and is
the oldest screw-pile lighthouse in Maryland. It was
initially installed on a shallow shoal, Seven Foot Knoll,
at the mouth of the Patapsco River. The northern reach
of this river is the Baltimore Harbor, where the nowdecommissioned
lighthouse has been placed as a museum.
The sites are managed and operated by the “Historic
Ships in Baltimore,” a group devoted to preserving
our nation’s maritime history. In addition to the Coast
Guard vessels, the group maintains the USS Constellation,
a Civil War era Sloop-of-War, and the USS
Torsk, a World War Two era submarine. When you
visit them, your entrance fees and donations go into
the continuing maintenance and preservation of these
relics of our past. Ω
Right: Seven Foot Knoll, once deployed at the mouth
of the Patapsco River, was built in 1855 and is the
oldest screw-pile lighthouse in Maryland.

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 27
District Directorate Chief-Response
Donald Zinner, DDC-R
Conflict Management
By Donald Zinner
Overall conflict management should aim to minimize
affective conflicts at all levels, attain and maintain
a moderate amount of substantive conflict, and
use the appropriate conflict management strategy.
In order for conflict management strategies to be
effective, they should satisfy certain criteria.
• Organization Learning and Effectiveness—
conflict management strategies should be designed
to enhance critical and innovative thinking
to improve diagnosis and intervention.
• Needs of Stakeholders— Sometimes multiple
parties are involved in a conflict in an organization,
and the challenge of conflict management
would be to involve all parties in a problem solving
process that will lead to collective learning
and will improve organizational effectiveness.
• Ethics— A wise leader must behave ethically.
To do so the leader should be open to new information
and be willing to change his or her
mind. By the same token, subordinates and
other stakeholders have an ethical duty to speak
out against the decisions of supervisors when
consequences of these decisions are likely to be
serious.
Steps to Manage
1. Anticipate – Take time to obtain information
that can avert conflict.
2. Prevent – Develop strategies before the conflict
occurs.
3. Identify – If it is interpersonal or procedural,
move to quickly manage it.
4. Manage – Remember that conflict is emotional
5. Resolve – React, without blame, and you will
learn through dialogue. Ω
Ditrict Seven Operations-East
Top PORT EVERGLADES, Fla.—George Kozel and
Marc Brody recover a barrel dropped by an HC-144A
Ocean Sentry aircraft on May 11 during a routine
training mission. The two served as crew, along with
fellow member Burnie Radosh, aboard the Auxiliary
vessel Heartbeat, owned by Brian Lichtenstein,
Flotilla 38 Plantation Fla.
Below: PORT EVERGLADES, Fla.— Heartbeat, an
Auxiliary vessel from Flotilla 38 Plantation, Fla.,
conducts training with an HH-65 Dolphin from
Miami on March 19. Crew members included Dave
Cox at helm, George Kozel, Mike Sokasits and Brian
Lichtenstein as crew. George Kozel is pictured letting
go of the trail line. Photos by Brian Lichtenstein

28
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
Ditrict Seven Operations-North
CHARLESTON, S.C. —
Flotilla 12-8 Charleston
crew members Paul Berka
and Barbara Thibodeaux
stow dock lines and
fenders, preparing to get
underway from USCG
Station Charleston for a
regatta safety patrol in
support of the Charleston
Sail Boat Races on April
22, 2012. Nearly 260
racing teams participated
in the three-day event.
Not shown is Joe Fleming,
coxswain. Photo by James
Bird, Flotilla Staff Officer-
Public Affairs, Flotilla
12-8 Charleston.
Ditrict Seven Operations-West
TAMPA, Fla.—David
Rockwell, member of
Flotilla 72 St. Petersburg,
stands radio guard on
March 24, 2012, at Tampa
Radio One located at
Flotilla 79 in Tampa
during the Division
7 Boat Crew Training
Program. Division 7 has
successfully combined
its flotillas’ resources to
present Member Training
programs for several years.
Photo by Dottie Riley

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 29
World War II Coast Cutter Mohawk to be sunk off Sanibel Island
By Constance Irvin, District Staff Officer-Public Affairs D7
FORT MYERS, Fla.—
Coast Guard Auxiliary
facility Carol D from
Flotilla 9-10 runs
perimeter security for
the 165- foot World War
II Coast Guard Cutter
Mohawk, as it is towed
under the Matanzas
Bridge near Fort Myers
Beach. The Carol D’s
crew is Dan Godfrey,
coxswain; Dick Huczek,
and Jack Salis crew, all
members of Flotilla 9-10,
Fort Myers/Cape Coral
Florida.
The Mohawk, which was
commissioned in 1935,
saw action in the Atlantic
as a convoy escort and is
credited with engaging
14 German U-boats in
battle. After the war
it was declared surplus
material and was sold to
a private company which
used it as a pilot boat on
the Delaware River for
over thirty years. Most
recently, it became the
property of the Miami-
Dade Historic Maritime
Museum Inc. However,
maintaining the vessel
became too expensive
and it was donated to Lee
County.
Utilizing a grant from
the West Coast Inland
Navigation District, the
county had the vessel towed from Key West to the
Fort Myers area. It will be stripped of all hazardous
material and, in July of 2012, it will be sunk 16
miles off Sanibel Island in about 60 feet of water.
Its final resting place will serve as an artificial reef
and a veteran’s memorial. County officials believe
it will attract tourism dollars from divers and from
fishermen who will be drawn to the site.
For some, the scuttling of the vessel will be a sad
passing for such a gallant ship. Others recognize that,
as an artificial reef, the Mohawk will live on to serve
man and marine life for another 80 years. Ω

30
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
Service Beyond the Call of Duty
By Dudley Davis, District Staff Officer-Operations, D7
CLEARWATER, Fla.—On a Tuesday morning in
April, the Auxiliary facility that was scheduled to be the
target and pickup boat for an HC-130 Hercules aircraft
drops suffered a mechanical failure. This wouldn’t
normally be a tragedy since the mission would just have
been cancelled and training for the Air Station Clearwater
pilots and crew would be rescheduled for another
day. However, during that week, the Air Station personnel
were going through their biannual Standardization
(STAN) Team flight checks. For those who have
never experienced one, think of it as a super Qualification
Examiner (QE) recertification. Since these drops
and flights were vital for the Air Station crew and pilots
to maintain their qualifications, cancellation was not an
option.
At the same time that Tuesday, Ed Kasper, coxswain,
aboard his Auxiliary facility Ghost was at Coast Guard
Station Sand Key as the training boat. He and his crew
were scheduled to undergo a vigorous Ready for Operations
(AUX-RFO) evaluation by CWO Morgan Dudley,
Commanding Officer. Mr. Dudley attempts to get
all the Auxiliary crew and facilities evaluated prior to
the start of the active search and rescue (SAR) season.
When Ed and his crew learned of the Air Station dilemma,
they agreed to postpone their AUX-RFO examination
and perform the
STAN Team patrol instead.
They agreed even though
they had never participated
in a Hercules drop mission
before. They had heard stories
from the crews and coxswains
who have been doing
these missions for years now,
but they were newcomers to
the experience, themselves.
To accomplish this mission,
they had to travel north almost
20 miles to pick up the
Air Station ground crew and
then transit out about six
miles into the Gulf of Mex-
Continued on page 31

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 31
Continued from previous page
ico. Once there, they stood
by in two to three foot seas
while two Hercules aircraft
dropped flares and bags
simulating rafts and pumps
near their position, and then
picked up these bags with
over 200 feet of line between
each one. They then had to
reverse the trip: return from
the Gulf of Mexico, offload
the wet and heavy bags at
the boat ramp, drop off
the ground crew and travel
about 20 miles south back
to Station Sand Key.
The crew aboard Ghost certainly
showed what the
Auxiliary is made up of
– devotion to duty and a
willingness to adapt and go
beyond what is expected.
Bravo Zulu to Ed and Teresa
Kasper, Harry Bickford
and Rob Mancuso, the crew
aboard Ghost from Flotilla
11-1, Clearwater. Ω
Photographs
Previous page, top:
CLEARWATER, Fla.-The crew of the Ghost photographs one of two HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Air Station
Clearwater preparing to drop flares and bags to the Auxiliary vessel standing by below about six miles into the
Gulf.
Previous page, below: Ed Kasper, coswain aboard the Ghost, at the helm as the Auxiliary vessel and its crew heads
out into the Gulf to participate in the HC-130 Hercules aircraft biannual Standardization (STAN) Team flight
checks.
This page, top: The Ghost and its crew spots one of the loads dropped by the HC-130 Hercules aircraft.
Below: The Auxiliary vessel Ghost and its crew tow a disabled vessel near Clearwater. The crew is Ed and Teresa
Kasper, Harry Bickford and Rob Mancuso. Photographs provided by Karen Miller, Staff Officer-Member
Training and Publications Division 11

32
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
Betty Underwood Wins local Thomas Jefferson Award for 2012
Article and photos submitted by Arthur Lloyd Slepian, FSO-PB/PA 51
PALM BEACHES, Fla.—If you get an e-mail from
Betty Underwood, be sure to read the six words at
the bottom of the page. “One Person, One World, One
Chance.” It’s Betty’s message.
The creator of what has come to be called the Marine
Debris/Garbage Game in the 2012 Auxiliary National
Supply Center Catalog says she was looking for a way
to bring her message to future environmentalists. She
specifically had five and six-year-old children in mind
because they are “the ones who could make a difference.
They are the ones who can influence their parents and
grandparents.”
But Betty, who served as Flotilla 51’s Marine Safety
staff officer during 2010 and 2011, wanted to find a visual
way to reach the children. “I needed something they
could interact with,” says Betty. “I needed a game.”
The shape of the game, which she called Trolling for
Trash, began in 2009 with a comment to her husband.
After saying she needed a “portable ocean” to make her
point with the children, her husband said, “Make one.”
So, she did.
“I went into the bedroom and pulled a plastic sweater
storage box from under the bed,” Betty says. After emptying
the box and deciding to give the sweaters to a
charitable organization, she had the beginning of her
ocean.
Although it was 11 p.m., her husband, Jim, started
painting the bottom of the box beige. Betty went over
the seawall near her home in Stuart and came back with
a bag of sand. The sand was sprinkled on the wet paint
and became the ocean floor. An artist friend volunteered
to paint the inside of the box to look like an ocean.
“We have waves and fish, and boats and birds,” Betty
says. “Yes, we have an ocean.”
Unfortunately, these days, an ocean needs trash to be realistic.
“We took the wheels off a toy car, hot-glued a
magnet to the tire and threw it in the ocean.” Small
tin cans, paper cups and small plastic bottles – all
with magnets – were added. Shells, coral, plastic fish,
small boats and turtles – all without magnets – came
next.
“Kids love to fish, so Jim took some dowels and
made fishing poles, with magnets at the end of the
lines instead of hooks. We now had a great teaching
tool that was fun,” Betty says. “The kids got it. Trash
does not belong in the ocean.”
Most recently, the game was used at the Port Salerno
Seafood Festival where teachers and Scout leaders
told Betty they were going to build one for their
own use.
“It works. We get great response from the kids and
I feel as though I have a whole flotilla helping me
clean up the beach,” Betty says. “This simple game
truly promotes environmental stewardship. Education
is the key – the game allows us to engage, educate
and inspire the next generation of environmentalists.”
In addition to becoming an item in the Auxiliary
National Supply Catalog, Betty’s initiative resulted
in her winning the Auxiliary Achievement Medal,
Continued on page 33

Continued from page 33
the Auxiliary’s second highest award.
During the Division 5 Change of Watch ceremony in
December of 2011, Capt. Christopher Scraba, Commander,
Coast Guard Sector Miami, presented Betty
with the Achievement Medal. The citation recognizes
Betty’s “exceptional vision,” noting that the game plays
a key role in emphasizing “vigilance in environmental
preservation among the boating public.” But the awards
did not end there. Betty Underwood won a local Thomas
Jefferson Award for 2012, the prestigious national
recognition system honoring community and public
service in America. The Jefferson Awards are presented
on two levels: national and local. They began in 1972 to
create the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for public service.
Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a “Call to
Action for Volunteers” in local communities.
The Jefferson Awards has more than 150 media part-
Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 33
ners in more than 90 communities across the country.
A local panel of judges selects the winners at the grass
roots. These media partners are major local newspapers,
television and radio stations. Most media partners
honor a volunteer monthly or weekly. Some honor five
or six at an annual ceremony. From each community,
the Jefferson Awards Board selects one local winner to
represent their community and be honored as part of
the National Ceremonies in Washington, D.C., in June.
Betty will be in Washington to accept her award.Ω
Build Your Own Game
Betty’s original Trolling for Trash game is still
in her possession and is still in use.
Betty’s game can be found listed on page 14 of
the 2012 Auxiliary National Supply Center catalog.
The description says: “Travel Trunk, Marine
Debris/Garbage Game – (e.g. toy fishing poles,
marine debris, watershed charts, marine debris
fact sheet, etc. (W-18” .. D-9” .. H-21”) Wt. 15
lbs. on wheels”
But, you can build your own.
Here are Betty’s instructions:
1. Get a 34-in. by 16-in. by 6-in. plastic
under-the-bed storage box.
2. Paint the inside of the box blue to look like
an ocean.
3. Sprinkle sand on the bottom and place
shells, coral etc.
4. Hot-glue small magnets on “trash” such
as small paper cups, bottle caps, small tin cans,
etc.
5. Make a fishing pole from a dowel
and tie a string for the line, with a
magnet on the end instead of a hook.
PALM BEACHES, Fla.—While Betty Underwood
had five and six year-olds in mind when creating the
Trolling for Trash Game, younger children – and their
parents – enjoy the game as well.
The plastic box costs about $12 at mass merchandise
stores or home centers. A 48-in. dowel,
cut in half, will make two poles for less than $1.
String and magnets from a craft store will cost
about $3. Sea shells and trash are free. The game
costs less than $20.

34
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
Puerto Rico’s Ready-Set-Wear It:
Helping to Set a New World Record for the Second Year in a Row
By Lourdes R. Oliveras, Assistant District Staff Officer-Public Affairs-South
GUAYNABO, PUERTO RICO – Coast Guard Auxiliary
Flotilla 1-10 San Juan organized and sponsored, for
the second year in a row, the “Ready-Set-Wear It” event
on May 19, 2012, in the flotilla’s Public Affairs booth at
the San Patricio Plaza Shopping Center in Guaynabo,
Puerto Rico, as part of the 2012 National Safe Boating
Week Activities. Ready-Set-Wear
It is a National event sponsored by the
National Safe Boating Council, in partnership
with the Canadian Safe Boating
Council. Forty-one participants, nineteen
of them Auxiliarists from Flotilla
1-10 San Juan, including Jose Caban,
Flotilla Commander, other members
of Division-1 Puerto Rico, along with
Boy Scout Troop 304 San Ignacio Academy-San Juan,
some local children and adults participated by gathering
around the booth wearing life jackets. The event is
intended both to increase awareness about life jacket
wear and to break the world record set last year for the
number of people wearing life jackets on the same date,
worldwide. Other organizations and
private sector sponsors gathered
across the United States, Canada,
Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico,
United Kingdom, US Virgin Islands
and Puerto Rico to participate
in “Ready-Set-Wear It,” timed to
kick off 2012 National Safe Boating
Week. Ω

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 35
VENICE, Fla.— Members of Flotilla 86
in Venice, Fla., teamed up with the Venice
Sail and Power Squadron, Girl Scouts
USA, the Venice Fire Department, Venice
Police Department cadets, Marine Max
of Venice and members of the community
for this year’s Ready Set Wear It event
on March 19, 2012. While 82 persons
registered for the event, several more
– and two dogs – donned life jackets
for this national event staged at the old
Venice Circus Train Depot and dock.
Photo by Walter Jennings, Flotilla 86
Venice, Florida
may 19, 2012
Several Divisions throughout District
7, from the Virgin Islands to South
Carolina and Georgia, participated in
Ready Set Wear It. Some were first time
or small events while others boasted
record-breaking attendance.
Above: FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—
Division 3 hosted an event in the Fort
Lauderdale area and offered Vessel Safety
Checks. Photo by Brian Lichtenstein.
Left: FORT PIERCE, Fla.—The largest
event on record in Florida, Division 5
boasted 85 participants that included
Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary,
and members of the general public.
Photo by Gary Barth, Division
Commander 5

36
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
ATLANTA, Ga.— Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia signs the
proclamation declaring May 19-25 National Safe Boating Week.
Participating in the ceremony are, from left: Homer Bryson,
Deputy Commissioner, Department of Natural Resources (DNR);
Ed McGill, State Liaison Officer, United States Coast Guard
Auxiliary; Major Walter Rabon, Law Enforcement, DNR; Lt.
Colonel Jeff Weaver, Assistant Chief of Law Enforcement, DNR;
Governor Nathan Deal; Roy Crittenden, Division 2 Public Affairs
Officer, USCG Auxiliary; Loren Emery, Division 2 Commander,
USCG Auxiliary; Glenn LaBoda, Executive Officer, U.S. Power
Squadron (Atlanta Sail and Power Squadron); Mark Williams,
Commissioner, DNR. Photo by Mrs. Loren Emery II, Civilian,
Georgia Army National Guard.

Volume LVIII Issue 2 Summer 2012 37
From governors to beauty queens and from safety
booths to Vessel Safety Checks, District 7 Auxiliarists
did whatever it took to spread the boating safety
message!
SAINT CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands—
Deidre DuBois, Miss Frederiksted, reacts
with surprise when Lee Elvins, Division
Commander 16, snaps the cord to inflate her
life jacket. A myriad of events took place
throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hosts
and participants included the Coast Guard
Sector San Juan, Air Station Borinquen in
Aguadilla, Coast Guard Auxiliary Division
16, Virgin Island Department of Planning
and Natural Resources, Virgin Islands’
Police Blue Lightening Task Force, National
Guard, Hovensa, Marines, Air Force and
Army, members of the Golden Hook Fishing
Club, and the St. Croix Power Squadron.
The division received donations that
allowed them to give away 100 life jackets to
children. Photo by St Croix News
TAMPA, Fla.—Bruce Wright, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist, United States Coast Guard, and Stacey
Wright, member of Flotilla 6-11 Miami Beach, came to Tampa for the National Safe Boating Week events
scheduled at Flotilla 79 Tampa. In addition to having the BAT-PAK on hand for the Ready Set Wear It life
jacket event, the flotilla staged a Vessel Safety Check blitz at the docks on Gandy Boulevard. Pictured is the
front of the Vessel Examination station with Darren Hart, Larry Ivey and Ernie Costa performing Vessel
Examinations. Photo by Dottie Riley

38
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 Breeze
D-TRAIN 2012
District Seven Training Meeting
Sept. 19-23, 2012
Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront Hotel
333 1st St S, Saint Petersburg, Florida, 33701-4342,
Phone: 1-727-894-5000
Come for the Learning! Come for the Fun!