2011 - USCGAUX District 7

4 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7From the BridgeJohn TysonDistrict Chief of StaffWhen I was younger,my grandmotherwould tell me shethought some peoplejust needed to “stickto their knitting.” Thatwas a nice way forgrandma to say shethought their attentionshould be on moreimportant things. Over the years, I learned that grandmawas seldom wrong about such matters.As Auxiliarists, we sometimes hear our shipmates suggestthe need for a new activity or program. Some ofthose suggestions are good and offer exciting opportunity;others remind us of grandma’s advice about stickingto our knitting. But thank heaven we have some Auxiliarygrandmas (in the form of our longer-serving members)who help us stay focused on our missions of promotingrecreational boating safety, supporting the CoastGuard in maintaining the safety and security of our citizens,and providing educational programs to the boatingpublic. Each of these missions is supported by goalsand strategies outlined in the 2011-2012 District StrategicPlan. By “sticking to our knitting” when it comes tofulfilling our missions and goals, we will remain the mostproductive district in the Auxiliary.So, where are we in meeting our goals at the mid-pointof the year? Well, I am pleased I can say that throughthe diligent work of our district’s nearly 6,000 memberswe are off to a great start. Our flotillas, with leadershipfrom 125 flotilla and division Human Resource officers,have done a super job recruiting new members. Districtmembership is up a net six percent so far this year, andif we continue recruiting at the current pace and holddisenrollments and retirements at or below their currentlevel, we will meet our 2011 goal of a 10 percent growthin membership. To ensure that result, we need everyone’shelp in keeping our newer members engaged inproductive activities while also letting our longer-servingmembers know how much we appreciate their uniqueskills, knowledge, and service.In the first half of this year, there were many other significantaccomplishments. Our Auxiliary Sector Coordinatorsand Auxiliary Aviation Coordinators did a great job(Continued on page 5)Glenn Leroy from Flotilla 79 Tampaconducts a Vessel Safety Checkduring NSBW. During the first sixmonths of 2011, D7 accomplished asizable increase in the number ofVessel Examiners and ProgramVisitors. Our Vessel Examinersconducted an impressive 18,000plus Vessel Safety Checks. Photoby Jeff Young

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 5helping their Sector and Air Station Operational Plannersbetter understand and utilize Auxiliary capabilitiesand assets. This has led to greater tasking for the Auxiliary,and is reflected in the more than 14,000 hours ofDirect Operational Support to Coast Guard units providedin the first half of the year. An additional 31,000hours were provided by operational missions, duringwhich district Auxiliarists saved 11 lives and assisted165 persons. Those achievements should make us allvery proud!During the first six months, D7 accomplished a sizableincrease in the number of Vessel Examiners and ProgramVisitors. Our Vessel Examiners conducted an impressive18,000 plus Vessel Safety Checks, and ProgramVisitors made over 7,000 visits to recreationalboating safety Partners and marine dealers. ThoseSafety Checks and Partner visits, together with the NationalSafe Boating Week programs conducted by nearlyall units, made a major contribution to meeting the districtAuxiliary’s goal of reducing boating accidents andfatalities by five percent a year.There were other achievements such as the streamliningof several work processes and the resolution ofproblems with AUXDATA (Auxiliary database maintainedby the Coast Guard) and Patrol Order ManagementSystem (POMS). The benefit of those actions willbecome more and more apparent as the year progresses.Also completed was the first step in meeting a goalof standardizing the district’s leadership training. TheFlotilla Leadership Training road show and an AMLOC(mid-level leadership) course were completed in the firsthalf, and courses offering advanced leadership skillstraining and flotilla planning will be conducted at the DistrictConference.And speaking of the District Conference, which willbegin September 22 in Jacksonville, CommodoreJaskiewicz and I hope all our D7 shipmates will considerattending. The agenda will be posted on the DistrictSeven Auxiliary website shortly, and the Conference willoffer training opportunities for everyone. If you plan togo, make your reservations early as meeting space andhotel rooms can fill quickly.Again, thank you for your service, hard work and contributionto getting D7 off to a great start for the year. Ilook forward to visiting with many of you at the Conference.ΩJohn TysonDistrict Chief of StaffCommodore Donald FraschImmediate Past District CommodoreDeputy National CommodoreOperations Policy and Atlantic Area EastI cannot believe it isalready June, sixmonths since I handedthe reins of D7over to COMO Jaskiewicz.I also cannotbelieve how busy Ihave been in my newjob. Since taking overas Deputy NationalCommodore, OperationsPolicy and AtlanticEast, I've attendeda National Change of Watch, four District TrainingConferences, a National Executive Committee meeting,a District Seven Executive Committee meeting, athree-day meeting with the Atlantic East(LANTAREA) Commander and his Deputy, and aLANTAREA Commanding Officer and CommandMaster Chief Conference. I'm tired, but have enjoyedit tremendously.The good part of all this is that I get to experiencehow the other four districts in Atlantic Area-East operate.I can tell you all that D7 does not take a backseat to anyone. You are the best of the best!In April I had the pleasure of attending the D7 ExecutiveCommittee meeting in Jacksonville. What impressedme was how well your new Bridge has cometogether as a unit, all pulling in the same direction.They have gotten over the fright of putting together anew team and staff, have gotten to know and trusteach other, and are truly committed to your successas a district. I have no question or hesitation thatthey, with your support, will be wildly successful.Moving forward, I ask you to do three things: 1. Alwayskeep a positive attitude 2. Always do the rightthing 3. Take care of each other. I guarantee you thatif you do these three things, your Auxiliary experiencewill be fantastic.ΩSemper ParatusDon

6 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7District Captain NorthRobert Weskerna, DCAPT-NDistrict Captain North’s Excellent AdventuresOne of the bestparts of fulfilling theduties of a DistrictCaptain is on occasion,to attend DivisionMeetingsaround one’s area.Since my previousposting in the Breeze, I have traveled to a numberof divisions, and this article reflects a small part ofwhat I have observed and learned. My thanks tothe six outstanding Division Commanders and DivisionVice Commanders from the north; you renewmy sense of pride in this organization by the dedicationand energy that you give every day to yourmembers and to the Auxiliary.This odyssey began in early February with a visit to Cocoa,Florida and Division 17. It was great to visit withGeorge Peek, Division 17 Commander, Carl Motes, hisDivision Vice Commander, and the many members attendingthat meeting. As is often the case, the story ofone young member caught my attention for his extraordinaryefforts. The member who caught my attentionwas Wagner Nolasco, Flotilla Vice Commander 17-11.Wagner’s unusual activities included developing andimplementing an About Boating Safely (ABS) class inSpanish. National and D7 offices approved this feat, andthis effort, as I understand it, resides in our E-library.Both Wagner and associate Richard Navas of Flotilla 17-11 took to the airwaves and were able to get the wordout to the Hispanic Community to promote their course.They also ran notices in local Hispanic newspapers.Great job, and Wagner’s story continues.On March 19, while sitting in on Division 14’s regularlyscheduled meeting, Captain Andy Blomme, SectorCommander of Sector Jacksonville, presented the CoastTop of page: COCOA, Fla.—Wagner Nolasco, Flotilla ViceCommander 17-11 (at far right), Richard Navas (to hisright) and friends at radio station to promote the flotilla’sAbout Boating Safely class in Spanish. Photo provided byW. NolascoLeft: JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Captain Andy Blomme, CommanderSector Jacksonville, presents the MeritoriousTeam Commendation to the Division 14 Honor Guard,March 19, 2011. From right are William Sekeres, Director ofthe Division 14 Honor Guard and Vice Commander Division14, David Hensel, Scott Thomas, CAPT AndyBlomme, Tom Hayden, Commander Division 14, and LTJGGrant Johnson, Auxiliary Liaison Sector Jacksonville. Notpresent were Honor Guard members, Paul Davis and DavidGreen. Photo by Robert Weskerna

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 7Left: CHARLESTON, S.C.— Warren Wilson, Ted Phillips and Ron Goldenberg at an Auxiliary Sector Coordinator meeting at SectorCharleston in March 2011. Right: At the same meeting, Bruce Lindsay, Chief of Prevention, looks on as Everbridge ‘guru’ JohnVanosdol, Flotilla 21, lectures the group about the Auxiliary Incident Management System (AIMS). Photos by Robert WeskernaGuard Meritorious Team Commendation to the SectorJacksonville Auxiliary Honor Guard.The actual citation was thoughtfully written, saying inpart, “…Sector Jacksonville active duty and Auxiliarypersonnel worked together seamlessly for extensiveplanning, preparation, and execution of the rigid militarystandards necessary to ensure proper honors were renderedfor all events.” You can see the pride in DivisionCommander Hayden’s body language as he listens tothis fine honor read, including the team’s participation in15 Military Funeral Honors, the presentation of colors atthree Jacksonville Jaguars National Football Leaguegames, and on and on. A terrific accomplishment and itis ongoing as I write this.On March 22, I attended an Auxiliary Sector Coordinator(ASC) meeting at Sector Charleston. At this meeting,representatives from Divisions 2, 10, and 12 attended,with Ron Goldenberg, Auxiliary Sector Coordinator(ASC) Charleston (now retired as ASC) at the helm.About Ron Goldenberg… It wasn’t too many years afterI got involved in the Auxiliary at the District level that Ifirst met Ron Goldenberg in his capacity as Rear CommodoreNorth, now referred to as District Captain North.My first impressions of Goldenberg were very positive.Here was a thoughtful, soft spoken, articulate, and veryintelligent individual. I have worked with Goldenbergmany times over the years, but mostly in his capacity asASC Charleston. His temperament is as steady as theycome, and I will miss his thoughtful advice and warmfriendship. Best of luck in your new “digs”, Ron.A second candid shot from this same ASC meeting atCharleston shows our Chief of Prevention, Bruce Lindsey,looking on as Everbridge guru John Vanosdol, Flotilla21, lectures the group about the Auxiliary IncidentManagement System (AIMS). Everbridge is slowly becominga fact of life for the Auxiliary. Vanosdol has traveledto Sector Charleston to instruct Division 12 membersabout this system a number of times and provedhimself to be very patient and extremely well versed onthis subject. Lindsey seems very comfortable assistinghim.On April 16 I sat in on a Division 10 (coastal Georgia)meeting. Standing in the photo at right is Commander(Continued on page 8)SAVANNAH, Ga.—Warren Wilson, Division Commander 10 (athead of table), listens attentively as CDR Lonnie Harrison, Commanderof Marine Safety Unit Savannah, makes his final presentationto the Division 10 members on April 16, 2011. Photo by RobertWeskerna

8 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7District Captain North’s Excellent Adventures, continuedMYRTLE BEACH, S.C.—Flotilla 12-4Central Grand Strand is chartered onApril 30, 2011. CAPT Michael White,Commander, Sector Charlestonswore in the flotilla’s members. Photoby Robert WeskernaBelow: CHARLESTON, S.C.—CAPTWhite, Commander Sector Charlestonand Commodore Walter Jaskiewicz,D7, flank Walter Spall, elected as thenew flotilla’s first commander. Betweenthem, they hold out the flotilla’scharter. Photo by Ron ForemanLonnie Harrison from Marine Safety UnitSavannah. Warren Wilson, Division Commander10, listened attentively as CDRHarrison made his final presentation to theDivision 10 members attending that morning.CDR Harrison is well liked and a goodfriend to the Auxiliarists of Division 10.It is always an occasion to mark when anew flotilla becomes chartered. On April 30,the latest flotilla to be born (at least in Division12) is Flotilla 12-4. Sector CharlestonCommander, Captain Mike White, swore inthe members of Flotilla 12-4 Central GrandStrand.The final chapter in my article was a bigevent for Division 12 and a fitting end to my odyssey.This is a success story for Flotilla 12-6 East Cooper,which through the heroic efforts of flotilla members FestusBurchfield, Barbara Burchfield, and with the invaluablehelp of Ron Foreman, Flotilla Commander 12-6,more than 26 members from around South Carolina andone member from Georgia attended the Auxiliary BoatCrew and Coxswain training program.With Festus Burchfield as the organizer, manager, anddeveloper of the syllabus—and more, this program begantheir training on March 5 and completed the finalQualification Examination on May 25. Training tookplace every Saturday at Station Charleston with studentstraveling to attend from Augusta, Aiken, Columbia,Lake Marion, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, Edisto, andCharleston. The objectives of this training program wereto increase proficiency through the standardization ofboat crew training personal qualification standards(PQS). All who completed this course passed their QualifyingExamination. Having active duty Coast Guard instructorsinterlaced with Auxiliarists provided both thestudents and Coast Guard members a great opportunityto gain mutual familiarity, recognition and respect.The adventures continue next time. Ω

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 9

10 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7District Captain WestMelvin Manning, DCAPT-WThree flotillas celebratedtheir 50th anniversarythis year. Flotilla 87,Englewood, Florida wasestablished Jan 7, 1961.Flotilla 98, Charlotte Harbor,Florida was establishedMay 19, 1961, andFlotilla 7-16 in Gulfport,Florida stood up on May22, 1961. Appropriateceremonies were heldincluding receiving the 50th Anniversary Certificate andunit flag banner. Flotilla 75, Ruskin, Florida, which waschartered on December 28, 1960, received their 50thAnniversary Certificate and flag banner at the Division 7meeting on April 16, 2011 in Tampa, Florida.The Auxiliary Chef (AUXCHEF) program arrived on thewest coast of Florida with a bang. Paulette Parent, ViceCommander Division 8 was appointed point-of-contactby the District Captain-West to plan and organizeAUXCHEF classes. Budget constraints, lack of instructorsand suitable facilities provided significant challenges.With the support of the District Bridge, Auxiliary SectorCoordinator - St. Petersburg, Sector St. Petersburg,and most notability Air Station Clearwater, the programlaunched with its first class at Air Station Clearwater onApril 16. Elizabeth Gallagher, imported from Flotilla 45Sanford, Florida, Toni Borman, Flotilla 84 Sarasota, andParent conducted the class. To date, they taught threeclasses with Parent and Borman as instructors and severalothers including Jeff Lawlor, Flotilla 11-1, who completedthe requirements to become an instructor. Overthirty students from all divisions in the west completedthe course. They will augment the food services staff ofthe Coast Guard at Sector St. Petersburg, Air StationClearwater, on-board Cutters, and at various small boatstations. Air Station Clearwater provided the training facilities,staff, and food for the classes. Along the way,Parent was appointed Assistant District Staff Officer-Human Resources, Auxiliary Chef Program (ADSO-HRAUXCHEF D7).For several years, boat crews, mainly from Division 11,supported HC-130 Hercules aircraft pilot training byproviding surface vessels and crews to deploy with personnelfrom Air Station Clearwater aboard in the Gulf ofMexico to serve as “targets” and retrieve rescue itemssuch as pumps and life rafts dropped during Aerial DeliverySystem (ADS) training. Until February of this year,these missions were all conducted during daylight hours.TARPON SPRINGS, Fla.—A 47-foot MotorLife Boat from Station Sand Key arrivesat the Tarpon Springs Boat Docks onJune 24, 2011 to participate in a NationalSafe Boating Week public informationevent planned by Flotilla 11-9 TarponSprings, Fla. Constantine Beyko, memberof Flotilla 11-9, keeps the children watchingtheir arrival at a safe distance. Photoby Darren Hart, Flotilla Staff Officer-Publications, Flotilla 11-9 Tarpon Springs.

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 11TAMPA, Fla.—National Safe Boating Week activities were most successful throughout District 7-West. Flotilla 79 Tampa participated inReady Set Inflate, an event sponsored by the National Safe Boating Council and its partners to promote life jacket wear and to set a newrecord for the number of life jackets inflated at the same time, world-wide. Tampa City Councilman Harry Cohen (center front), members ofCoast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 79 and other Division Seven flotillas, Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commissionand the public participated in the event on May 21, timed to kick off National Safe Boating Week. Flotilla 79 ranked first for the numberof participants within District 7 and third nation-wide for all events recorded. Photo by Jeff Young, Jeff Young PhotographyThe Air Operations Officer at the Air Station proposedto the Auxiliary Sector Coordinator (ASC) that night exercisesbe included. The first night mission was successfullyconducted on February 22. With the approvalof the Air Operations Officer and the Commanding Officerof Station Sand Key, the Auxiliary is now supportingHercules ADS drop training every Thursday night inthe Gulf of Mexico.National Safe Boating Week (NSBW) continued as ahighlight event of the year. Commencing on May 21,divisions and flotillas participated in boat parades, publicexhibits, and vessel examination blitzes. Specialboating safety classes were offered. Cities and countiesat council and commission meetings issued NSBWrecognition proclamations. Representatives from Auxiliaryunits received these proclamations. Coast GuardStations provided surface vessels for static displays anddockside public boardings. Air Station Clearwaterstaged flyovers at several events with Hercules aircraftand MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters. Several newspaperarticles appeared featuring Auxiliary NSBW activitiesand coverage on television news programs as well asboating and fishing oriented programs were widespreadthrough the west area. The positive impact of theNSBW effort is immeasurable, however, increased attendanceat boating safety classes, overall attention tosafety on and around the water, and decreases in recreationalboating accidents that result in injuries and deathare the ultimate goal.The Hurricane Griffin functional exercise was conductedby the Coast Guard from May 19-25, 2011. This year,pursuant to the 2011 Hurricane Personnel AccountabilityPolicy Guidance for D7, the responsibility of accountingfor Auxiliarists was delegated to the Sectors. CAPTSheryl Dickinson, Commander Sector St. Petersburg,attended the regular District Captain and Division Commandermeeting at Sector St. Petersburg on May 2.Guidelines were established to account for Auxiliarists inthe Sector’s area of responsibility. A validated list ofAuxiliarists for whom accountability is required was preparedfor the Sector and the divisions. During the exercise,each flotilla contacted the listed Auxiliarists andreported the results to the Exercise Coordinator at SectorSt. Petersburg via the chain of leadership. A 99%accountability success rate was achieved. The guidelinesdeveloped are in effect throughout the hurricaneseason. Ω

12 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7District Captain EastJ. P. Feighery, Jr., DCAPT-EBoating is a year roundactivity in the east areaof responsibility andawareness to boatingsafety is a never-endingmarathon of the six divisionsthat make upTeam East.I am proud that all sixdivisions turned the marathoninto a sprint over the course of National SafeBoating Week (NSBW). From Fort Pierce to Key West,from San Juan to Ponce and from St. Thomas to St.John, members of Team East were busy pursuing oneof the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary’s primarymissions: Safe Boating.The Flotillas of Division 1, Puerto Rico, had boatingsafety booths in many locations and participated in the“Ready-Set-Inflate” event in conjunction with partneragencies. Division 1 drove home the importance ofwearing life jackets no matter what manner of boatingyou participate in.Division 3, Broward and South Palm Beach counties,hosted open houses at flotilla facilities, conducted weeklongVessel Examination blitzes and Boating Safetybooths including a booth at the Hillsboro Lighthousewhich was open for a public tour.Division 5, Palm Beach and Martin counties, Floridacontinued the long tradition of open houses at StationsFt. Pierce and Lake Worth Inlet. Florida Wildlife Commission,Customs and Border Patrol and the Palm Beach andMartin County Sheriff Departments were just a few ofthe partner agencies who participated in these events.The highlight of each event was a demonstration by AirStation Miami of how Coast Guard helicopters and rescueswimmers work with surface facilities.Division 6, Miami Dade county, Florida held severalevents which focused on youthful boaters. Division 6personnel conducted a Boating Skills and Seamanshipcourse at South Ridge Senior High school and held agraduation ceremony for the 80 students who participated.Personnel from Station Miami Beach and the FloridaWildlife Commission supported the graduation. Two Division6 flotillas combined efforts to present a YouthSafe Boating program to 200 participants. The programconsisted of a three-hour classroom presentation andthen two hours of outdoor “hands on” activities. With thehelp of Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, the divisionheld a media event at Miami’s Bayside Marina and Mall.Speakers included United States Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and Captain Chris Scraba, Commanding OfficerSector Miami. At the conclusion of the formal ceremonies,the USCGC Dolphin was open for public tours.Division 13, the Florida Keys, marches to the beat of adifferent drum. By the time NSBW rolls around, boatingactivity in the Keys slows down as many residents returnnorth for the summer months. However, the summermigration does not stop Division 13 members frompromoting boating safety. The Division continues to focusenergy on paddlecraft safety and cautioning theboaters on the dangers of boating in shallow water.Division 16, U.S. Virgin Islands was full speed aheadduring National Safe Boating Week. Flotillas collaboratedwith the National Park Service at the Park ServicesVisitors Center in St. John to talk about boating safetyand to give tours of National Park Service vessels. In St.Thomas, a cutter was available for public tours and flotillamembers conducted life jacket and fire fighting demos.The St. Croix Flotilla collaborated with the ParkService and local police and fire services for a daylongevent that culminated with a Coast Guard Helo rescuedemonstration courtesy of Air Station Borinquen.I want to congratulate all of Team East on a job welldone. Lives will be saved as a result of your efforts duringNSBW 2011 and well into the future. ΩBravo Zulu.

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 13Highlights of National Safe Boating Week activities throughout District 7.Division 1 Puerto Rico -participated in Ready-Set-Inflate on May 21. Seepage 19 for full story.Photo by Gladimar MolinaDivision 5 Florida’s Treasure and Gold Coast-held many events (May 14 at Station Fort Pierce and May 21at Station Lake Worth) including Vessel Safety Checks,information booths, Coast Guard aerial demonstrations, theBatPak, and special appearances by Coastie and Sammy theSea Otter, seen here with Terry Barth. Photo by Gary BarthDivision 3 Boca Raton to Miami Dade FloridaReady-Set-Inflate opened the division’s NationalSafe Boating Week activities at John U. Lloyd Park,Dania Beach, Florida. Members participatingincluded from left: Brian Lichtenstein, Don Banas,Bob Hackney, Glenn Wiltshire, Jan Cox, Ed Duda,Dave Cox, Rita Lasser, Joe Aleba, John Narducciand Bill Hanlon. Photo by Marie DudaVarious National Safe Boating Week activities are highlighted throughout this issue. Our Prevention andPublic Affairs Officers spend months in preparation and planning for this annual event. The time and effortinvested in this event deserve recognition!

14 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Logistics DirectorateJames Dennen, DDC-L D7COMO James E. Vass,USCG Auxiliary NationalCommodore, and theNational Executive Committeeestablished a DistrictStaff Officer-Diversity (DSO-DV) positionfor all United StatesCoast Guard AuxiliaryDistricts. COMO WalterJaskiewicz, District7Commodore, appointedBruce L. Perri to the positionof DSO-DV D7.Staff officer positions at the division and flotilla levelshave not yet been authorized. However, division andflotilla commanders are encouraged to appoint a"Diversity Advisor" for each unit. The position is notmandatory but is highly recommended. When each divisionand flotilla commander appoints a "Diversity Advisor",please provide Perri with the name, unit, address,telephone number, and e-mail address of the appointee.Perri will forward information about the diversity programto each appointee. Units are encouraged to accomplishthis task as soon as possible so that we canexpeditiously pursue this program. Please direct yourquestions to Perri.We cannot overemphasize the importance of this program.Admiral Papp, Commandant of the Coast Guard,has issued a "Diversity Policy Statement," which closeswith his statement, "I am personally committed to makingthe Coast Guard the Service of choice for all Americanswho seek to serve our Nation and its people.Achievement of this goal is an all-hands evolution."More information about the Diversity Program is availableon the Coast Guard Auxiliary National web page at:http://cgaux.org/leadership/diversity.phpThe District 7 Logistics Team consists of the followingDSOs: Tom Loughlin, Public Affairs, Angela Pomaro,Human Resources, Dottie Riley, Publications, TerryBarth, Materials, Nestor Tacoronte, Communication Services,Bruce Perri, Diversity, Sue Hastings, InformationSystems and Nestor Tacoronte, D7 Webmaster. Theyare the “best of the best” at what they do. ΩNext Practices in AchievingDiversity and InclusionBy Donald Lloyd, ANACO Diversity / InclusionThe Auxiliary has already created its Diversity PolicyStatement and strategic plan to develop diversity andinclusion initiatives throughout the organization. OurPlan addresses the purpose, vision, specific goals, andaction items toward managing diversity.Next, its incumbent upon the Auxiliary’s elected and appointedLeadership to incorporate and carry out our diversitypolicies and objectives into every aspect of theorganization’s functions and purpose. It is our Leaderswho’ll be expected to carry out an active role in implementingour diversity processes helping the Auxiliarymaintain the competitive edge as a volunteer organization;our actions will be aligned with the core values ofHonor, Respect and Devotion to Duty.Now is also the time to move beyond viewing diversityand inclusion as merely the numerical representation ofcertain groups. It’s time for a systematic application ofdiversity concepts to the business of our organization.Diversity and inclusion are business priorities of TeamCoast Guard and it takes people with diverse talentsand perspectives in an inclusive culture.What is Diversity and Inclusion?“Diversity includes all characteristics and experiencesthat define each of us as individuals.” A common misconceptionabout diversity is that only certain persons orgroups are included under its umbrella, when in fact,exactly the opposite is true. Diversity includes the entirespectrum of primary dimensions of an individual, includingRace, Ethnicity, Gender, Age, Religion, Disability,and Sexual orientation. Secondary dimensions commonlyinclude: communication style, work style, organizationalrole/level, economic status, and geographicorigin. It is a simple fact that each of us possessesunique qualities along each of these dimensions.Leadership CommitmentThe degree to which our leaders are actively involved inimplementing initiatives, taking ownership and communicatingthe vision will be a test of their leadership.

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 15Managers manage change, but best-inclassleaders create change by inspiringtheir members, they also recognize theimportance of diversity and inclusion beinginfused into all of the Auxiliary’s processes.Diversity and inclusion is both a top priorityand a personal responsibility for ourleaders.Empowering through LeadershipAs a part of our next practices, diversityand inclusion will not depend on a singleleader because it will be woven into thefabric of the way we will conduct business.And because our leaders willcome to understand that being competitiveon a global front requires full utilizationof the skills and talents of all ourmembers and potential members to betterserve and meet the needs of a diversecommunity.“Success will only be achieved throughinspired people operating in an environmentbased on mutual trust, respect,openness, candor, empowerment,teamwork, innovation, risk taking, integrity,and encouraging and valuing diversity.”AccountabilityA key element to ensuring thesuccess of any organizationalinitiatives especially diversityand inclusion is accountability.Accountability is achieved bymaking the appropriate leadersresponsible and ensuring that“everyone is on board” and activelyengaged in the diversityprocess.Bruce Perri receives the National Safe Boating Week Proclamation from PatriciaNorthey, Volusia County Council member District 5 in May 2011. Like many members,Perri wears several hats. Perri serves as both Staff Officer-Public Affairs Division 4,and Flotilla Staff Officer-Public Affairs 44. Photo provided by Bruce Perrimembers. Specific measures includedin the plan are: positiveresponses to member surveys,positive articles in publications,sustaining the reputation as a volunteerorganization of choice,improved representation of diversityat all levels, effective remedialaction when appropriate,awards, and other recognition.ΩWe will begin with a monitoringsystem to measure diversity andinclusion representation byfunction at all levels to: 1.) ensurea balanced workforce, and2.) strengthen the organization’sability to attract, retain, and developthe most highly qualified

16 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Response DirectorateRichard Leys, DDC-R D7The Response Department consists of four District Staff Officer positions: Aviation:Cecil Christopher, DSO-AV; Operations: Janee Henderson, DSO-OP; Communications:Joseph Colee Jr., DSO-CM; Navigation Services: David Cawton, DSO-NS.Each branch is proactive in their support to the Coast Guard and ready to respondwhen needed in such diverse areas as search and rescue, migrant interdiction support,weather related emergencies, watchstanding or a public event, includingproviding Auxiliary facilities on a stand-by status.In this issue, we highlight Auxiliary communications in an article by Joseph Colee,Jr., District Staff Officer-Communications.District 7 High FrequencyProgram By Joseph Colee, Jr., DSO-CM D7The District 7 high frequency program is goingstrong and we conduct a net every Tuesdaynight at 10:00 p.m. as well as on the first Sundayof every month at 5 p.m. Stations from asfar away as New York, Delaware, and Virginia,as well as some from the Midwest check in,and we are excited about having a high frequencystation in Puerto Rico. We tested digitalcommunications with stations in New York withfavorable results.High frequency (HF) uses short wave frequenciesand is the type radio used for long distancecommunications. By using HF, we cancommunicate with our entire district to includeFlorida, Georgia, South Carolina, the islands(Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), aswell as with other districts. We support theCoast Guard by supplementing their long distancecommunications. This is very important inan actual disaster such as a hurricane whereregular communications may be out.Anyone interested in participating should contactJoe Colee by email. ΩRight- Joseph Colee, Jr., District Staff Officer-Communications D7, participates in a net drill in hisvehicle dubbed the “staugmobile.” Photo provided byJoseph Colee, Jr.

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 17Safety Corner: Mishap ReportingBy Doug Hansen, District Flight Safety Officer/District Surface Safety OfficerReporting mishaps is one of the most overlooked responsibilitiesof any Auxiliary member. Unfortunately,many think that if no one gets hurt and nothing is damaged,it is not a mishap! The definition of ‘mishap’ is aminor mistake or accident and by this, a mishap can alsobe when procedures are not followed or an operationalrule gets broken. Close calls, near misses, and proceduralerrors are also reportable and this is often overlookedbecause there is an inherent fear of getting intotrouble for reporting a mishap.A mishap does not mean someone will be in trouble!The only times people may be held accountable arewhen procedures that they agreed to by virtue of theirdesignation were not followed and they tried to hide it.Members coming forward and admitting an errorfirsthand provides a chance at amnesty and the event istreated merely as a learning experience. Truth be told,there are very few instances where punitive actionshave resulted from mishap investigations of minor incidents.The reason is to promote reporting of mishapswithout fear of reprisal. Four big reasons to report mishaps:Review and refinement of procedural policies. Thenumber one reason for mishap reporting is to review existingpolicies and establish new policies to keep membersand facilities safe.Learn from others mistakes. Most mishaps are consideredFOUO (for official use only) which limits the numberof people who see the documents. In some caseswhere repeat incidents and bad practices arise, someincidents will have individual names removed and usedas examples in Team Coordination Training and CrewResource Management training. This allows the word tobe spread without embarrassing the individuals involved,and focuses on the corrective action to prevent a reoccurrence.Documentation of personnel injuries for future medicalcare. There are times when people get hurt, disregardit, or shake it off, then encounter medical problemslater on. Without the record of the incident, it becomesvery hard to support that member’s medical needs orlink the medical problem to a duty injury. Under14USC823a-b.7, while assigned to duty, members areable to receive medical care and compensation for injuriessustained during the course of duty.Documentation of damagefor reimbursement.Did you experience somedamage due to hitting thedock hard? Did personalequipment get ruined whileunderway? Code of Federalregulations 10USC2733covers compensation ofproperty, injury and accidentaldeath. Without amishap report to documentthe incident and damage,the owner will most likelyreceive nothing.In a few paragraphs quoted from ALCOAST message460/10 from Admiral Papp…“3. Safety is a 24/7 duty and state of mind. We as anorganization must continue to place safety at a premium.We will execute all missions the right way, the safe way,every time. We will extend this ethos beyond our placesof work to our off-duty time.“4. Promotion of safety both on-duty and off is in keepingwith my guiding principles of honoring our professionand respecting our shipmates. Safety requires leadership,accountability, and situational awareness for bothyourself and others. While on duty, we often operate inan inherently dangerous environment. Despite our bestefforts, mishaps sometimes occur. Mishaps also occuroff-duty, when our shipmates might not be exercising thesame vigilance they demonstrate on the job.“5. There is no higher compliment than to be called ashipmate and no better goal than being a good one. Beinga good shipmate means holding yourself and othersaccountable and being someone who can be countedupon when the alarm sounds. Safety is the responsibilityof every member of the Coast Guard family. Don’t letyour guard down - be a good shipmate: when in doubt,err on the side of safety and speak up when you seesomething wrong.”So when you have any mishap:1) Take care of medical needs first.Doug Hansen2) Take Photos (if you can) with emphasis on damages(Continued on page 18)

18 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Safety Corner: Mishap Reporting(Continued from page 17)and the incident area.3) Have members draft written statements from all yourcrew or personnel in attendance to provide to a safetyor officer later. If a law enforcement agency is involvedin the investigation, get the agency, investigatingofficer’s name, phone number, and reportnumber.4) Notify your Division Commander and/or Aux Air OperationsOfficer.5) Fill out mishap reporting worksheet: http://cgauxsurfaceops.us/documents/WorksheetShortFormDec04web.pdf. Aviation is normallyprovided a worksheet by the Air Station.6) Provide the mishap information to your order issuingauthority Auxiliary Liaison Officer (AUXLO) who willassign an officer to coordinate collecting the information,Sector Safety Officer, or in the case of an AirStation, will notify the Flight Safety Officer who willsend you a worksheet.Since I handle both Surface and Aviation Safety, youshould also notify me. I will report to the Commodoreand follow the mishap status as it proceeds.Learn from other’s mistakes and be safe! It is a betterworld with you in it!WaterSafety:“DrownProofingDay”Brian LichtensteinFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--On March 15, the YMCA of Broward County held a "Drown Proofing" Day" as a partof their camp program. The event was held at three different locations including Hollywood, Ft Lauderdale, andLauderdale to promote water safety in an effort to prevent accidental drowning. An estimated 500 children includingsome with special needs participated. Various organizations including the Broward Sherriff’s Office DiveTeam, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, life guards, and counselors demonstrated and provided hands-on experience.Stations included demonstrations in scuba diving, water rescue, and firefighting equipment. The CoastGuard Auxiliary and Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale provided CPR demonstrations at all three locations aswell as safety information. They assisted with fitting lifejackets and teaching the proper way to wear life jacketsas well as when to use them. The Auxiliary booth is visible behind the children jumping into the water. Photo byBrian Lichtenstein

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 19Puerto Rico’s “Ready-Set-Inflate”: Helping to Set a NewWorld Record By Lourdes R. Oliveras, SO-PA1Members of Flotilla 1-10 San Juan, Puerto Rico at the 2011 Ready-Set-Inflate event are from left: JorgeVelez Flotilla 1-10 Vice Commander, Lourdes R. Oliveras, Staff Officer-Public Affairs Division 1 and eventorganizer, Jose Caban, Commander Flotilla 1-10, Angel Benero, Acting Commander Division 1. Kneelingis Sonia Rolon, Flotilla Staff Officer-Public Affairs 1-10. Photo by Gladimar MolinaThe Auxiliarists, children,and members ofthe public visiting thebooth had a fun timewearing their life jackets.The anticipation ofsetting a new worldrecord added to the funand the excitement asthey also learned aboutthe importance of safeboating and wearinglife jackets. All of themembers participatedin this activity by givingout information regardingthe Auxiliary’s PublicEducation Courses,Vessel Examinations,safe boating practices,the Sea-Partners Program,USCG Auxiliaryrecruiting, and muchmore.GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – CoastGuard Auxiliary Division 1 organizedand sponsored the First “Ready-Set-Inflate” event held on May 21, 2011,in the Flotilla 1-10 booth located atthe San Patricio Plaza ShoppingCenter in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, aspart of the 2011 National Safe BoatingWeek Activities. Ready-Set-Inflate is a national event sponsoredby the National Safe Boating Councilin partnership with the Canadian Safe Boating Council.Fourteen Auxiliarists from Flotilla 1-10 San Juan, PuertoRico, along with some local children participated bygathering around the booth wearing life jackets. Theevent is intended to both increase awareness about lifejacket wear and to break the world record set last yearfor the number of people inflating life jackets at thesame time, worldwide. Other organizations and privatesector sponsors gathered across the United States,Canada, and Puerto Rico to participate in “Ready-Set-Inflate,” timed to kick off National Safe Boating Week.Angel Benero, ActingDivision 1 Commander, Lourdes R.Oliveras, the Ready-Set-Inflate eventorganizer and Public Affairs OfficerDivision 1, along with Jose Caban,Flotilla Commander, Jorge Velez,Vice Flotilla Commander, Sonia Rolon,Flotilla Staff Officer-Public Affairs,and other Auxiliary membersgathered at the 2011 National SafeBoating Week booth of Flotilla 1-10San Juan, Puerto Rico.As this event served as the kick-off for the National SafeBoating Week activities held around the island, bothBenero and Oliveras were pleased with the level of participationand outcomes. They note it is a great way tolet others know that Puerto Rico also supports and promotesnational safe boating endeavors. Congratulationsand Bravo-Zulu for a job well done, and Puerto Ricostands ready for a much bigger event with even greaterparticipation next year! Ω

20 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Prevention DirectorateBruce Lindsey, DDC-P D7Safe boating is never outof season, nor is theCoast Guard and theCoast Guard Auxiliary’smission of RecreationalBoating Safety and Prevention.The status ofsafety and the issues toaddress are illustratedby accident statistics,and the 2010 RecreationalBoating Statisticsrecently released by theCoast Guard PreventionPolicy Directorate contain both good news and badnews.First the good news: boating accidents, injuries, and fatalitiesdecreased from 2009 levels by 2.7%, 6.1% and8.7% respectively. The national boating fleet also declinedin 2010, with 2.2% fewer boats registered. Thebad news: there were still over 4,600 accidents resultingin $35.5 million in damages, 3153 injuries and 672deaths. Interesting statistics from the report:Almost 75% of all fatal boating accident victimsdrowned with 88% reported not wearing life jackets.Only 9% of deaths occurred on boats where the operatorhad received boating safety instruction, andonly 6% of deaths occurred on boats where the operatorhad received a National Association of StateBoating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approvedcourse.Eight out of 10 boaters who drowned were on vesselsless than 21 feet in length.Operator inattention, improper lookout, inexperience,excessive speed and alcohol are the top fiveprimary contributing factors in accidents.Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatalboating accidents, listed as leading cause in 19% ofdeaths.The most common types of vessels in reported accidentswere open motorboats (46%), personal watercraft(20%) and cabin motorboats (14%).These figures emphasize the need to educate boatersbefore they get on the water. The full report is availableat www.uscgboating.org.The Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) Team of PublicAffairs (PA), Program Visitors (PV), and Vessel Examiners(VE) are reaching out to the boating public with safetyinformation and education, and are referring boatersto the fourth element of the RBS team, Public Education(PE). Vessel examiners need to be aware of nationaland local trends and advise boaters of safety issues duringvessel exams. Bill Riley, District Staff Officers-Program Visitors, emphasizes that Program Visitors cando more than provide information and literature to partnerbusinesses and agencies: arrange to set up a tableand talk directly to customers. Program Visitor is one ofthe quickest qualifications to obtain, requiring an openbookon-line exam and two, count them, two mentoredvisits. We all go to marine dealers or businesses thatsupport boating; we know what the Auxiliary is and cando, so we need to help spread the message. The National‘V’ Department wants to develop the image thatProgram Visitors and Vessel Examiners are Educators.Every member could be Program Visitor qualified, andRiley reports a nearly 7% increase in Program Visitors inDistrict 7 during 2010.Now, news from within the Prevention Directorate:Personnel: Frank Lann has moved up from AssistantDistrict Staff Officer (ADSO) to District Staff Officer-Member Training (DSO-MT) following Reggie Hollar’sappointment as Auxiliary Sector Coordinator for SectorCharleston. Other recent appointments are Louis Contias ADSO-PE for south Florida, Gary Bowerman as AD-SO-PV for the East, and Philip Goodman as ADSO-Marine Safety for Pollution Investigations and Clean MarinaProgram. Responsibilities and contact informationare on each District Staff Officer’s page under the PreventionDirectorate on the District web site.Marine Safety (MS): John Sprague-Williams, DSO-MS,reports that 35 awards for the Marine Safety TrainingRibbon (MSTR) have been made in District 7 this year,with 14 processed in June. The requirements are completionof the Good Mate and Introduction to MarineSafety and Environmental Protection (IMSEP) and IncidentCommand System (ICS) courses. The full details,course materials, tests, and ribbon application are at

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 21http://pdept.cgaux.org/MarineSafetyTrainingRibbon.htm.Vessel Examinations: The National ‘V’ Departmentwebsite at safetyseal.net has news regarding paddlecraftand forms, the new VE Manual, nationwide statisticsand more. The new form 7012A, Paddle Craft VesselSafety Check is now in stock and can be orderedfrom Auxiliary National Supply Center. The new paddlesportdecals are especially important to provide topaddlecraft owners as this allows owner identification onnormally unregistered vessels and greatly speeds returnof lost vessels and elimination of unnecessary searcheswhen an unoccupied vessel is found. District 7 VEshave completed nearly 18,000 vessel exams so far thisyear, keep up the good work!Awards: Vessel Examiners should be aware of the NationalCommodore’s VE Award for 40 or more vesselexaminations in a year. In addition, the RBS device isawarded to members for a combined count of 120 qualifyingPublic Affairs Hours, Vessel Safety Checks, ProgramVisits and Public Education classes taught in eachof two successive years.Please check the PreventionDirectorate pages on the District 7Auxiliary websitehttp://www.cgaux7.org/for information, updates andanswers to frequently askedquestions. The site is growing, soplease check often and let us knowif there are questions that we needto answer and post.National Safe Boating Week (NSBW) in the week priorto the Memorial Day weekend, is the annual BoatingSafety kick-off to focus the public’s attention on boatingsafety. The NSBW photos in this issue are examples ofNSBW activities in our area.ΩVENICE, Fla.‐ PatrickWheeler from Flotilla 86Venice uses a VesselExamination as anopportunity to educate aboater. The VesselExamination wasperformed at the Veniceboat ramp on May 21, 2011in conjunction withNational Safe BoatingWeek activities. Photo byJudi Bidwick, FSO‐PB 86

22 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7A Rare Image: Uniforms of the Bagpipe Band by the UnitedStates Coast Guard Temporary Reserve During World War IIBy A.M. deQuesadaFollowing up on“Uniforms of theBagpipers of theUnited StatesCoast Guard andthe Coast GuardAuxiliary” (Vol. 58,No. 4) an imagehas surfacedshowing the BagpipeBand by theUnited StatesCoast Guard TemporaryReserveUnit from MassachusettsduringWorld War Two.The image wasfound in Reminiscencesof Your“Hitch” in the UnitedStates Coast Guard duringWorld War II: A Pictorial Record ofU.S.C.G. Temporary Reserve activitiesin Division 5A First Naval District(Boston, MA: Division 5A PublicationCommittee, 1946).With the outbreak of the SecondWorld War, numerous bands wereformed in the military services, especiallywithin the United StatesCoast Guard. These bands werenever quite official and were formedby permission of the individualCoast Guard District Commandersas a means of instilling morale. Ofinterest is the formation of a sixteenpiece Bagpipe Band by the UnitedStates Coast Guard Temporary Reserve[USCGR (T)] Unit of Winthrop,Massachusetts. Units of theCoast Guard Temporary Reservewere occasionally assigned to paradeduty.According to a postwar history ofthe Coast Guard during World WarTwo: “...it was wholly natural that adesire for military bands should develop,especially at ports with alarge number of TRs (TemporaryReservists). Flotillas and regimentsincluded in their memberships manyamateur and professional musicianswho were active in organizing andmanaging bands many of whichwere started early in the period ofTemporary Reserve duty. Thesebands usually rehearsed once aweek, and with permission of theirDistrict Headquarters, played at paradesin their general localities, atflotilla functions, many public celebrations,occasionally broadcast onradio programs, and accepted nomoney under any circumstances.Most bandsmen were members performingregular boat, guard, or artisanduties, and band work was extra.However, some bands wereaugmented bymen enrolled forthe purpose, toprovide properlybalanced musicalorganizations.The total numberof Temporary Reservebands isnot known.” (1)By studying theimage of the uniformsworn bythese “Coasties”it appears thatthey had adoptedquite a bit of “non-standard” uniformmaterialsthat differed fromthose prescribedin the uniform and insignia regulationsof the United States CoastGuard. Amongst these unofficialitems was the Scottish GlengarryCap with Scottish regimental badgeand the tartan.The bonnet was made part of theuniform of the Glengarry Fencibleswhen they were formed in 1794 byAlexander Ranaldson MacDonell ofGlengarry, of Clan MacDonnell ofGlengarry, who has been describedas having invented the cap, though itmay have originated earlier whenbalmoral bonnets were bent andcreased.[2] In his Dictionary of MilitaryUniform, W. Y. Carman notesthat the first recorded military use ofthe glengarry may have been that ofa piper of the 74th Foot. It is notclear whether earlier pictures of civiliansor fencible infantry show a trueglengarry or simply a folded highlandbonnet.

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 23Capable of being folded flat, theglengarry became a characteristicpart of the uniform of the Scottishregiments of the British Army. By1860 the glengarry, without a dicedborder and usually with a featherhackle, was adopted by pipers in allregiments except the 42nd (BlackWatch), who retained the featherbonnet. By 1914 all Scottish regimentswere wearing dark blue glengarriesin non-ceremonial orders ofdress, except for the Cameronians(Scottish Rifles) who wore it in riflegreen, and the Scots Guards andRoyal Scots Dragoon Guards whowear peaked forage caps or bearskinsinstead, albeit with a dicedband on the former in the case ofthe Scots Guards. The diced bandswere usually in red, white and bluebut the toories on top could be red,royal blue or black, according toregiment. The diced bands alongwith a black cockade date back tothe Jacobite risings when they wereused to symbolize allegiance to theHouse of Hanover, whereas theblue bonnet and white cockadesymbolised Jacobitism. The dicedband of The Argyll and SutherlandHighlanders was unique in omittingthe black square in favor of threerows of red checks, in homage tothe Battle of Balaclava and thestand of the 93rd Sutherland Highlanderslater immortalized as TheThin Red Line.For a period from 1868 to 1902, andalso in more recent conflicts, theglengarry was adopted as an undresscap for ordinary duty, andwalking-out dress for most Britishsoldiers. A cap described in a 1937amendment to the Dress Regulationsfor the Army as "similar inshape to the Glengarry" became theUniversal Pattern Field Service Cap(garrison cap) of the British Army inWorld War II. The badge worn bythe “Coasties” in the image is basicallya silver Highland regimentstyle badge consisting of an 8 PointStar with St. Andrew's Cross in center.The Tartans appear to be a RoyalStewart, generally referred to simplyas the Royal Tartan, and has beenassociated with the Royal House ofStewart for several centuries. TheStewart monarchs were descendedfrom Walter, High Steward of Scotland,who married Princess Marjory,daughter of King Robert the Bruce.Their son, King Robert II, was thefirst Stewart king. The male line ofthe Royal House of Stewart endedwith the death of Prince Henry,brother of Prince Charles Edward.The Stewart tartan is worn by theregimental pipers of the ScotsGuards and was referred to by KingGeorge V as "my personal tartan".Currently, H.M. The Queen is chiefof the Royal House of Stuart and“chief of chiefs”.It is said to be appropriate for allsubjects of the British Crown towear the Royal Stewart tartan,much in the same way that clansmenmay wear the tartan of theirclan chief. Officially, the tartan isworn by the pipers of the RoyalScots Dragoon Guards and theScots Guards, as well as a selectfew civilian groups. The 5th BoltonScout Group and the 5th Potters(Continued on page 24)The modern Coast Guard Pipe Band marches in the St. Patrick’sDay Parade, New York City, 2008. Photo courtesy of theUSCG Pipe Band

24 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Uniforms of the USCG Bagpipe Band, continued(Continued from page 23)Bar Scout Group wear the scarf,(neckerchief/necker) officially, withpermission from the Queen, and theQueen's Bands (of Queen's University)wear the tartan as part of theirofficial uniforms. So too do the WinnipegPolice Pipe Band. The tartanmay also be worn by members whotook part in a patrol leaders trainingcourse.Therefore, it seems natural for these“Coasties” to adopt the Regimentalbadge and tartan worn bythe Scots Guards Regiment.Their tunics appear to have beenmodified in the Scottish style byrounding the front, however, standardCoast Guard collar insignia,rank, and other insignia were wornas prescribed in the USCG uniformregulations. Non-regulation kneehigh white knit socks with gaitersand Scottish style black dressshoes were standard amongst thebandsmen. The Drum Major appearsto be wearing the headgearnormally prescribed for someone inhis position in Scottish bands - abearskin hat. A truly interesting aspectof Coast Guard history and alink to our modern U.S. CoastGuard Pipe Band.ΩReferences:(1) ˜The Coast Guard at War: The TemporaryComponent of the Coast GuardReserve XX˜. Washington, D.C: HistoricalSection, Public Information Division,U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 1 January1948: 103.(2) The King's Jaunt, John Prebble, BirlinnLimited, Edinburgh 2000, ISBN1-84158-068-6, states that MacDonellinvented the cap. However, "GlengarryCap – Diced --- Scots Connection". Retrieved2009-02-01. states that the ideacame from Balmoral bonnet wearerswho bent and creased their bonnets,then was popularized by MacDonellwhen he raised the Glengarry Fenciblesin 1794 and made the glengarry bonnetpart of their uniform.Division 6 Miami‐DadeCommissioner Carlos Gimenez, Miami‐Dade Board of CountyCommissioners presents a proclamation declaring May 21‐28 NationalSafe Boating Week to Captain Christopher P. Scraba Commander, SectorMiami and Commodore Walter Jaskiewicz, Commodore D7, at Bayside inMiami on May 22, 2011. The USCGC Dolphin and other Coast Guard assetswere on hand for public boardings and display. Photo by Vickie Aponte

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 25Auxiliary Assists in Developing New NASBLA ProgramBy Mel Manning, DCAPT-WTAMPA, Fla.—Commodore ThomasVenezio, Past Deputy National Commodore,at the request of the ChiefDirector worked with the NationalAssociation of State Boating LawAdministrators (NASBLA) on a programcalled Boat Operations andTraining (BOAT). The NASBLA BoatOperations and Training Programprovides a course of instructionwhich gives maritime law enforcementand emergency responders abasic learning framework to becomemore proficient with the skills necessaryto operate in the maritime environment.A key element of thiscourse is the preparation of participantsto become qualified in thetasks necessary for response tomaritime safety and security operations,and Coast Guard/FederalEmergency Management Agency(FEMA) recognition in the nationalqualification database maintainedby and throughNASBLA.The Auxiliary was asked toassist in developing the curriculumalong with CoastGuard and NASBLA personnel.The program is designedto have two levels oftraining: Boat Crew Member(BCM) and Boat OperatorSearch and Rescue(BOSAR). Each course isfive full days (40 hours). Thispast September, a pilot ofthe BCM course was offeredat Station Castle Hill inRhode Island.The first offering in District 7took place June 6-10, 2011at MacDill Air Force Base inTampa, Florida. The BCMcourse consisted of classroomand on the water trainingeach day for security personnelfrom U.S. Air Force Units at CapeCanaveral, Charleston and MacDill.The lead instructor was MarkDuPont, National Director, NASBLABoat Operations and Training Program.The six-member MacDill instructorteam also included PeteLouzao, former USCG StationCommanding Officer at Station FortMyers Beach, and Sector St. Petersburg’sAuxiliary Liaison Officer.Mel Manning, District Captain-WestD7, served as the instructor fromthe Auxiliary.The reference material for thecourse included the USCG BoatCrew Seamanship Manual, Rescueand Survival Systems Manual, NavigationRules International-Inland,Nautical Chart Symbols, Abbreviations,and Terms Chart No. 1, TheAmerican Practical Navigator, Equipmentand Vessel ManufacturerGuidelines, Chapman Piloting aswell as local area charts.The course is similar to the Auxiliarycourse set out in the Auxiliary BoatCrew Qualification Guide tailored tothe specific requirements of the AirForce maritime security personnel.The training was conducted for fivedays from 8 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. Themorning training was in the classroomand the afternoon was onboardAir Force security vessels.The BCM and BOSAR courses providean opportunity for Auxiliary participationin a new arena workingwith NASBLA to train and expandmaritime operational skills for variousgovernmental agencies at aStudents and instructors for the National Association of State Boating Law Administrator’s firstBoat Operations and Training Program conducted in June at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa posefor a group shot beside the Air Force Police fleet. Melvin Manning, District Captain-West D7 is in thefront on the far right. Photo provided by Melvin Manning

26 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 72011 Coxswain/Crew Training AcademyArticle and photos by Barbara Burchfield, SO-PA 12PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:Increase Number of Coxswain &CrewTeach to PQS TaskRequirementsStandardize Boat Crew TrainingIncrease Proficiency & SkillLevelsSECONDARY OBJECTIVES:Coxswain Festus Burchfield, Flotilla 12-6 East Cooper, conducts a pre-departure briefingwith Tommy Timberlake, Flotilla 12-4, Central Grand Strand, Jay Byrd and Paul Berka,Flotilla 12-8, Charleston in preparation for navigation training in Charleston Harbor.A Need Makes Itself KnownIt was clear to Festus Burchfield,Flotilla 12-6 East Cooper, that therewas a shortage of Auxiliary coxswainsand boat crew members inDivision 12 South Carolina. Heheard about it often and everywherehe went in the Division and thoughtit could become a real concern in afew short years. That concern wasreiterated this spring when the Auxiliary,having experienced a numberof coxswain and operational facilitiesleaving the Auxiliary nationwide,sent out a survey to find out why.But, that’s another story….Evolution of an IdeaBurchfield had an idea: “What if weheld a coxswain and crew trainingacademy? And, what if we make itavailable to everyone in the Division?”Ron Foreman, 12-6 FlotillaCommander, agreed and gave it hisfull support. It is unclear if eitherknew how much work it would endup being!As this would be the first of its kindof training in South Carolina, it allstarted pretty much from scratch.Burchfield, who had been trainedand received his initial Coxswainrating in District 13’s Puget Soundarea, contacted John Milczewski,Commander of Flotilla 11 Bellingham,Wash., who gladly sharedtheir training agenda items. Burchfieldworked it over for District 7standards and Personal QualificationStandards (PQS) requirementsand built a 12 week training programfor coxswains and boat crewcandidates. He incorporated traininghe learned firsthand from aAuthenticate the AuxiliaryMissionCross Utilization of Boat CrewCamaraderie and FellowshipCharleston Harbor/Local AORFamiliarityIntegration with CG CounterpartsFamiliarity with USCG StationCharlestonCoast Guard and Auxiliary programin Bellingham, designed to increaseboat crew skills and proficiency.The syllabus included structuredclassroom education beginningMarch 5, 2011, followed by on-thewatertraining, and ending with mid-May Qualification Examinations(QE). It was designed to be a focused,fast paced, teach-to-thetaskstraining program that requiredstudents to do homework and study.It became the 2011 Coxswain/CrewTraining Academy. Students wereadvised that courses such as NavigationRules testing, Incident CommandSystem (ICS) and Team CoordinationTraining (TCT) requirementsmust be completed prior toscheduling the QE session. It was allposted online and also sent via thechain of leadership to Auxiliarists inDivision 12.(Continued on page 27)

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 272011 Coxswain/Crew Training Academy(Continued from page 26)Bringing It All TogetherArrangements were made forclassroom instructions to beheld on Saturdays at CoastGuard Station Charleston.This would require a big commitmenton the part of thestudent; giving up one day aweek for 2 ½ months andmany people making a costly,long drive to Charleston.Burchfield expected possibly12-15 students to enroll in theprogram. Applications wentout in January, and 29 peoplehad signed up by March, includingone Auxiliarist fromanother division who lives inGeorgia and heard about theprogram. (Sure, why not?We’re all in this together.)A team of three, FestusBurchfield, Barbara Burchfield,and Ron Foreman, setup instructors, training specifics,aids and materials, operational facilities,communications and logistics,and even galley meals for the program.Arrangements with FS2 SteveCarson, Coast Guard StationCharleston galley manager, for additionalmeals proved to be anotherimportant and positive aspect. It wasthis simple thing, eating in the galleywith Coast Guard personnel, whichlinked a connection between theGold and Silver, and gave a sharpermeaning to ‘proper uniform standards’.The students learned CoastGuard etiquette and conduct whileon the base, and assimilated wellinto the culture.It was apparent that the desire fortraining and qualifications was significant,and this Coxswain/CrewTraining Academy was a way of ac-ME1 Debbie Certeza, USCG Station Charleston, lays out adisplay of personal flotation devices for instruction on thewear and care of safety equipment.complishing that. Taking this seriously,Festus and Barbara Burchfieldmoved their Operational Facilityfrom their home in Lexington toCharleston for the three month trainingprogram, and then set up their5th Wheel recreational vehicle (RV)in Charleston (dubbed the “CoastalCondo”) for the duration. Fortunately,the RV Resort had a swimmingpool, which turned out to be a convenientway for crew candidates toget their swim task completed.Off to a Good StartBy “Day One”, 26 Auxiliarists cameto class, including two people whodid not intend to QE this year, butwanted to observe and learn. Havingtwo separate coxswain and crewgroups complicated the training and,in some cases, doubled the instructors.Some classes wereheld jointly, becoming standardizedtraining refreshercourses for coxswains. Instructorswere brought in becauseof their knowledge andexperience in the field:First Aid and Survival: ArleneSutherland, 12-6 EastCooper, and Robert Lippert,12-4 Central Grand StrandBoat Handling: James andKaren Andrews, 12-12 EdistoIslandCoxswain Tasks: FestusBurchfield, 12-6 East CooperCoxswain Search & Rescue:USCG: BM/E-5 Shae Currington,BM/E-4 CameronJusticeFlare Shoot: Ron Foreman,12-6 East Cooper, assistedby USCG ME3 WilliamDeford, SN Peter Ingelman,and ME1 Debbie CertezaSurvival Equipment: USCGBM3 David Baumgartner, BM2Davis Olsgard, BM3 Derek Palomares,ME1 Debbie Certeza,and Barbara Burchfield, 12-6East CooperNavigation: Larry Moran, 12-6East CooperMarlinspike: Susan Ecklund andScott Heisler, 12-6 East CooperCommunications: Dave Ramsey,12-6 East CooperDoing More With LessBy March 26, the training progressedto include on-the-watertasks after the morning classrooms(Continued on page 28)

28 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 72011 Coxswain/Crew Training Academy(Continued from page 27)and galley lunch. This is when itstarted to get a little dicey becauseof a critical shortage of OperationalFacilities (OPFACs) available fortraining. Burchfield’s “Voyager” andForeman’s “Dreamer” served as theprimary training vessels, with muchappreciated help from James andKaren Andrews, Flotilla 12-12 EdistoIsland; Be Moore, Flotilla 12-12Edisto Island; Tony Presson, Flotilla12-4 Central Grand Strand; and JoeFleming, Flotilla 12-8 Charleston.Then Fleming’s vessel went into“Charlie” status for maintenance. Inaddition to the shortage of boats,Coast Guard Station Charlestonneeded operational facilities for severaldays of regatta support for theCharleston Harbor Sailboat Races,Ashley River and Charleston KayakRaces, and scheduled safety patrols.In one instance, “Voyager”supported a Helicopter training missionfrom Air Station Savannah duringa night navigation cycle. Coxswainand crew candidates wereinformed of the challenges; theyunderstood and remained resilientand flexible.Due to the number of students involvedby early April, Burchfield andForeman began on-the-water trainingexercises three days a week inorder to accommodate everyone.The goal was to have the studentsready for QE by mid-May and availablefor duty when boating seasonbegins in earnest. Even Easterweekend and Mother’s Day werenot days off from training as individualneeds were met to train, learnand sign-off PQS tasks. Meanwhile,vacationers started to seeunfamiliar people swimming with lifejackets in the RV Resort’s pool.Dave Ecklund, Flotilla 12-6 East Cooper, shows Laura Meehan and Robert Dyer, Flotilla 12-8 Charleston, the intricacies of knot tying while Ann Graham, Flotilla 12-6 East Cooper,inspects her finished square knot.It’s Not Just About the BoatsAlong the way, students talked witheach other, shared time and madefriends. Camaraderie developed inaddition to boat skills and proficiencythroughout the weeks. Theywore the uniform smartly; theyshowed themselves as good representativesof the Auxiliary.Never without her camera, Barbarakept Flotilla 12-6 website full oftraining photos when she wasn’tassisting in class, doing duty asboat crew, or providing administrationand records support in a seeminglyendless array of paperwork.Photo opportunities were countlessand wide-ranging; the group gotused to seeing her taking photos inthe classroom, while throwing a lineto catch a cleat or throwing theheaving ball to an object, anchoring,towing, doing navigation and chartwork, preparing for underway training,performing pre-departurechecks or debriefing, even duringlunchtime. This turned out to be aspecial time with other Auxiliarists,sharing a little competition and a lotof laughter.Having the “Right Stuff”By the end of April it was apparentthat a core base of 17-19 studentswould be ready for the QualificationExamination, and Foreman appliedfor QE sessions in May. Otherswould have to arrange for QE sessionslater: some still needed topass the Navigation Rules test orneeded the eight- hour Team CoordinationTraining (TCT), and a coupleof people had begun jobs out oftown.Believed to be a record for SouthCarolina, two new coxswains, fourcoxswain re-certifications and 11boat crew were scheduled for QE atone time. The oral board and‘dockside’ exams took place beforeon-the-water examinations, spread(Continued on page 29)

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 292011 Coxswain/Crew Training Academy(Continued from page 28)out during the period of May 16-23.This was not a ‘wink-wink-you’regood’ affair that you might find insome organizations – the coxswainand crew candidates had to havethe ‘right stuff’ and prove theirknowledge and skill to be qualified.A new QE requirement for coxswains,added in April, included performingnight navigation an hour aftersunset, necessitating additionalnight sessions. As it turned out,Burchfield had originally incorporatedthat event into the syllabusand had conducted several sessionsof on-the-water night navigation.A Successful FinaleAll 17 passed their QE sessions.100% success rate is a very goodnumber!They all showed up for class,worked hard and proved themselves;they will become valuableassets to the Auxiliary surface operations.Six of the eight flotillas inSouth Carolina benefited with newcoxswain and crew from the 2011Coxswain/Crew Training Academy.Dave Ramsey, Flotilla 12-6 East Cooper, weighs anchor during training while Ann Graham,Flotilla 12-6 East Cooper, assists with a good grip on his belt to avoid an unplannedMan-Over-Board drill.Burchfield sends this message tothe graduates, “We all owe ourthanks to the instructors, coxswains,crew, boat owners, andCoast Guard Station Charlestonwho all helped make this happen.Congratulations and Bravo Zulu tothe newly qualified coxswain andcrew. It was mypleasure to be withyou and be a part ofthis.” ΩPaul Berka, Flotilla 12-8Charleston, coxswaincandidate, throws aheaving ball to a targetin a friendly competitionduring the 2011Coxswain/Crew TrainingAcademy at USCGStation Charleston.Division 12 Graduates of theCoxswain/CrewTraining AcademyCoxswainsAndrews, James 12-12Andrews, Karen 12-12Berka, Paul 12-8Ecklund, Dave 12-6Moore, Be 12-12Songer, Cliff 12-12Boat CrewBray, Pam 12-8Byrd, Jay James 12-8Chirila, Chuck 12-8Duncan, Kelly 12-8Ecklund, Susan 12-6Graham, Ann 12-6Harris, Dwaine 12-8Hayes, William 12-1Lippert, Robert 12-4Timberlake, Tommy 12-4Unger, William 12-10

30 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Highlights of National Safe Boating Week activities throughout District 7Division 8 South Tampa Bay/Boca Grande Pass-started their festivities with a proclamation fromSarasota City Commissioners Carolyn Mason andNora Roberts designating May 21-28 as National SafeBoating Week . Photo by Judi Bidwick, FSO-PB 86Division 11 Madeira Beach north to HudsonIn addition to Public Affairs booths, Coast Guardaerial displays and public vessel boardings and vesselexaminations, Flotilla 11‐9 graduated 10 people fromtheir Public Education program. Photo by DarrenHart, FSO‐PB 11‐9Division 9 Southwestern FloridaOn May 21, 2011, Duane Ising offered a vesselExamination to a young couple who recently acquired asailboat in need of much restoration. After 2 1/2 hours,the couple realized that while their boat was in need ofrestoration, they were in need of boating safetyeducation! Photo by Duane Ising, ADSO‐PB‐W

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 31Highlights of National Safe Boating Week activities throughout District 7Division 4 East Central FloridaIn addition to Vessel Examinations, Lt. Bob Turner fromDaytona Beach gave a demonstration on fire safety especiallyfor boats at sea or in marinas. Gretchen Bacon, FSO‐VE 44,beside Turner, demonstrated a life jacket inflation. Photoprovided by Bruce Perri, FSO‐PA 44Division 17 Southeast Central and Central Florida‐conducted a Blessing of the Fleet on May 21 on the IndianRiver to usher in NSBW. Securing a priest was no problem.Flotilla 17‐2 member Dan Freitas “Fr. Dan” performed theceremony. Behind him is Terry Riley from Flotilla 17‐6. Photoby Mike Donahue, FSO‐MS 17‐2Division 15 Northwest FloridaMembers of USCGAUX 15‐3, US Power SquadronOcala, BATPAK, USCG Station Yankeetown, FloridaWildlife Commission participate in "Ready Set Inflate"NSBW 2011 on May 21 at Carney Island Boat Ramp,Lake Weir, Marion County, Fla. Photo by Charles E.Truthan

32 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Environmental Protection Mission: Flotilla Assists inSaving Whales By Ann Hedberg and Ted GiesbrechtBIG PINE KEY, Fla.—The beaching of 22 Pilot Whalesnear Cudjoe Key, Fla., on the afternoon of May 5, 2011,brought out the best in several Auxiliary members fromFlotilla 13-3 Big Pine Key, Fla., who made their way toBlimp Road to see how they could help.Recovering and treating the whales was a major eventthat entailed several days of intense caregiving by dozensof volunteers who showed up to assist the MarineMammal Conservancy based in Key Largo. The rescueeffort was staged off Blimp Road, Cudjoe Key, in a seapen constructed with yellow boom and plastic fencing.The whales, debilitated and lethargic, received roundthe clock hands-on care. During the hottest part of theday, they were kept covered in wet sheeting and supportedby three to four volunteers stationed with eachailing whale. The operation took a lot of coordination onthe part of the Conservancy. A check-in booth kept trackof the flow of volunteers and discouraged curious bystanders.Local merchants provided a large tent over atable laden with food and plenty of drinking water for allof the volunteers. Portable lights kept the site well litthrough the nights of operation.Members of Flotilla 13-3 provided assistance over thecourse of the event both on land and on the water.Members Dick McCausland, Ted Giesbrecht and MarcoPrieto stationed their facilities in Cudjoe near the holdingpen at the foot of Blimp Road to keepcurious boaters away from the ailingmammals. Phil Goodman from Flotilla13-1 assisted with Raymon Felixfrom Flotilla 13-3 as crew. Two Flotilla13-3 members, Nick McManusand Raymon Felix, donned wetsuitsand assisted by providing severalfour-hour caretaking rounds in thewater. In addition, members Tomand Dottie Anderson, John and AnnHedberg, John Rhode, and RobertMorrow assisted as crew and onshore. The Coast Guard Auxiliarymembers working the Blimp Roadramp maintained communication withthe flotilla facilities on the water.Probably the most unique assignmentwent to Felix, who was taskedwith delivering the skull of a deceasedwhale to the Conservancy in Key Largo, whereit was frozen and shipped to scientists who will do furtherstudies on the beaching phenomenon.Ted Giesbrecht, Flotilla Staff Officer-Operations 13-3,set up a schedule in accordance with requests fromSector Key West for facilities to patrol the rescue areaand keep on-lookers at a distance. These missions lastedMay 5-8, 2011. Coast Guard Auxiliary membersworked with Coast Guard personnel from Sector KeyWest, Station Key West, the Marine Conservancy andFlorida Fish and Wildlife Commission under toughweather conditions, demonstrating the effectiveness ofrigorous training and teamwork.Felix, affectionately called ‘Sparky’ by his friends remarked,“This whale rescue operation was one of themost interesting things I have ever participated in”.(Sparky was a firefighter and emergency medical technicianbefore joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary, hencethe nickname.) The experience deeply touched all ofour participating members.ΩPhoto top of page: The Marine Mammal Conservancybarge loaded with volunteers transports two whales totheir facility in Key Largo.

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 33Flotilla 13‐3 member, Raymon (Sparky) Felixhelps a volunteer don a wet suit. The wet suitprotects the volunteers from excessive loss ofbody heat while taking four‐hour shifts in thewater nursing the ailing Pilot Whales.Raymon (Sparky) Felix, Dick McCausland and JohnHedberg of Flotilla 13‐3 discuss the progress of therescue operation with DC2 Brooks Evans, USCG,Station Key West. Auxiliary facilities maintained aperimeter around the whale rescue operation May 5‐ 8, 2011. Photos on these pages by DottieHenderson and Ann Hedberg

3434 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Tradewinds 2011Innovation and Flexibility Distinguish Auxiliary During MultinationalTraining Exercise Dan Jacquish and Dottie RileyST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda–When multi-national securityand peacekeeping forces come togetherto train in the Caribbean,what does the Auxiliary bring to thetable? Innovation and flexibilityhallmarksof our volunteer membersand the services we offer to theUnited States Coast Guard.Tradewinds 2011 is a U.S. SouthernCommand-sponsored annual exerciseconducted in the Caribbeanbasin designed to improve responsesto regional security threats includingcountering drug, arms andhuman trafficking. This year’s jointmultinational exercise was held inAntigua-Barbuda from March 2-19,2011. What set Tradewinds 2011exercise apart from previous yearswas the first-time participation ofDistrict 7’s Team Mercury.Auxiliary members participated inthe classroom as instructors, andassisted in small boat operations, onCoast Guard Cutters, at firing rangesand at Headquarters. In addition,the District 7 Communications andRapid Response Team, Team Mercury,provided cutting-edge technologyin communications. Designedas a mobile rapid response unit torespond to emergencies such ashurricanes, the CommunicationsTeam proved its versatility in peacekeepingoperations as well.Conceived by District 7 memberDan Jacquish, the Communicationsand Rapid Response Unit is a stateof-the-arttrailer equipped with multipleradios covering marine bandVHF, marine SSB, ham frequencies,police band VHF, police andemergency bands. A self-containedunit, it can berth up to ten peopleand includes a mess facility, sanitationfacility, black and grey holdingtanks, water and fuel tanks, and a5.5 kW gas generator as well as anall-terrain vehicle. (For a full descriptionof the trailer, its combinedassets, capabilities, and operationalorganization, see Breeze, VolumeLVI, Issue 1, Spring 2010 on the D7website at http://cgaux7.org/pdf_files/d7pub/2010-Breeze-Spring.pdf)For Tradewinds 2011, the communicationstrailer was staffed by two rotatingteams. The first team was ledby Dan Jacquish of Flotilla 51, thePalm Beaches, Fla., while the secondteam was led by Jim Canavanfrom D1(SR). Canavan runs a largecommunications unit in D1 but summersin Florida.Assigned to provide backup for theAir National Guard (ANG), TeamMercury established on top of a hillon the island of Antigua. Air NationalGuard members mounted the antennasand the Auxiliary members assistedby laying out the antenna runsand guide cables. The radio towerwas provided by Coast Guard CommunicationsArea Master StationAtlantic and members of CoastGuard Communications Area MasterStation Pacific assisted in raisingthe tower. It was a team effort thatworked out very well. The ANG usedthe Auxiliary’s truck as a high anddry location for their repeaters and

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 35ran power from the bottom of the hillup to the trailer and the truck, aswell as independent runs for therepeaters. This enabled air conditioningin the truck during the dayand fans at night to keep the repeatersin a more controlled environment.Team Mercury had oneantenna on the tower, which theyswitched between internal VHF andmarine VHF, depending upon needand function.Tradewinds 2011 offered the Auxiliary’sRapid Response Unit the opportunityto test their equipment andcapabilities and identify gaps intheir communication needs. Oneneed identified was the need for self-contained Internet capability and arepeater. Since the absence of Wi-Fi access and International callingability are conditions that can alsoexist after a hurricane emergency,the team is working to address theseissues before this year’s hurricaneseason.Since Team Mercury’s primary missionwas to provide backup for theAir National Guard communications,initially, Auxiliary members assignedto the communications unithad a lot of spare time. Here iswhere the Auxiliary’s flexibilityplayed in.From the onset of the exercise,LCDR Thomas Kringle, USCG, andLT Harrell delivered meals to remoteCoast Guard and Marine units about45 minutes from the base camp.Team Mercury assumed that responsibility,allowing these officersto spend their time in a more productivemanner. Members of TeamMercury delivered approximately 40morning meals, coffee, and juice tothe Marine Safety and SecurityTeam (MSST) at the Royal Antiguan.Later, they delivered over 100evening meals to MSST and IndiaCompany, 3/24, USMC at the Royal(Continued on page 36)Photo page 34: Team Mercury base campon the island of Antigua duringTradewinds 2011 from Mar. 2-19, 2011.Photo by Joanne Mills, Flotilla 51Above: Members of Team Mercury withmembers of the Air National Guard worktogether to set up communications forthe multinational exercise. Dan Jacquishdiscovered that driving the spikes intothe hard ground proved a real feat. Photoby Joanna Mills, Flotilla 51 D7Left: Dan Jacquish and Mark Gaisfordfrom Flotilla 59 inside the CommunicationsRapid Response Team trailer. Photoby Brian McArdle, Flotilla 33, 5SR

36 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Dan Jacquish, Team Leader, explainsthe separate components of the D7Communications and Rapid ResponseUnit to Prime Minister the Hon. Mr. W.Baldwin Spencer during his visit toCamp Mercury. Team Mercury receivedvisits from a number of militaryleaders and dignitaries. U.S. MarineCorps photo by Capt. Keith "The Bull"Stevenson, MARFORRES COMCAM/ReleasedAntiguan. For several days, theydelivered meals to both the HalcyonResort and Hawksbill and suppliedapproximately 20 gallons of ice waterand juice to the Marines whostated, "You literally saved ourlives!” The Marines lived in tentsand genuinely appreciated the hotmeals. Auxiliary members were gladto provide the help and both theMSST personnel and the Marinesappreciated their efforts.The expertise of our Team Mercuryalso proved useful. The Antigua-Barbuda Defense Force (ABDF)Coast Guard had severe radio issuesand blind spots around the island.They were, in fact, unable tocontact a ship just a few miles offtheir coast adjacent to the CoastGuard Station. The ABDF asked ifTeam Mercury would review theirradio set-up, and by direction ofLCDR Thomas Kringle, USCG,Team Mercury reviewed the installationtogether with the ANG Communicationsteam. They discoveredthat the ABDF major issue was theplacement of the antenna on thelow side of a metal roofed buildingopposite the shore, poor connectorsand damaged antenna runs. Thecommunications teams developeda plan that included extending anold mast at the peak of the building,installing new wire runs, and eitherrelocating or replacing existing antennas.They continue to work withthe ABDF to this day, in an effort toassist in upgrading their capabilities.Many new friends were madeon both sides.Because of its unique features, capabilitiesand the spectacular performanceof its members, TeamMercury received visits from BaldwinSpencer, Prime Minister of Antigua-Barbuda,Admiral WilliamBaumgartner, Commander District7, USCG, Maj. Gen. John M.Croley, Commander in Charge ofTradewinds 2011 and CommandingGeneral of the Marine Forces Southand Miami, as well as other leadingmilitary members and dignitaries.Speaking about the Coast GuardAuxiliary’s participation inTradewinds 2011, Lt. ScottParkhurst, USCG said in part,“They immediately became an integralpart of the classroom and fieldexercises and assisted us in manymore ways than originally planned.We expect an even larger participationnext year.”While some members of the CoastGuard Auxiliary distinguished themselvesin the classrooms, others distinguishedthemselves in the field.Team Mercury made a definite impressionon Southern Command andon our Caribbean partners. The unitand our members performed withdistinction and we are proud of themall! Bravo Zulu, Team Mercury, Interpreters,Instructors and all of ourAuxiliarists! ΩRead more:http://www.caribarena.com/antigua/education/96960-embassy-donates-toboys-training-school.htmlhttp://www.dvidshub.net/news/67680/exercise-tradewinds-2011-comes-closehttp://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/news.php?storyId=2572*1 A repeater is an electronic devicethat receives a signal and retransmitsit at a higher level and/or higherpower, or onto the other side of anobstruction, so that the signal cancover longer distances.

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 37Flotilla 95 Participates in ‘Water Wise”By John DeFalco, photos by Opi DeFalcoIn May 2011, Flotilla 95 participatedin the “Water Wise” program. “WaterWise” is a joint program with theMarco Island YMCA, Marco IslandFire and Rescue and the CoastGuard Auxiliary Flotilla 95.The program has five main componentswhich include water safety,basic lifesaving skills, basic first aid,boating safety, and “just for fun”components. About 250 third gradestudents from Tommy Barfield ElementarySchool and Manatee ElementarySchool participated over aten day period.Flotilla 95 taught boating safety topics:general boating safety, how toenter and exit small boats, how touse life jackets and how to use themarine radio in an emergency. Theflotilla has participated in this programfor several years.ΩArne Kelsey, Vice Commander, John DeFalco, Commander Flotilla 95,and Roger Blau demonstrate the ‘huddle’ to the students, one of thetechniques used to keep persons in the water together and help preventloss of body heat.Arne Kelsey explains how to use the marine radio in theevent of an emergency to the students with JohnDeFalco and Roger Blau looking on.John DeFalco teaches student the ‘H.E.L.P.’ (Heat EscapeLessening Posture) position which can only be used bypersons wearing a life jacket as the arms are drawn close tothe body.

38 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 738 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Learning the RopesConstance O. IrvinFORT MYERS, Fla.─ On May 7,2011, Coast Guard Station Fort MyersBeach hosted a visit for over 50members from Candlelighters ofSouthwest Florida . The Candlelightersorganization supports activitiesfor local children with cancer andtheir families. Klair Snellbaker,founder of the local organizationsaid, “The community has openedtheir arms to these children and theirfamilies for over 28 years. Todaywill be another meaningful day intheir lives.”Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 9-10,Fort Myers-Cape Coral, sponsoredthe event and provided lunch andsnacks for the guests, which theCoast Guard Station crew cookedand served on the station’s messdeck.The large turnout for the day’s activitiesincluded tours aboard the CoastGuard Cutter Marlin where childrenwere able to sit in the commander’schair. They next toured the CoastGuard’s smaller vessels, the 33-footSpecial Purpose Craft-Law Enforcementboats, but the event that reallydrew their interest was trying toheave a line to a vessel in distress.Under the watchful eye of CoastGuard firefighter Becca Rich, thechildren enjoyed the opportunity oftossing a line to save a life. Theydelighted in learning what it meansto be a “Coast Guardsman”. Truly,their day in “learning the ropes” atStation Fort Myers Beach will be ahappy memory. ΩAbove: With a cry of “Heads up”, nineyear old Jorge Arzola of Lehigh Acrestosses the heaving line to Coast GuardAuxiliary 9-10 Flotilla Commander, DennisCherney, under the count-down commandof Coast Guard Fireman Becca Rich.Jorge’s toss was “right on the money.”Below: LTJG Michael Mastrianni, CommandingOfficer of the Coast Guard CutterMarlin, welcomes Candlelighter’s familiesaboard the vessel.Photos by Constance O. Irvin

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 39What Do Life Jackets and Baseball Have in Common?Story by Barbara BurchfieldCHARLESTON, S.C.—For childrenunder the age of 18 years old whoare seen wearing life jackets in theCharleston area, it could be avoucher for free admission to a RiverDogs baseball game!The idea originated with CommanderRichard Sundland, USCG SectorCharleston, who organized the RiverDogs and Boating Safety plan toreward children for wearing life jacketsand bring awareness to this importantrecreational boating safetymessage. Sundland arranged for250 baseball vouchers to be donatedfrom the local baseball team,owned by celebrity Bill Murray whoresides in South Carolina. “Thevouchers are good through thebaseball season and are goodseats,” according to LTJG MatthewKahley, USCG Sector Charleston.The River Dogs mascot, Charlie,appeared at USCG Station Charlestonon June 1, 2011, when the ticketvouchers were presented to theCoast Guard and Auxiliary for distribution.Coast Guard personnel will distributehalf of the baseball game vouchersduring routine surface operations.Auxiliary Flotillas 12-6 EastCooper and 12-8 Charleston will distributethe other half of the voucherswhile on safety patrols or performingdockside activities.One of the 41-foot Motor Life Boat crewsfrom Sector Charleston pose with Charlie,the River Dogs mascot. From bow tostern: SN Alexander Newman, MK2 NathanRogers, and BM3 Cameron Justice.Not in the picture but drivingthe boat is BM2 Shae Currington.Auxiliary and Coast Guard patrolswill distribute 250 RiverDogs baseball game vouchersto children under 18 years oldseen wearing their life jacket.Photo by Alan Miles, FlotillaCommander 12-8 East CooperThose children wearing life jacketsmay get a real surprise when presentedwith a baseball ticket by theCoast Guard or the Auxiliary – thisis the kind of ticket you want to get!Ω

40 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7USCG Auxiliary Division 8 Hosts "Always Ready"Exposition By Randall MoritzVENICE, Fla.—Division 8 hostedits annual "Always Ready" Expositionon Saturday, May 21,2011, from 10a.m. - 4p.m. Akickoff to National Safe Boatingweek and in honor of NationalArmed Forces day, this hands-onevent took place on the beautifulshores of Sarasota Bay in thenorth Van Wezel Performing ArtsTheatre parking lot.This child-friendly, interactiveexpo showcased all of the "firstresponders" from Manatee andSarasota Counties. Exhibits includedPolice K-9, equestrian,SWAT, bomb squad and helicopter;Florida Highway Patrol rolloverdisplay; Sarasota CountyFire / Rescue apparatus; Community Blood Bank; FloridaFish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)helicopter, air boat and touch tank; Transportation SafetyAdministration; Manatee County Emergency OperationsCenter Mobile Command Center; Manatee CountyBeach Patrol vessels, basic first aid demonstrations, liverescue swimmer demonstration; a US Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter display; a children's fire-fighterchallenge; bounce houses, face painting and more.This year’s event drew over 4,000 people.Auxiliary booths included Marine Safety, EnvironmentalProtection, life jackets, and local safe boating class information.Members enjoy this expositionand plan it months in advance.ΩAbove: Much to the delight of thepublic, the Coast Guard provideda rescue swimmer demonstration.The Auxiliary vessel, Negotiatorfrom Flotilla 84 Sarasota maintaineda safety zone. On board areJames Stewart, coxswain, SteveBasinger (vessel owner) andJohn Berry as crew. Photo byJudi BidwickLeft: Jim Sleichert, Al Bidwick,Patrick Wheeler, Richard Markwitz,and Judi Bidwick from Flotilla86 Venice set up the tent,staffed the booth, and offeredVessel Examinations to interestedboaters.

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 41Volunteer Coast Guardsmen Also Protect the MarineEnvironment Constance O. IrvinCherie Rohn, member of Flotilla 9-10 Fort Myers, assists Eve Haverfield, president of TurtleTime, in inspecting deceased Kemp's Ridley sea turtle. Photo by Constance O. IrvinCAPE CORAL, Fla.─Most of the patrols that Auxiliaristsgo on are somewhat routine, but every once in a while,something happens and a routine patrol turns into anexample of why “we” are out there.April 21, 2011 was a sunny, warm day as Cherie Rohn(crew) and Constance Irvin were about to complete afour hour patrol in San Carlos Bay and at the south endof the Caloosahatchee. Just then, the radio crackledwith a request from Coast Guard Station Fort MyersBeach to proceed up river and locate a person aboard apersonal watercraft (PWC) who had reported an injuredsea turtle. As we approached the Cape Coral YachtClub, they spotted two PWC operators circling an objectin the water and realized that must be the site. Theymoved off the ICW into shallower water.They maneuvered the facility, The Guardian, into closeproximity of the turtle and Rohn managed to get it into anet and bring it aboard. It was evident from the smelland the lack of movement that the turtle was deceased.During this time, the station and Irvin conversed aboutthe retrieval and they had contactedan organization called Turtle Time,(Turtles.Org), which protects andkeeps track of sea turtles. The station’swatchstander said, “Expect acall from them. They will want tolook at it.”Irvin and Rohn envisioned waitingfor hours, but it was not long beforeEve Haverfield, president andfounder of Turtle Time called andarranged to meet with them at theCape Coral Yacht Club. NeitherRohn nor Irvin had any idea whatkind of sea turtle this was, nor whatmight have killed it.Haverfield must have been closeby, because shortly after theydocked and located plastic bags toencase the turtle, she was there.They carried the turtle to a placeunder a tree and Haverfield said,“You retrieved a Kemp’s Ridley,which is the rarest of the sea turtles.”With that said, she went about measuring and inspectingthe turtle while Rohn assisted by taking notes.Although there was no line in evidence, Haverfield said,“Scarring indicates that the turtle died from fishing linewrapped around its neck and probably drowned. It looksto be a juvenile and weighs about thirty pounds.”Once completed with her report, she wrapped the turtlein plastic to dispose of later. She then thanked them fortheir time and left.Irvin wished that it had been different for that turtle, butit must have been an omen. When she got home thatafternoon, two huge boxes of monofilament collectorsthat she requested from Boat US two years ago were ather doorstep. She will work diligently to get those collectorsplaced at local fishing ramps because she knowsthat being a volunteer Coast Guardsman also meansprotecting the marine environment. Semper Paratus.Ω

42 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7AIR-SEA RESCUE TRAININGBy Bob Adubato Flotilla 93On Tuesday, April 19, members of Flotilla 93 Naplesalong with members of Flotilla 95, Marco Island AuxiliaryAir, conducted a joint air-sea search and rescue trainingexercise in the Gulf of Mexico off the Naples coastline.The purpose of the exercise was to demonstratehow difficult it is to spot a person in the water (PIW)from the air when he is not wearing a life jacket withhighly visible colors.Flotilla 93’s 28 foot vessel, La Bella Vita, was coxswainedby John Sollecito, commander of Flotilla 93.His crew consisted of Calvin Brooks and Isaac Bourne,crew trainee from Flotilla 93, Michael Ludwig of 95Marco Island, and Sal Pernice of 95. Ludwig also actedas photographer for the crew.The Cessna aircraft was piloted by Colin Halfwassen,aircraft commander from Flotilla 93 under orders fromClearwater Air Station. His crew was composed ofConnie Irvin, air observer and radio operator from Flotilla9-10, andGeorge Bogdanfrom Flotilla 93who served asaerial photographer.Sollecito wentout with his crewat 8:30 thatmorning to deploya mannequinin a designatedlocation inthe gulf. Halfwassendid notarrive on scenewith his aircraftuntil 10:00. Conceivably,it couldtake that muchtime for all emergencyfacilities toarrive at the rendezvouspoint.Once Halfwassenand crewarrived on scene,they begancoordinating with Sollecito’s surface craft via VHF radio.They used what is known in search and rescue parlanceas a sector search while the surface vessel performedan expanding square search. However, from the dropoffpoint in the gulf, the PIW drifted about one-quartermile southeast by 10:00 a.m. because winds had shiftedsince the 8:30 deployment of the mannequin. After conducting30 minutes of search patterns, both vessel andaircraft were able to locate the PIW.Colin Halfwassen, aircraft commander from Flotilla 93 and Constance O. Irvin, air observer from Flotilla 9-10prepare to embark on the Air-Sea rescue training exercise on April 19, 2011. Photo by George BogdanFor the first run they did not have a highly visible lifejacket on the mannequin, making it very difficult to spotfrom the air. Even though Halfwassen flew at altitudesas low as 500 feet, it was almost impossible to get agood fix on the PIW.Meanwhile, to aid the air search Sollecito’s crew firedflares from a handgun. Unfortunately, these flares failedto illuminate even though they were well within the date

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 43of expiration. Life for these flares is 42 months from thedate of manufacture imprinted upon them. This showsthat an approved date does not guarantee that flares willwork, and there is no way to test them beforehand. Ittherefore behooves cautious boaters to carry more thanone or two visual distress signals for both day and eveninguse.Just what does the air crew see?This series of photographs by George Bogdan illustrategraphically what is visible from the air. A life jacket andsignaling devices can mean the difference between life anddeath.The boat crew also tried waving their arms to show thePIW’s location, but this was too difficult to see from theair. They then used hand-held flares and signal mirrorsand finally were successful in getting the aircraft’s attention.After recovering the mannequin from the sea, the boatcrew put an orange life jacket on it and redeployed it.Again they rendezvoused with the Auxiliary aircraft andcommenced their respective search patterns. Having ahighly visible orange life jacket on the PIW made locatingit much easier for Halfwassen and his crew.The mission turned out to be a multi faceted learningexperience for all involved. First, both air and surfacecraft learned it is extremely difficult to spot a PIW fromeither aircraft or surface vessel if it is not clad in a highlyvisible orange life jacket. Secondly, when the locationof a victim is given at a particular time, one cannot expectit to remain there indefinitely. Winds and currentsin the sea have something to say about that.Finally, the more visual distress signals you carry thebetter off you will be in an emergency. Also, it is difficultto see flares in bright sunlight from the air. The one excellentvisual distress signal seen from the air was hand-held mirrors. It was a bright, sunny day, so they werehighly effective. On a cloudy day they would not be sovisible.Sollecito claims it was a terrific learning experience foreveryone involved. He would like to do this again withFlotilla 95 or other flotillas in southwest Florida. ΩAt 1000 feet...Mannequin without a bright, highly reflective life jacket.Mannequin wearing a bright life jacket with reflective markings.

44 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Vessel Safety Checks at the Bassmaster Elite SeriesArticle and photographs by Charles E. TruthanGeorge Hendricks (L) and Tom Spangler Flotilla 15-3 award a Vessel Safety Check decal to Bassmaster Jonathon VanDam. VanDamis the son of a renowned Bassmaster and a strong competitor with wide name recognition. Of course, all of the competitors are inthe top 100 Bass Anglers in the world, hence the “Elite” in “Bassmaster Elite Series.” Getting the organization on board for VesselSafety Checks is an accomplishment. Photo by Charles TruthanPALATKA CITY, Fla.—Big eventscan start from the most simple ofencounters! This one started out onthe last day of a Public Affairs eventat the local marine dealer’s annualspring boat show. They had severalBassmaster Pro Anglers in attendance.Charles Truthan, Flotilla ViceCommander 15-3 Ocala, Fla., approachedtwo of them and asked ifthey used a life jacket and if theirboats had a Vessel Safety Check(VSC) done. They replied that theyare required by tournament rules tomeet all Coast Guard regulations buthave not had VSCs done and gaveus their tournament director’sphone number.Three days later, Truthan made apresentation at the BassmasterElite Series business meeting beforethe start of the tournament thenext day. To prepare for thepresentation, he printed andpassed out the mandatory itemsfrom our 7012 VSC sheet to theanglers. It generated several questionsand some fun conversations.“Ya’ll ever see the sparks fly whena wrench drops across the batteryterminals?” To everyone’s greatdelight, over two thirds of the anglersexpressed a strong interest inreceiving a vessel safety check!The ground rules set by the tournamentorganizers for the vessel safetychecks were simple. None were tobe performed on tournament days.That gave us the three practice dayspreceding the tournament to performthe vessel safety checks. The nextevent, the “Citrus Slam,” March 17-20, 2011, was one week away,which gave us less than four days toorganize and prepare.The Citrus Slam tournament washeld in an adjacent Division at Flotil-

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 45la 14-9 Palatka, on theSt. Johns River. Thereare over sixty nauticalmiles of shoreline withnumerous ramps andfish camps. Fortunately,Ted Schneider,Flotilla Commander14-9, Wayne Beard,Flotilla Vice Commander14-9, and Dan“Dusty” Cooper, FlotillaStaff Officer-VesselExaminations 14-9,were all experiencedwith local bass tournaments.Even with their extensive effortsto locate where the anglerswould be staying and launching,there were just too many possibilitiesto cover them all.We launched a recruitment effort tolocate as many Vessel Examinersas possible from the adjacent flotillas.This included three divisionsand 12 flotillas. With the assistanceof Tom Loughlin, District Staff Officer-PublicAffairs District 7, weformed a list of all the members inthe Chain of Leadership and Managementwho should be informedabout, and invited to participate inthis effort. After a few hours on theAux e-directory website, a phoneand e-mail distribution list was created.The list grew as the event unfolded,and it appeared this effortmight extend into District 8.By Sunday, we had commitmentsfrom 15 Vessel Examiners fromseven flotillas and all three divisionsincluding one from the US PowerSquadron- an outstanding numberconsidering it was a weekday eventand some vessel examiners wouldbe driving one and a half to twohours just to get there! We knew thatthe anglers would launch in “waves”at first light, but we still did not knowfrom which of the dozens of rampsVessel Examiners from 3 divisions and the US Power Squadron wereon the docks and ready before the break of day.in the area. We decided to focus onthe main Palatka City Dock (PCD).We all met there at 6:30 a.m. Monday.By 8 a.m., only three tournamentboats had appeared for the15 vessel examiners present. Twoteams formed to search the eastand west sides of the area to seekout the anglers. Both teams foundvery few boats in motels, but didperform some vessel safety checksincluding one at a gas station!At 9:30 a.m., we reassembled atthe PCD. The vessel examinersfrom distant flotillas understandablyleft because of the poor turnout.Beard, Cooper and I put our headstogether and devised a plan to holda vessel examination station a fewblocks away from the PCD on thedays of the Tournament itself. Thisway, we would not interfere withthe tournament. The tournamentdirector was informed about howour first day had gone. Impressedwith our plan and the number ofvessel examiners who had travelledso far to participate, he statedthat a remote site just would notwork. We would somehow make itwork right there at the PCD! Lessthan a week ago, our presence duringthe tournament was not an option.Now it was a “done deal”!On our way home, weexplored the surroundingramps and one foundwith a campground.There were about 25anglers camping there.We returned Tuesdaymorning at 7:00 a.m. andcaught 12 of them in twohours. One angler thatwe approached declinedto participate, exited thegate and then made a U-turn and reentered. Hewaited to get his vesselsafety check and stated,“If you guys can get up before 6:00a.m. to be here, I can certainly waitfive minutes to get the vessel safetycheck done.” This is just one ofmany examples of the extraordinaryprofessionalism we all encounteredover the course of thisevent.That evening, after meeting withthe tournament director and receivinghis approval to conduct vesselsafety checks during the retrieval ofboats on tournament days, the callagain went out for massive VE support.The response on Thursdayand Friday was heartwarming withmany examiners returning from distantflotillas.In the end, we performed 83 vesselsafety checks and awarded 55 decalsby 21 Vessel Examiners fromthree divisions, eight flotillas andthe US Power Squadron. On thewww.Bassmaster.com website,check out the photos “Behind theScenes” and “On the Water” andyou will find many of the boats witha current VSC decal displayed onthe port-side helm!The goal is to see 100% of theBassmaster Elite Series boats withcurrent VSC decals on them by2013 and by 2015 to see 50% inthe Classic and Open Series. Ω

46 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7http://d7virtuallibrary.org/The District 7 Virtual Library is an effort to archiveand make available the vast amount of historical documentsand pictures that exist within both the USCG AuxiliaryDistrict 7 and the Coast Guard District 7.Of course, this library will not build itself. We need your help! If you haveany documents (old manuals, publications, current and past newsletters, copiesof charters and other historical documents or photographs) that you would like to addto this historical collection, please submit them to the library.How to send your materials:Only digital documents are accepted. Scan hard copies of documents and save them either inJPG or PDF file formats. When scanning documents, please set the resolution to 300 dpi. Sendyour digital documents to d7history@yahoo.comPublications officers: Please add this email address to your distribution list!

Breeze, Volume LVII Spring 2011 47From the EditorDorothy Joan Riley, District Staff Officer-Publications D7In the last issue of the Breeze, Spring 2011, we announcedthat we would no longer offer the Breeze as aprint edition and solicited feedback. From nearly 6,000members, we received fewer than ten comments. All exceptone was positive and complimentary.The only negative comment came from a member whowas unable to view the Breeze correctly. I suspect thatthis is a software issue and recommend downloadingand installing the most recent version of Adobe® Reader.Use the controls at the bottom (visible only when thecursor is moved over the bottom of the screen) to decreasethe size of the display (press the minus sign untilthe page display suits your preference).I thank you for the compliments and expressions of appreciationfor the Breeze and publish one questionposed by a member:“Now that we will no longer receive the hard copymagazinewe like and enjoy so much, I do have a question.My question is what happens to the money thateach flotilla sends to District now that there is no longerthe cost of printing this publication?“I have been a member of the Auxiliary for about 30years and I sure hate to see us lose this very informativepublication and pictures in the physical magazine/hardcopy. One could read an article or three, lay the magazinedown and pick it up again when time permitted andcontinue reading. This is no longer possible unless youleave your computer on and this is much more strain onthe eyes.“Just a couple of thoughts due to this change.Sincerely, C. Russell Jernigan FL 12-3”One additional comment is located on the back cover.While I cannot comment on “what happens to the money,”(that is best left to our Bridge) I see how much moreis invested in Member Training than in past years. If itmeans having more funds available to train and supportmembers, then it is not a bad tradeoff.One idea that we are definitely pursuing is producingfully electronic editions. With the software that District 7recently provided us, we will be able to produce bothprintable PDF files and files viewable on eReaders. Theelectronic editions will begin in 2012 as it will take severalmonths to learn the software and produce professionalquality ePubs. Anyone who has ever worked in Adobe®InDesign will appreciate this! Acquiring proficiencyin Flash®, InDesign® and Illustrator® is no small feat.The new Breeze will look very different and hopefully,have great appeal. The software offers the ability to embedlinks, videos, slideshows and animations, all fullyvisible with software already installed on most computers–but as already said, it will take us a while to learnhow to use all of these available features.District 7 Publications ContestThe winners of the D7 Publications Contest are as follows:Flotilla NewslettersFirst Place: Seven Niner, Flotilla 79, Editor: Dottie RileySecond Place: Biscayne Bay Mariner, Flotilla 6-11, Editor:Nichole BettersonThird Place: Indian River Pilot, Flotilla 56, Editor: LindaBulokDivision NewslettersFirst Place: Intercom, Division 7, Editor: Dottie RileySecond Place: The Helm, Division 6, Editor: RaulFernandez-CalienesThird Place: Now Hear This, Division 9, Editor: DuaneIsingWe thank everyone who participated, especially thejudges! Reading three issues of every newsletter submittedand scoring them individually is a monumentaltask. The judges were Tom Loughlin, DSO-PA 7, DianeRiggan, ADSO-PA-S, and Connie Irvin, ADSO-PA-W.Congratulations to all of our winners! I would like topoint out that the 2 nd Place winner in the flotilla newslettercategory is new to the Auxiliary (Nichole Betterson,editor) and this was Biscayne Bay Mariner’s first year ofpublication - quite an accomplishment!Visit the flotilla and division web pages and read someof these great newsletters! They are full of interestingarticles and useful information. The covers of our winningpublications appear on the D7 Virtual Library announcementon page 46.Speaking of the D7 Virtual Library, it is important to preserveour history and we hope every unit takes advantageof this resource by both contributing and viewingour documents and photographs. Publications Officersshould add d7history@yahoo.com to their distributionlists.Ω

48 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7Highlights of National Safe Boating Week activities throughout District 7Division 3 Boca Raton to Miami DadeEugene Cain and Sea Scout Leader and member of Flotilla37 Carlos Arenas (in vessel) demonstrate a Vessel SafetyCheck to About Boating Safely participants during NSBWat Dixon Ahl Hall in Lighthouse Point, Florida. Arenas iswearing the Sea Scout uniform. Photo by George KozelNSBW Aerial Demonstrations‐by our Coast Guard partners during National SafeBoating Week took place throughout our district.This photo of a fly‐over by an HC‐130 Hercules fromAir Station Clearwater is a great tribute to the roleplayed by the Coast Guard to making this year’sNSBW a great success. Photo byJudi Bidwick, FSO‐PB 86Division 14 North East FloridaVic Aquino, Flotilla Commander 14‐7 presents an"Inky the Whale' video to 200 second grade pupilsand their teachers at R. B. Hunt ElementarySchool, St. Augustine, Fla., on May 26.Presentations also included how long differentplastics take to biodegrade and how to select andproperly wear a life jacket. Photo by DavidPatrick, VFC

District Staff OfficersPrevention DepartmentBruce Lindsey………………….…...DDC-PJohn Sprague-Williams ……..........DSO-MSFrank R. Lann ….………………DSO-MTWilliam B. Riley...…………………..DSO-PVJohn L. Vanosdol……..……………DSO-PEWilliam S. Griswold……..…………DSO-SLChuck Kelemen ……......……….…DSO-VEResponse DepartmentRichard Leys…………………...…...DDC-RDavid Cawton …………………...…DSO-NSCecil Christopher..…………..……..DSO-AVJoseph Colee, Jr……..…...………DSO-CMJanee Henderson………………….DSO-OPJerry Henderson.……..……QE CoordinatorLogistics DepartmentJames Dennen………………..……..DDC-LNestor Tacoronte…...……...……...DSO-CSSusan Z. Hastings……...……...…...DSO-ISThomas A. Loughlin ……………..DSO-PADorothy J. Riley…. ……………..….DSO-PBAngela Pomaro .…..…...…….….…DSO-HRTerry Barth ……………...…………DSO-MABruce L. Perri……………………....DSO-DVNestor Tacoronte ……….…….. WebmasterLillian G. GaNun …….…………….DSO-SRDouglas Hanson..…...….…..………...DSSODouglas Hanson..………….………….DFSOAndrew Anderson…………….…….DSO-LPAntoinette Borman………….….……....D-LLJames Mayer.......………….………DSO-FNRichard Leys………..….………….PPDCPAPeter Fernandez…….....Plan CoordinatorThomas Brickey …District Materials CenterDistrict Administrative Assistant &AideCarolyn R. Hooley ……...…................D-ADElaine J. Cornell ……………………...D-AACOMO Mary T. Larsen ...………...Advocate“Guard Your Own”Give generously tothe Coast GuardMutual AssistanceProgram.http://www.cgmahq.org/index.htmAuxiliary Sector CoordinatorsReginald B. HollarASC Sector CharlestonDonald C. HogeASC Sector St. PetersburgJesse L. StevensASC Sector JacksonvilleR. Dewey JacksonASC Sector Key WestOsvaldo M. CatinchiASC Sector San JuanWilliam V. TejeiroASC Sector Miamihttp://d7materials.org/index.phpThe center is now openMonday & Thursday 1000-1600You can reach the center by phoneduring these hours at:(727) 535-2593http://www.teamcoastguard.org/U. S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARYDistrict 7 Fall ConferenceSeptember 22-25, 2011Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront1201 Riverplace BoulevardJacksonville, Florida904.398.8800For room reservations call direct, ask for in housereservation$82.00 per diem room ratePast District 7 Commodores2009-10………………….Donald L. Frasch2007-08……………….……....Allen Brown2005-06………………….Peter Fernandez2003-04 ………..…………... Jay Dahlgren2001-02…….…...………...….. Mary Larsen1999-00……...…...…...…... Helmut Hertle1997-98…………..……..... E.W. Edgerton1995-96……....….... George E. Jeandheur1993-94……..........…. Joseph E. Norman1991-92…………......…… Walter W. Bock1989-90…………...…. Guy R. Markley, Jr.1987-88……………….…. Rene E. Dubois1985-86…………..... Robert B. Waggoner1983-84………….……… John C. King, Jr.1981-82………….…. William J. Callerame1979-80……………….… Bolling Douglas1977-78………………………. James Titus1975-76………….……….... Newton Baker1973-74………... Lawrence G. Danneman1971-72…………….… Dr. Elbert C. Prince1969-70…………..….. George B.M. Loden1967-68…………….….. Ernest A. Baldine1965-66……………...….. Roland Birnn1963-64……..……Miguel A. Colorado1961-62…………… E. E. Vanderveer1959-60…………….. Richard L. Smith1957-58………………. Herbert L. Lutz1956…………..… A. Harlow Merryday1954-55…….…….... Stanley W. Hand1952-53……….…….... N.J.M. McLean1951-52……….... Fred T. Youngs, Jr.1950…………..... Guersey Curran, Jr.1948-49………...…Charley E. Sanford1946-47……....……... W. N. Mansfield1939-45...no DCOs yet, DCPs governedDivision Commanders 2011Division 1………………………Angel BeneroDivision 2….……....….……....... David FullerDivision 3….……...……….. Samuel E. DudaDivision 4…………William J. Sorrentino, Sr.Division 5……….….....…….... Gary P. BarthDivision 6……...……….……. Judith HudsonDivision 7…....……...…...….. Amos JohnsonDivision 8…….....……….…..... Braxton EzellDivision 9………..…………...….. Louis ContiDivision 10…………....…..Warren M. WilsonDivision 11……..………….. Jimmy R. RyderDivision 12………………….Vito W. GiardinaDivision 13……………... Jeffery A. BronsingDivision 14…….……...……Henry T. HaydenDivision 15……………………….. Craig ElliotDivision 16………...…... James “CC” KregloDivision 17……...………..... George S. Peek

TAMPA, Fla.— April 2, 2011. Division 7 offers the Coxswain and Boat CrewMember Training program annually. Every flotilla participates by offering vesselsand crew for the on‐the‐water training, classroom instructors and mentors for thetrainees . Donning the anti‐exposure suit and entering the water is a memorableexperience for every trainee. George Papabeis, FSO‐PA 74My Breeze“…Please notice, I titled this note claiming the “Breeze” as my own and that's what it is. It isthe singular lasting connection between my division, district and national shipmates andme; something portable to enjoy whenever and to reread and re-enjoy should I choose withoutrequiring a computer or I-Pad. How did you ever forget about the power of the press? All threerevolutions of the past month started with the use of pen on ink on paper. Is a rebellion necessaryto get you up and running again?“… Upon discussion, many fellow Auxiliarists feel the same that you have wiped away manyyears of memories yet to come by relegating the “Breeze” to the delete key…”Ed Greenfield FL51Edwin S. Greenfield PAOStation Lake Worth InletReply to Mr. Greenfield:The economic down-turn has impacted everyone andthe Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7 is not immune. Ourgoal is to present the Breeze in a new format with morebells and whistles that we hope will compensate for theabsence of a printed copy.