From the Bridge - COMO Gary P. Barth, DCO 7

Commodore Gary P. Barth

New leaders and so much more...

It has been my honor to serve the members of District Seven for the past two years as your Commodore. We started 2019 in a government shutdown. Now, we are fi nishing amid a pandemic, COVID-19. For the second me in recent years, we have had to cancel our scheduled District Training Conference. The last me was due to a hurricane, and now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2019-2020 has been an unusual two years for us all. Let’s hope that 2021 has a be er start and improved health and safety for everyone.

In 2019 we had an excellent year with recruitment. We added over three-hundred members in 2019, but due to a ri on s ll lost members for various reasons. In 2020, due to the pandemic, recrui ng has been low compared to standard mes. Even with COVID-19 we have s ll added 160 plus new members since Jan. 1, 2020.

The term limits for Staff Offi cer posi ons has had a posi ve eff ect on aff ected members seeking upward mobility in our organiza on. New and fresh ideas have helped in many areas. The Auxiliary Chaplain Support within District Seven is very dynamic and is an excellent help to the ac ve duty. The use of Coast Watch security inves ga ons has proven to be an invaluable tool enabling us to quickly process new members. The new process has resulted in members obtaining their membership numbers promptly and allows the new members access to complete their CORE training. Auxiliary Paddle Cra public educa on classes have started, and we are currently working on the Auxiliary Paddle Cra Afl oat program. The addi on of the Sea Scouts to units within District Seven units has been a success since the beginning of 2020. We have one Sea Scout Ship now with several others on the way to being chartered. Many excellent and exci ng plans are progressing successfully within the District.

The use of electronic mee ngs has been a challenge to many of the units. Most units now are very capable of u lizing electronic communica ons for not only their mee ngs but are also having their meetings and have great success with conduc ng public educa on classes. Several fl o llas have reported increased a endance for public educa on classes online versus the tradi onal classroom environment. The younger genera on of the boa ng public would prefer to a end online courses as they have become accustomed to the use of electronic devices for most of the tasks for which they par cipate.

The new Risk Management Team Coordina on Training for our members is 81% in compliance and required for many cer fi ca ons. The allowed online group size has been increased from 6 to 10 members for each session and will enable more members to stay current in qualifi ca ons.

The new AUXDATA II has been challenging. Most units are star ng to be able to work with members on how to enter their hours. Na onal is currently working on many problems with AUXDATA II, but it will be an excellent new tool as we go forward.

In the fi rst three months of 2020, our members have contributed approximately 153,257 recorded hours. These numbers only go through the end of March 2020. Over 7,000 hours in marine patrols and almost 4,600 of Coast Guard Opera onal Support. We have 123 Auxiliary Food Service, 541 Telecommunica on Operators, 862 Vessel Examiners and 537 Program Visitors. Once again, our District 7 Diversity program has led the way for the NACO 3 Star Diversity Awards. We received 85 unit awards and an increase of 31 new awards for the year. Thank you to all who helped with these awards.

The District 7 Emergency Management team does a stellar job of assis ng the ac ve duty and our members during emergencies. Our district is aff ected by many natural disasters, such as hurricanes and most recent earthquakes. Our district always stands

Commodore Gary P. Barth

(Con nued from page 6) ready to assist our members and members of other districts as needed.

Our district elec ons were conducted u llizing the electronic vo ng system, “Elec on Buddy.” This worked very well and was the second me in recent years that elec ons had to be done by electronic means. The results of the elec on for the incoming Execu ve Commi ee members for 2021 are:

District Commodore Pat McMenamin District Chief Of Staff John Holmes District Captain East Robert Sherman District Captain North Mar n Goodwin District Captain West Toni Borman page 10. My only regret is my inability to present these awards to the members in person at our District Training Conference. Hopefully, next year we’ll be back to “normal.” During the Na onal Elec ons, I was elected as Deputy Na onal Commodore Atlan c East and Recrea onal Boa ng Safety. My new posi on will be working with District 1NR, 1SR, 5NR, 5SR and D7. I also have oversight for the Na onal Recrea onal Boa ng Safety area. This includes Recrea onal Boating Safety Outreach, Public Educa on and Vessel Examina ons and Program Visita on directorates.

On Sept. 23, I had the honor of receiving my Oath of Offi ce from Rear Admiral Eric Jones, Commander Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami. Before the administra on of the Oath of Offi ce, Commander John Briggs presented me with the Coast Guard Auxiliary Meritorious Service Medal. This was a memorable experience with all par cipants wearing masks and social distancing. Thanks to all at District Seven Headquarters for making this happen.

Congratula ons to the new EXCOM and all members Always remember that our greatest asset is you, our who stepped up to serve for an elected offi ce at any MEMBERS. As elected/appointed offi cers, we need level. to be ever mindAt the District always “REMEMBoard Mee ng, BER THE MEMwe were able BER.” Thank you to do a “fi rst” u - for your help, lizing the “You- understanding Tube” pla orm and service to for all members District Seven, to be able to “at- the Coast Guard tend” the meet- Auxiliary, the ing if they chose Coast Guard, and to do so. During our Na on these this mee ng, the past two years. new “Commo- We are the “Sendore Mary Larsen sa onal Seventh” Excellence in Ed- due to you, uca on Award” our members. was passed as an amendment to Rear Admiral Eric Jones, Commander Seventh Coast Guard District presents the Coast Guard Auxiliary Meritorious Service Medal to COMO Gary Barth, Sept. 23, 2020 in Miami. (United States Coast Guard Stay SEMPER PARATUS, and Annex “A” of our Auxiliary photo) BRAVO ZULU for Standing Rules. your help in all Congratula ons to all of the na onal and district the district has award winners. The list of awards will follows on accomplished in the past two years. Ω ful of this and