Breeze
Volume LVII
Number 3
Fall/Winter 2011
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary 7th District http://www.cgaux7.org/
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
Is the official publication of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary 7th District
District Commander: RADM William D. Baumgartner, USCG
http://www.cgaux7.org/ Volume LVII
Number 3
Fall/Winter 2011
In this issue: From the Bridge– COMO Walter Jaskiewicz
3
From the Bridge– John Tyson, DCOS
4
From the Bridge– Como Donald Frasch, DNACO-RBS, IPDCO
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Director’s Quarters
6-7
Robert Weskerna, DCAPT-N
8-11
Melvin Manning, DCAPT-W
12-13
J. P. Feighery, Jr., DCAPT-E
14-15
Logistics Directorate, James Dennen, DDC-L D7
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Response Directorate, Richard Leys, DDC-R D7
18-19
Prevention Directorate, Bruce Lindsey, DDC-P D7
20-21
Helo Ops: Auxiliary Training Support to the Coast Guard
22-23
Officer Snook Trash Pollution Game
24
A Win-Win For Everyone
25
Behind the Scenes: District 7 Material Center
26-27
The Efficacy of Out-of-Date (Expired) Visual Distress Signals
28-30
DCON Photos
31-35
D7 Virtual Library
Director of Auxiliary District 7: CDR José Quinones Operations Training Officer: CWO2 Ursula Walther
U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY District Commodore COMO Walter Jaskiewicz District Chief of Staff John Tyson Immediate Past District Commodore COMO Donald L. Frasch District Captain North Robert Weskerna District Captain West Melvin Manning District Captain East J. Pat Feighery, Jr.
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Auxiliary Air Assists Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen
38-39
District 7 Officers
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New District 7 Challenge coin is designed to recognize mentors and to serve as another incentive to reward flotillas that have low rates of dis-enrollment. Read about it on page 16 of this issue of Breeze and in the current issue of the D7 Connection at: http:// www.cgaux7.org/pdf_files/d7pub/2011-D-7Connection-Fall.pdf
Cover Photo: TAMPA BAY, Fla.— Reynaldo Rivera-Rosado from Flotilla 74 Brandon, Fla., stands on the bow of the Catalina, owned and coxswained by Joe Lamb, Flotilla 79 Tampa, during a man overboard drill in March 2011. Photo by George Papabeis, FL 74
BREEZE is the official and educational tool of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary 7th District and is intended as a publication to keep the membership apprised of the activities of the Auxiliary. All articles and photographs submitted must be consistent with the policies of the Coast Guard and the Auxiliary and may not be returned. Electronic submissions are encouraged. Personal information of members is protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. The use of these rosters, addresses and telephone numbers on any computer or online service including the Internet is prohibited by the Act. Comments are encouraged and may be sent to Dorothy Riley, Editor (District OfficerPublications) at: dottieriley1@verizon.net. Articles in the BREEZE may be reprinted provided credit is given and a copy is sent to the above Editor and Publications Officer. Do not send changes of address to the BREEZE. You can obtain a change of member information report (7028) from your Materials Officer and submit it through channels.
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From the Bridge Commodore Walter Jaskiewicz District Commodore D7 Uncommon Strength – Unwavering Service If you missed our District 7 Conference in Jacksonville, you missed a great time! I did not know so many of our members are talented singers until they stepped up to the stage to sing karaoke on fun night.
Opportunity is all around us. What matters is where you put your focus. Wherever you focus your attention, you create strength and momentum. For example, I have used the term, “Unwavering Service” as my guiding words as part of our District’s Strategic Plan. We shall be unwavering in the pursuit of our goals, and we shall be unwavering with a boundless vision dedicated to excellence in all of our missions and tasks.
The training classes were great, as was the camaraderie that we shared with the active side. Kudos to the conference staff for making it all happen! District Captain elections were held, and Judith Hudson was elected District Captain-East, with Mel Manning, District Captain-West and Robert Weskerna, District Captain-North elected for second terms. I look forward to the talents and skills that they bring to the bridge. During the awards presentation, I announced that we would present a Commodore’s Cup Award for the Best Division and Flotilla. John Tyson, District 7 Chief of Staff, explained the procedures used to determine the winners. The Commodores Cup is the first step in my District 7 “Enhance Performance Program”.
support to the Coast Guard and the boating public. After presenting the results of the survey to our Executive Committee, they all agreed to support the program. They will serve as the Organizational Performance Team (OPT) that will focus on the items of greatest concern and will recommend action plans to address them. More information on the program will be forthcoming, but let me say that in my opinion, this program could be beneficial to the Auxiliary.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Recipients of the Commodore’s Cup Award at flotilla level pose with their trophies. From Left, CDR José Quinones, Director of Auxiliary D7; Ron Foreman, Flotilla Commander 12-6 accepting the third place award; Amos Johnson, Division Commander 7, accepting the second place award for Flotilla 72; Judith Hudson, Division Commander 6 accepting the first place cup for Flotilla 61; COMO Walter Jaskiewicz, District 7 Commodore; and Don Frasch, Deputy National Commodore-Recreational Boating Safety. John Tyson, Chief of Staff D7 is behind them. Photo by Kirk Altman
Recently, we requested our leadership to complete a survey, “Are We Making Progress,” to identify issues that could impede our performance in improving our Auxiliary
Concentrating on our areas of defined weaknesses is the key that will open the door to all our accomplishments. Concentration is the first law of success. Our members must have defined vision, a direction provided by leadership at all levels to provide us focus. In the absence of a vision, there can be no clear focus, nor can we expect to succeed.
Once members receive a clear purpose for a mission, they will fulfill the mission with enthusiasm and a burning desire for success. As more information on our “Enhancement Performance Plan” is presented by our leaders, I anticipate the members’ support.Ω
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
From the Bridge John Tyson District Chief of Staff The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “He who obtains has little, he who scatters has much.” Profound words spoken more than two thousand years ago, and every bit as relevant today. As Auxiliarists, we provide our time, resources and knowledge to support Coast Guard missions. The work can be demanding and our compensation is largely words of praise, yet our commitment to serve never wavers. Seventh District Commander RADM William Baumgartner praised our service and dedication to sharing our knowledge many times during remarks at the 2011 District Auxiliary Conference. Also at the 2011 District Conference, Commodore Walter Jaskiewicz recognized and congratulated Division 7 and Flotilla 61 as the best performing division and flotilla of 2010. He awarded the two units the Commodore’s Cup for their exceptional achievement. A second and third place award went to Division 3 and Division 12, a second place flotilla award was presented to Flotilla 72, and a third place flotilla award went to Flotilla 12-6. While only two units took home the Cup, all six winners had exceptional performance in 2010. In addition, for the very first time, all members (with six-months service) of the flotilla that won the Commodore’s Cup will receive the Flotilla Meritorious Achievement Medal and the certificate and ribbon that accompany the award. Looking ahead to next year’s competition, I hope every flotilla and division will aggressively pursue winning “the Cup.” All the data used to determine the winners of the Cup is taken from AUXDATA, so entering every member’s mission activity in AUXDATA is critical. By measuring the rate of improvement in each unit’s core missions, each unit is competing against itself for improvement and the winners of the Commodore’s Cup are recognized for their achievement in activities of greatest importance to our primary customers, the Coast Guard and boating public. As we begin the final quarter of the year, we may all take pride in the district’s accomplishments to
date. Through mid-October, the members of District Seven’s Auxiliary have provided an impressive 661,000 hours of volunteer service, conducted over 20,000 Vessel Safety Checks, made 16,000 visits to Recreational Boating Safety Program Visitor Partners , held nearly 2,600 boating safety public education sessions and provided 2,600 missions to support the safety of the district’s waterways. While those results are clearly commendable, much remains to be accomplished this year. Let’s not let up on any of our support activities. If we all work to add a few extra Program Visits, Vessel Safety Checks, Public Education classes and operational missions this year, we can say we did our very best to “scatter” the boating safety message and reduce the number of recreational boating accidents and fatalities in District 7. I look forward to thanking many of you at Change of Watch events in the coming months. Until then, thank you, thank you, thank you for your service, and keep up your great work! Ω
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—COMO Walter Jaskiewicz presents the Commodore’s Cup Award to Amos Johnson, Division 7 Commander, and Mike Shea, Division 7 Vice Commander, at the District 7 business meeting on September 23, 2011, with CDR José Quinones, Director of Auxiliary District 7 looking on. Behind them are John Tyson, District 7 Chief of Staff; Robert Weskerna, District Captain-North; and Pat Feighery, District Captain-East. Division 7 earned first place in the Commodore’s Cup Award for Best Division, while Flotilla 72 earned second place in the flotilla category. Photo by D. Riley
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Commodore Donald Frasch Immediate Past District Commodore Deputy National Commodore–Recreational Boating Safety No doubt, you have heard of or seen the new National Staff Organizational Chart posted on our web site. What is particularly important and promising is that we have now combined the Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) departments into one Directorate. It includes our “V” Department, (Vessel Safety Checks and the RBS Visitation Program), the “E” Department, (Public Education) and the newly renamed “RBS Outreach” Department. What is most exciting to me is that I now have the opportunity to lead this new Directorate as the Deputy National Commodore, Recreational Boating Safety (DNACORBS). I am sure you also know Recreational Boating Safety is the core, primary mission of the Auxiliary. The Commandant in his “Auxiliary Policy Statement” has recently restated this and declared that our service priorities include "Promoting and Improving Recreational Boating Safety." And, yes, it's bolded and underlined, just as it is here! Our new organizational alignment not only focuses on his mandate, it also strongly supports his four Strategic Directives: 1. "Steady the Service" ---That means focus on our core missions and make sure we get them right. We are clearly doing that by bringing the essence of Recreational Boating Safety, the Public Education, Vessel Safety Check, RBS Program Visitation, and RBS Outreach departments under one team-based structure. As we move forward, I know you will see significant increases in focus, training, promotion, and impact of our total RBS program. 2. "Honor our Profession" --- We need both to think about and highly value what we do in RBS. Our "profession" is saving lives! We mostly do not know who, when or where it happens, but it surely does. We are in the "prevention" business. In addition to the hundreds of lives we are directly credited for saving, there are countless additional people saved, simply because we taught them how not to get into trouble, and what to do if they do. What could be more honorable than saving a life? 3. "Strengthen our Partnerships" --- In keeping with our new organization, we have changed the name of our "RBS Policy" Department to "RBS Outreach". The new
name describes exactly what we do; go out and develop partnerships with other organizations to increase the benefits of our combined RBS efforts. We cannot drive down the number of boating accidents and fatalities alone! We need strong partnerships to do it. You will hear a lot more about this as we re-energize our support and involvement with related organizations to reduce boating accidents. 4. "Respect our Shipmates" --- There really is not much to discuss with this one. We all need to step back for a moment and be sure the respect and relationships we have with our Shipmates are the very best they can be. Please do not let "egos" get in our way and prevent us from being effective. If you don't already, you should know there is a strong effort underway to improve our Public Education effectiveness. COMO Tom Venezio, my predecessor as DNACO, is heading up a study team to look at an overhaul of our present Public Education system. I know, working with both our RBS Team and many of our partners, his focus is on content, delivery, and reinvigorating our entire effort. Over the last few years, we have gone from first to third place nationally in our total Public Education output. We are using old methodology and technology to deliver RBS instruction. We need to fix that and get back to the work of saving even more lives. Ω
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
Director’s Quarters Commander José A. Quinones Director of Auxiliary D7 Commander José A. Quinones has been assigned as the Director of Auxiliary for the U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District, the nation’s largest volunteer Auxiliary force. Previously, CDR Quinones served as the U.S. Coast Guard Attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to include assignment as the Chief, Contingency Plans, Readiness, and Incident Management Force, at U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan, PR. CDR Quinones served a specialized tour of duty with the Department of Defense Joint Task Force Civil Support at Hampton, VA, operational unit that plans, responds and deploys for potential or actual Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Explosive and Weapons of Mass Destruction (CBRNE-WMD) security threats to our Nation. CDR Quinonés has represented the U.S. Coast Guard with operational crisis and consequence management events that threaten to employ weapons of mass destruction such as chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high yield explosives, to include response to natural catastrophic events such as the Command Advanced Element to support military deployments. CDR Quinonés has supported Presidential Venues considered National Special Security Events (NSSE), along with responding to increased homeland security levels threats that targeted critical infrastructure, financial interests and transportation domains. CDR Quinones graduated Cum Laude in 1994 from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He completed a Juris Doctor degree in 2003 from the Interamerican University School of Law. In 2005, he acquired a Certification in Health Law from the NSU Shepard Broad Law Center, along with a final admission to practice law before the Puerto Rico District, Appellate, and Supreme Courts. In 2006, he was admitted to the Federal Bar for the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. CDR Quinones’ awards include two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, two (2) Joint Service Commendation Medals, two (2) U.S. Coast Guard Commendation Medals, two (2) Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, along with various meritorious team and unit awards. He received the recognition as a “plank holder” by USNORTHCOM for assistance rendered during their formation. He is an active member of the American Bar Association Immigrations, Health, Energy and Environmental Law Sections, and has served as pro bono legal counsel for environmental, immigrations and health law matters, primarily devoting his eighteen (18) year professional career as a Commissioned Officer for the U.S. Armed Forces. CDR Quinones has been with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for almost 20 years. The Auxiliary boating safety outreach program opened its doors to the U.S. Coast Guard, with acceptance and completion of active duty boot camp in 1993. CDR Quinones was then accepted into, and graduated from, Coast Guard Officer Candidate School in 1995. He commenced his tour of duty as the Auxiliary Liaison Officer for the Marine Safety Office (previous name) at Miami, Fla., and continued with same duties in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 2010, he received the Dominican Republic Presidential Award, following the full formation of the Dominican Naval Auxiliary, which he coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary National Staff. A strong supporter of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for decades, CDR Quinones values and admires the firm dedication of the world’s finest voluntary maritime service in safeguarding our Nation’s waterways. In the short time since his appointment as the Director Of Auxiliary District 7, he has revealed a continuing desire to integrate the unique talents within the Auxiliary Force to perform a broader range of Coast Guard missions. Retaining the core duties of promoting and improving Recreational Boating Safety shall remain the essence of the Auxiliary Force, while increasing its capability to undertake at any given time its responsibility to support any (Continued on page 7)
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Director’s Quarters
(Continued from page 6)
Coast Guard operational, administrative, and logistical requirements. In the Seventh Coast Guard District, the Auxiliary Force will spearhead the National effort to provide trained crews and facilities to augment the Coast
Guard’s mission to enhance the safety and security of our Nation’s ports, waterways and environmentally sensitive coastal regions, in accordance with Coast Guard Auxiliary Policy Statement. Ω
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.— The Commodore's Reception on Sept. 24, 2011, is one of several opportunities at the District 7 Conference for the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary to interact with members whom they might otherwise know only by name or by email. From left are Stacey Wright, Flotilla 6-11 Miami Beach; CDR José Quinones, Director of Auxiliary, District 7; CDR Bill Travis, District 7 Legal Department; CWO2 Ursula Walther, District 7 Auxiliary Operations Training Officer; and MSTC Bruce Wright, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist, District 7. Photo by Zach Lessin, FL 79
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
District Captain North Robert Weskerna, DCAPT-N ASAR at Yorktown (Photo essay) This past July, COMO Jaskiewicz invited me to attend the Auxiliary Atlantic Search and Rescue (ASAR) competition, held at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center (TRACEN) in Yorktown, Va. As I drove to the campus early the Saturday morning of July 23, the car radio announced the various record high temperatures expected that day. The car registered 106 degrees Fahrenheit‌in the shade! The apparent temperature was higher by far. I met the District 7 team the evening before the competition. The team members were Jim Roche from Flotilla 17-9 (aka your D.J. at fun night); Jack Miller from Flotilla 17-6, who marched under the Jackson Arch at Virginia Military Institute about a decade after I did; professor Bill Terrell from Flotilla17-6; and Donna Lee Miller from Flotilla 17-6. Donna is about as nice as they come and kept the team on an even keel. The candid shots on the following pages only begin to tell the story of the day to follow.
Members of the Auxiliary Atlantic Search and Rescue Team from left, Donna Miller, Jack Miller, Bill Terrell and Jim Roche.
Team Members Jack Miller, Bill Terrell and Jim Roche share a private moment the evening before the outdoor activities.
All photographs by Robert Weskerna.
Team leader Jim Roche prepares himself and his team for the SAR pump operation. Donna Miller is in the background taking a photo of the team. They look pretty cool at this point... but just wait.
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Bill Terrell, Jim Roche and Jack Miller head for the P6 pump.
At the start of this event, it was probably a “cool” 90 degrees...at 7:29 A.M.! Bill Terrell led the team to the waiting P6 pump. They needed to unpack this pump and set it up. Later, they would put it all back together. It was not as easy as it looked, as they were soon to find out. (The active duty judges swore that the pump started earlier that morning; that it should be all warmed up for the exercise. This, of course, was not the case.
9
The pump finally starts and the team bails out the orange drum.
Once finished with the pumping exercise, the pump that the team had carried down the ramp was repacked and Jack and Bill carried the unit back up the hill to the starting position. It’s now 7:51 AM and our team felt like they started OK. On to the Life Ring Toss. We’ve just gotten started. (Continued on page 10)
The pump finally started, and our team bailed out the orange drum, which housed the pump. Soon, the gas in the carburetor ran out, and our team puzzled out that the fuel cut-off valve was in the off position.
Once repacked, the team must carry the pump back up the ramp to the start line.
A fairly fresh Jim Roche and Jack Miller carry the P6 Pump Kit down a long ramp to a waiting dock. Bill Terrell is to their right.
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
(Continued from page 9)
It looks as though Jim is trying to toss the life ring over the cormorant nest on top of the waiting dayboard in the background. There is actually a ball anchored to the bottom, much closer than the dayboard. Still, it is a heave.
At right, the effort and concentration shows on the face of Jack Miller as he heaves the heaving line. Jack really took to this challenge. Something about his baseball experience.
Bill Terrell calculates how to approach the marlinspike exercise. Bill definitely knew what he was doing at this station. They all did fine. It is now 9:28 A.M. The activities continued on for another five and a half hours.
I learned a lot by following our team around that Saturday in July. While the contestants wore the hot weather uniform, the rest of us were in operational dress uniforms (ODUs), complete with wool socks and boots. In spite of that, I’ll never complain about having to wear ODUs in hot weather again. The spirit of these four contestants out of Division 17 would inspire anyone. They never complained and gave an effort not many of us would be willing or able to duplicate. While we did not place this time around, there is always 2012. Thanks Jim, Jack, Bill, and Donna. You are all winners in my book. ℌ
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Fun Night at DCON Robert Weskerna, District Captain-North
I like this picture, which I took at Fun Night, of the two “J’s.” Most of us know and respect COMO Jay Dahlgren, past District 7 Commodore. Some of us are especially lucky to call him “friend.” Only in 2010 did I first meet COMO “Joe” Favaloro. I think Joe’s warm personality shines through in this photograph, and I look forward to getting to know COMO “Joe” a bit better. Both of these gentlemen represent what makes the Auxiliary such a great organization. Thanks for your service, Commodores.
Finally, I would like to take this occasion to wish “all the best” to my colleague and friend, Pat Feighery, District Captain-East D7. Pat’s enthusiasm and love for the Auxiliary came through loud and clear throughout our meetings, both public and private in 2011. Pat and Nancy will be leaving Boca Raton for Alabama and out of our district. I am sure we’ll be hearing from Pat at some level in the very near future. Best of luck in your new digs, Pat! Fair skies and smooth waters.
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
District Captain West Melvin Manning, DCAPT-W 2011 spun by at warp speed. The year was filled with training members to develop and enhance their skills in support of the Coast Guard in various areas, including surface and air operations, clerical responsibilities and Auxiliary Chef (AUXCHEF) duties to name a few. The members throughout the west region also performed their Recreational Boating Safety missions superbly, often overcoming challenges and far exceeding their goals. The working relationship with Air Station Clearwater, Sector St. Petersburg, and all five Small Boat Stations exemplified the goal achievement stated at the beginning of the year. The divisions and the flotillas continued to work together in an ever-increasing cooperative mode, thereby decreasing the “theirs” and “ours” mentality and improving Auxiliary service to the Coast Guard. The long awaited new Auxiliary Manual (AUXMAN) arrived just in time for significant changes to be reviewed at DCON in September by COMO Don Frasch, Deputy National Commodore - Recreational Boating Safety. The West Region proudly claims COMO Frasch as one
of its own, since he is a member of Flotilla 11-7, Hudson, Florida. Many changes in the AUXMAN are significant and others are clarifying. There will be a lot of study and review necessary to become familiar with the new AUXMAN. The District Seven Fall Conference (DCON) held in Jacksonville in late September was an opportunity for the leadership and members to participate in numerous seminars and workshops. All five Division Commanders, Division Vice Commanders, several Staff Officers, Flotilla Commanders, Flotilla Vice Commanders and District Captain-West attended. Many members took advantage of the DIRAUX test center set up on the second floor, with eight members of the West Region passing Auxiliary Operations (AUXOP) examinations, representing fifty percent of all passing tests. One member even completed the last AUXOP examination necessary for AUXOP2. Dottie Riley, District Staff Officer–Publications, member of Flotilla 79, won several awards, including national awards for best flotilla and best division publication. The Past Division Commanders Association also presented her an Outstanding Achievement Award. Julia E. Bidwick, Flotilla 86, again won a National Public Affairs Department First Place Photography Award, as did George Papabeis from Flotilla 74. Units and individuals in the West received numerous awards recognizing the excellent effort put forth by our members. Division 7 earned first place in the Commodore’s Cup Award, while Flotilla
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Zach Lessin from Flotilla 79 and new member of the Auxiliary National Video Corps produced a video that was shown on a continuous loop as the members found their seats before the District 7 general assembly (annual business meeting), at several meetings and classes, and at table-top presentations. CDR José Quinones, Director of Auxiliary District 7 looks forward to more of Lessin’s productions as learning and recruitment tools. Photo by Kirk Altman, Staff Officer-Publications 14
(Continued on page 13)
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(Continued from page 12)
72 earned second place in the Commodore’s Cup Award at flotilla level. At the end of this year, we will see three of our Division Commanders retire. Amos Johnson, Division 7; Braxton Ezell, Division 8; and Lou Conti, Division 9 have done a superb job for two years and will be missed. Still, their talent and experience will be evident as they assume new roles in the Auxiliary. We will be welcoming the new Division Commanders and Vices for 2012 after the CLEARWATER, Fla. - Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Morgan Dudley, Station Sand Key Comelections in October. Nu- manding Officer, holds a cellphone for U.S. Rep. Bill Young during a conference call with Adm. Bob merous Changes of Papp, Commandant of the Coast Guard, at Clearwater City Hall, Sept. 28, 2011. Clearwater is curWatch are scheduled rently the only city in Florida to have the designation “Coast Guard City.” Behind Chief Dudley are Jim Ryder, Division Commander 11, and Karen Miller, Past Commander Division 11. U.S. Coast through the end of the Guard photos by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tara Molle year to formally swear in the new bridges and to formally pipe out this year’s. tion Sand Key; Jim Ryder, Division Commander 11; and The Coast Guard’s Innovation-Expo took place in Tampa again this year from October 25-27, 2011. The event is an assembly of the Senior Coast Guard leadership, and this year the Auxiliary’s National Leadership and District Commanders from all districts attended. Members from Divisions 7 and 11 supported the Auxiliary, providing logistics and transportation, including on-thewater boat rides to and from dinner. Planning is well underway for the Republican National Convention, to be held in Tampa during the week of August 27, 2012. Due to the number of expected participants, as well as the nature of the event, security requirements will be enormous throughout the Tampa Bay area. The Auxiliary is expected to play a significant role, along with other agencies. There will be much more to say about this as planning develops. Clearwater became the thirteenth Coast Guard City in the country and the first in Florida. This is the report I received from Karen Miller, first by telephone and then by email. The news became public on September 28, 2011. CWO Morgan Dudley, Commanding Officer Sta-
Karen Miller, Past Division Commander, joined CAPT John Turner, Commanding Officer Air Station Clearwater, at Clearwater City Hall. At 3:45 P.M., Congressman C.W. "Bill" Young arrived, along with the heads of the local Chamber of Commerce and various other organizations, including the Veteran's Alliance and Navy League. At 4:15 P.M., we were escorted into the main meeting hall where the Mayor of Clearwater and the City Council members were assembled. Congressman Young spoke about how wonderful the USCG is and the great rapport between the City of Clearwater and the Coast Guard. Then, Admiral Papp was connected via telephone (from the Pentagon), which was broadcast to everyone attending (and carried on the private Clearwater City Council channel) to formally announced the news. He did say that this requires Congressional approval, which can take as long as 90 days. Congressman Young assured him it would pass and it would occur quickly. This is, of course, wonderful news and it comes as a result of years of hard work done by a lot of Auxiliarists in cooperation with all the other supporting agencies.Ω
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
District Captain East J. P. Feighery, Jr., DCAPT-E My how the time does fly! It is truly hard to believe that 10 months have gone by and that, in two months, another year will be history. But what a year it has been in the East area of responsibility. As I write this, it never ceases to amaze me how much time, effort, and imagination that the 2,273 men and women who make up the Coast Guard Auxiliary from central Florida to the U.S. Virgin Islands give to our country. Let me share some numbers with you as of this writing:
227,540 Total activity hours, encompassing all mission sets 8,157 Vessel Exams 4, 087 Program Visits And the year is not over yet! Now let us look behind some of these numbers to see some of the “out of the box” activities that are fueling a successful year. Division 1 Puerto Rico continues to spread the Recreational Boating Safety message with Public Affairs events all over the island. This year’s National Safe Boating Week in Puerto Rico was second to none, with many partner agencies participating to spread the safe boating message. The Division was a large participant in the Life Jackets Across America event. Division 3, though small in number, is on its way to contributing more to Coast Guard Auxiliary than ever before. Support to Station Ft. Lauderdale continues to increase operationally with patrol support, watchstanding, galley help (AUXCHEF) and a retired active duty BM1 mentoring the crew at the station on a weekly basis. One member of Division 3 single-handedly increased the number of boardings at the station when she was tasked with inputting all MSLE reports when the boarding did not result in a violation.
This past spring, members of Division 5 participated in SOUTHCOM’s Operations Tradewinds, a multi-service exercise. Division 5 continues to support Stations Lake Worth and Ft. Pierce with watchstanders and continues to support Stations Lake Worth and Ft. Pierce with watchstanders and AUXCHEF members. The Division’s Public Affairs team will soon help members of the Ft. Pierce crew by acting as news media reporters, interviewing crewmembers about hypothetical search and rescue cases in an effort to sharpen the crewmembers’ skills when interacting with the media. Division 6, serving Miami-Dade County, continues to support Station and Sector Miami with watchstanders and patrols. Division 6 has committed to having boats on the waters of Biscayne Bay every Saturday and Sunday and has never failed to deliver on its commitment. Members of Division 6 are working with Sector Miami to develop programming and software to be used in kiosks to be deployed at local marinas. This project, when complete, will provide boaters with information concerning safe boating classes and vessel exams and will give them up to the minute weather information and instructions on how to file a float plan. Division 13 continues to serve Sector Key West and its stations with Safety Patrols and Vessel Exams. Division 13 is, at the request of Sector Key West, putting together a shallow water response team. Phase one of this project was to identify shallow draft operational facilities and crews that can be on call to deploy in the backwater areas of the Keys to assist stranded boaters. Phase two, is to stand up a group of personal watercraft operators who can deploy to shallow water. Training for this phase is now in process. The Division continues to place emphasis on improving the safety of high-risk kayakers and canoeists. The Auxiliarists of Division 16 continue to give tremendous support to Sector San Juan and Air Station Borinquen with surface and air patrols. The Division has also been innovative in establishing a telephone line that is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be used to report boating incidents that may necessitate a rapid response by Auxiliary members. (Continued on page 15)
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AGUADILLA, P.R.—As beach-goers bask in the sun, members of Flotilla 17 Aguadilla participate with other Sea-Partners in a clean-up of Crash Boat Beach. Other agencies participating in the September 2011 event included the Naval Sea Cadets, Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources, Aguadilla’s Municipal Government and Inter-American University personnel. Photo by Hector M. Vega, Staff Officer-Public Education 1
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I want to take this opportunity to thank every member of Team East for all that you have and will accomplish in 2011. Take the foundation that you have laid this year and build upon it in 2012. Always remember that we are not flotillas and divisions in competition with one another. Our only competition is ourselves — to improve upon what we do as the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Bravo Zulu to you all!
From: Lindsey, Charles BMCM Date: Jul 29, 2011 5:46 PM Subject: USCG/CGAUX To: Dewey Jackson, Division Commander 13 Let me take a moment to thank you for the tremendous support your crews provided during this year's Mini Season. Your boat crews not only patrolled the waters of Marathon and Big Pine, they also assisted by standing by as our SAR response for both days. By having your crews immediately available to respond to routine rescues, you allowed Station Marathon to focus heavily on LMR enforcement, greatly improving our effectiveness in protecting the resource. We are extremely proud of our partnership and the many successes of both flotillas; please pass on a "job well done" to everyone involved. Thank you! V/r BMCM Chuck Lindsey Officer in Charge USCG Station Marathon
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
Logistics Directorate James Dennen, DDC-L D7 During the past several years, District 7 has done an outstanding job of recruiting new members. Our e-Responder conversion rate is the best in the nation. Unfortunately, however, when we look at the average length of Auxiliary membership, it is between eighteen months and two years. When we analyzed this, we found that we were losing both members within the first year of membership and members who were “old timers”. Possibly new members are not integrated into our programs quickly enough, while some long-time members, possibly feel that they are no longer needed. We decided to address this issue with a program to recognize mentors and another to reward flotillas that had low rates of dis-enrollment (less than 3%).
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—COMMO Walter Jaskiewicz, District 7 Commodore looks on as Angela Pomaro, District Staff OfficerHuman Resources, presents the first Human Resources challenge coin awarded for less than 3% dis-enrollment to Nevin Lantry, Immediate Past Division Commander 17, on Sept. 23, 2011, at the District 7 Conference. John Tyson, District 7 Chief of Staff, is in the background. Photo by Vickie Aponte
Angela Pomaro, District Staff Officer for Human Resources, and I designed a coin to be used to reward these flotillas and the single division with the lowest rate of disenrollment. The coin project is described on page 5 of the current issue of D7 Connection. http:// www.cgaux7.org/pdf_files/d7pub/2011-D-7-ConnectionFall.pdf Later this year, each flotilla’s best mentor will be recognized. We feel that if we can “marry” these two groups, we can give our more experienced members and our newest members a mutual goal. If it works, it will take advantage of the experience that some of our older members possess by using them to mentor the newest members. Ω
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Seven beautiful reasons for a cutter to bear the same name as a football team...
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.— Seven members of the Miami Dolphins cheerleading squad visited the USCGC Dolphin on Oct. 14, 2011. Not only was the visit a morale boost for the Dolphin’s crew, but the visit also served to increase awareness about Recreational Boating Safety and life jacket wear in the wake of a recent incident A capsized vessel in the Florida Keys that left eight persons stranded in the water for over 20 hours. Seven were rescued, including a three year old. Photo by Christopher Todd, Deputy Director /Government & Public Affairs, member of Flotilla 6-11
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
Response Directorate Richard Leys, DDC-R D7 The Response Department consists of four District Staff 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 respond when needed in such diverse areas as search and rescue, migrant interdiction support, weather related emergencies, watchstanding or a public event, including providing Auxiliary facilities on a stand-by status.
This net includes stations from District 7 as well as Districts 5N, 5S, 8, and 1.
Navigation Services District 7 leads many of the districts in the Navigation Systems data, including Bridge, aids to navigation (ATON) and private aids to navigation (PATON) mission statistics and mission hours. In the Federal ATON mission count, (30) there were 145 missions, with 1,278 aids verified, and 176 aids reported as discrepant. In the PATON mission count, (31) there were 161 missions with 1524 aids verified, and 508 aids reported as discrepant. Bridge Administration, (32) 73.90 hours Aton/Chart Updating, (30) 405.34 hours Paton, (31) 333.56 hours Aton /Chart Updating Patrol, (03) 1213.10
Aviation The aviation program continues to field new personal protective equipment, consisting of survival vests and single person life rafts. In addition, we will be issuing EF Johnson encrypt-able radios this fall. We should be fully operational by Jan. 1, 2012. In addition, we are in the process of instituting a training guide to assist in the training of aviation personnel and standardizing search and rescue (SAR) procedures across the district.
Operations
Communication
SABOT is designed to enhance overall Auxiliary operational proficiency by providing Auxiliary boat crews, boat crew mentors and qualification examiners an easy to follow step-by-step guide for the execution of all tasks contained in the Coxswain-Currency Maintenance Check Ride, Enclosure (2), of the Auxiliary Boat Crew Training Manual (ABCTM), COMDTINST M16794.51 (series).
District 7 Communications supports the Coast Guard with 298 radio facilities. These numbers include fixed land and mobile facilities that are capable of operating on either VHF, HF or both. We provided communications backup on a number of occasions when Rescue 21 failed. Our members provided over 1,200 hours of support year-to-date to Communications Area Master Station Atlantic by monitoring Navigational Telex and other broadcasts, when asked to do so. This, with only five Auxiliary Monitoring Stations! In August, Joseph Colee, Jr., District Staff Officer – Communications, was tasked with activating the hurricane net and acting as Net Control for Hurricane Irene.
Standardized Auxiliary Boat Operations Training, SABOT as it is referred to, could be coming to District 7. SABOT is not mandated by the Commandant, however, the program seeks to promote readiness and professionalism in operations and to improve Auxiliary boat crew safety and proficiency through standardized training.
The District Staff Officers are dedicated professionals in their respective fields and invite you to log on to their websites for additional information.â„Ś
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TAMPA BAY, Fla. - First Class Machinery Technician David Shoemaker boards the cargo ship "Onego Ponza" under the watchful eye of Joe Lamb, coxswain. Lamb’s vessel, Catalina, served as a boarding platform on Apr. 7, 2011, for Shoemaker, SA Catherine Selon, and LT Christian Barger, USCG. Auxiliary Crewmembers included George Papabeis, John Lowe, Flotilla 74, and Ted Cohen, Flotilla 75 Photo by George Papabeis FL74
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CHARLESTON, S.C.— Members of Division 12 who attended the “Crew Training Academy,” held March through April 2011 at Coast Guard Station Charleston, passed by these buoys frequently. Verifying aids to navigation, private aids and lights is important in keeping channels safe. Photo by Barbara Burchfield, FL 12-6
PORT EVERGLADES, Fla.—Gary Joseph from Flotilla 38 and Don Banas from Flotilla 34 welcome AST Clayton aboard the Heartbeat on Aug. 16 , 2011. Clayton, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, was lowered from a Jayhawk helicopter during a training mission. Photo by Brian Lichtenstein, FL 38
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
Prevention Directorate Bruce Lindsey, DDC-P D7 Today’s news included a boating accident in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. You probably heard about it. A 22-foot boat with eight persons on board capsized and sank in rough waters. One person drowned and the other seven spent 20 hours treading water or clinging to a cooler, until found by a passing vessel. The 22foot boat was overloaded, they did not have enough life jackets onboard for everyone, and non-swimmers in eight-foot seas did not wear life jackets. It is news every time, primarily if there are survivors, but the story is often the same. What a difference being properly equipped and prepared would have made! If life jackets, a VHF/DSC (digital selective calling) marine radio, waterproof handheld backup radio, personal emergency position-indicating radio beacons (PEPIRB), marine weather forecast had been supplemented with an understanding of conditions, perhaps only the boat and the skipper’s pride would have been lost. Instead the boaters spent nearly a day in the water and were found only by chance. Proper equipment for safety could have taken the ”search” out of ”search and rescue.” Option B: with a bad weather forecast, why were they there at all? So, how are we affecting Recreational Boating and Marine Safety? We have an opportunity to impact boating safety, marine safety and homeland security by meeting boaters at launch ramps and marinas, dealers, boat shows and through public affairs activities. This is not news, but, while our numbers of qualified Vessel Examiners and Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) Program Visitors is up, the number of Vessel Safety Checks and Program Partner Visits completed is down. The season is winding down, but it isn’t over. Whether face-to-face or in public education classes, all of the above activities support our and the Coast Guard’s missions. Meeting the boating public is considered so important that the Coast Guard has authorized several awards for our work in these fields. One of the most significant is
the Recreational Boating Safety Device, awarded for a combination of Public Affairs, Public Education, RBSProgram Visits and Vessel Examination activities by achieving a minimum of 120 points in each of two successive years. The award is intended to encourage an increase in RBS activity and support, plus perhaps to help members develop discipline and enjoy continuing support. Eligibility for the RBS Device is based on public educa-
tion hours (1 point for each hour teaching and ½ point for each hour assisting), Vessel Examinations and Program Visits, and prescribed Public Affairs mission codes. Public Education and Public Affairs hours are reported on the Mission Activity Report, form 7030. Program Visits are reported on RBS Visitation Report form 7046, and Vessel Safety Checks (including facility inspections) are reported on Vessel Examinations Activity Report form 7038. The Public Affairs hours that count for the RBS Award are Public Lectures, mission code 10 B, Participation in Radio / TV programs mission code 10 C and Information / VSC Booths, mission code 10 F (Federal or State Legislative Outreach codes 65A, B or C count for authorized personnel.) Separately, the National Commodore’s Award for Vessel Examinations is also given for completion of 40 or more vessel examinations in a year. We give special recognition to the three new conditional
Trident awardees in District 7: Lyle Letteer of Division 2, and Rod Thistlewaite and Bob Mathewes of Division 10. Completion of the full Trident award requires completion of the personal qualification standards and five years service, so each will receive the full award on completion of this service. The Marine Safety Trident Training Ribbon is also awarded for marine safety training before
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completion of the Trident Award. The criteria is at: http://www.cgaux.org/training/Ribbons/ MarineSafetyTridenTrainingRibbon.html.
The bottom line: Recreational Boating Safety activities
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are our tools for fulfilling the Coast Guard’s goals of reducing boating accidents, injuries and fatalities. If you’re not already qualified as a Program Visitor, this is a great time of year to add that qualification and start making visits. Set your sights on one or more of the above awards and enjoy your opportunities to represent the Coast Guard Auxiliary and to meet the boating public. I look forward to seeing you at a marine dealer, a boat ramp or in the classroom. Ω
Boating Safety Education Gets an Early Start ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— (Right) Flotilla 78 has earned a reputation for introducing boating safety to children at Pinellas County schools. Members Mike Berkowitz and Karen Cohen teach boating safety at Campbell Park Elementary School on May 17, 2011. Below, member Eric Davis introduces his service dog
to students with Bradley Marchant, Flotilla Commander, standing at the front of the class by the day boards. Photos by Valerie Fernandes. Right: CAROLINA, P.R.— Coastie and members of Flotilla 1-10 San Juan carry the boating safety message to children attending Santa Bernardita's Catholic Church Summer Camp . Photo provided by Lourdes R. Oliveras, Staff Officer-Public Affairs 1
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
Helo Ops: Auxiliary Training Support to the Coast Guard. Photos and article by Brian Lichtenstein FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. —Air Station Miami, like all other Coast Guard air stations, keeps a busy training regimen. They train every day, and almost every day they put that training to use. Providing that training has its challenges—at least a couple times a week, Coast Guard small boat stations train with Dolphin or Jayhawk helicopter crews. Each quarter, their pilots, flight mechanics (hoist operators), and rescue swimmers practice a minimum number of hoists and "rescues". Since search and rescue, law enforcement, and other missions have a priority claim on the assets of FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—George Kozel and Scott Cleary from Flotilla 37 and crewmembers aboard the Heartbeat , stand by as the HH-60 Jayhawk approaches to small boat stations, the lower a portable pump. Due to the calm seas and very light wind, both crafts had to Coast Guard contracts with operate at faster speeds, resulting in the crew on the Heartbeat getting soaked. private boats for training sessions. Some of these helo ops have returned to "ground school", becoming contract boats are Auxiliary vessels. Not only are we, the trainees again, until signed off by Coast Guard safety Auxiliary, more cost effective than private contractors, officers. This training includes basic hand signals— but we provide a variety of small boats that more realistiincluding thumbs up, thumbs down, wave off, cut and cally simulates the typical civilian boats with which Coast hold. Guard aircraft and ASTs (Aviation Survival Technicians) interact with daily. Utilizing Auxiliary vessels lets Coast Winging It Guard crews practice smaller rescue operations, which translates into more realistic crew training. In addition to helicopters, air-sea rescue operations training includes working with fixed wing aircraft. The Division 3 currently has three boats that routinely accept Coast Guard has replaced its HU 25 FALCON small jet “helo ops” (air-sea rescue operations training missions). aircraft with the larger HC 144A Ocean Sentry (or These vessels have been inspected and approved by “CASA”) aircraft. CASA crews also need regular training both Air Station Miami and Station Fort Lauderdale as missions, which involve dropping portable water pumps suitable for helo ops. Auxiliary crews have readied them and life rafts. On CASA training missions, Auxiliary to accept swimmers, rescue baskets, rescue strops, boats report on the accuracy of their drops and retrieve Stokes Litters, pumps and other gear lowered onto their all the gear and return it to Station Fort Lauderdale or decks from helicopters. Air Station Miami. Similarly, all Auxiliary crew and coxswains involved in (Continued on page 23)
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Typically, Air Station Miami schedules missions quarterly, listing a primary and secondary vessel for each training mission. Most training missions take place in the morning, but some are scheduled for midday or sundown. A few days before Division 3 is scheduled, we confirm our mission. The day before, we learn which aircraft are scheduled.
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Although helo missions can be hard work, they are also one of the most rewarding missions Auxiliarists perform. Those of us who do them regularly can`t wait for the next exercise. For their part, Coast Guard personnel at Air Station Miami and Station Fort Lauderdale appreciate the realistic training we provide for them. If you are crew qualified and interested in a mission that is critical to Coast Guard preparedness, check with your Staff Officer-Operations to see if your division performs helo or fixed wing operations training with your local Air Station. Ω
On the morning of the mission, we check in with the Officer of the Day at Station Miami to confirm that sea conditions are within our safety guidelines, which includes seas running no more than FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—George Kozel watches as the HH-60 three feet. After conferring with Air Station Operations to confirm call signs, radio frequencies, on scene time, etc., each boat heads out, with its four to five person crew. Once Auxiliary crews reach the scene, mission pilots provide a briefing of what they expect to drop. Each crewmember taking part in helo hoisting has a grounding stick and personal protective equipment gear, including helmet, goggles, and gloves. The receiving vessel lowers all antennae and flags, and crew members cover all loose gear, secure it, or move it below. Throughout the training, safety takes number one priority. Captain Rick Kenin, Commander, Air Station Miami, stresses that we take no unnecessary risks during training. If conditions deteriorate either in the air or on the water, instructors call off the exercise. Whole Team Approach The success of any training exercise—or rescue mission—requires teamwork on deck. When the noise of the helo rotors whips up a heavy water spray, the deck crew can`t hear anything else. Crew members need to stay alert, watch each other, and communicate using the hand signals they’ve learned. Our Most Rewarding Missions
Jayhawk prepares to lower the pump. Delivering pumps to small vessels in distress with speed and accuracy saves lives and property and is routinely practiced to improve the performance of Coast Guard rescue crews.
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
Draw more people to your Public Affairs booth With the Officer Snook Trash Pollution Game Everyone loves to play games, and this game at your next Public Affairs event is a fun and educational way to bring home the point that trash pollutes the environment. The game created by Tom Loughlin, District Staff Officer -Public Affairs D7, is unfortunately, not available through the materials center. You have to build it yourself, and here is how.
Complete instructions including images and text labels can be downloaded from the District 7 web page at http://cgaux7.org/index7.htm?page=members, Directorates (tab on left), Logistics Staff Officers (near bottom of page) Thomas Loughlin, DSO-PA Site, Resources (tab on box on that page).
Officer Snook Trash Pollution Game
Attach the “trap doors” along the long side to the plywood using the hinges. The leading edges of the trapdoors should be flush with the edge of the plywood.
Tom Loughlin, District Staff Officer-Public Affairs D7
Items Needed: Plywood, good quality, 30 ½ inch by 12 inch by 1/2 inch 10 wood drawer pulls, 1 inch 10 wood screws, #10-1 flat head 10 hinges, 1 inch 10 wood “trap doors”, 2 inch by 2 inch by ½ inch 10 movable wooden platforms, 8 inch by 2 ¾ inch by ½ inch 1 wood strip, ¼ inch by ¼ inch by 30 ½ inch 1 set of trash labels 1 set of Office Snook biodegradable info pictures 1 set of time line labels 1 Talk Trash challenge card Clean Trash: 1 plastic water/soft drink bottle 1 infant disposable diaper 1 paper towel 1 newspaper page (recommend comics) 1 glass jar (baby food works best) 1 six-pack ring 1 Styrofoam cup 1 plastic bag 1 bunch of monofilament line 1 waxed milk carton Construction: Paint the “trap doors” and plywood a high gloss gray and the “trap doors” a selection of high gloss red, white and blue.
Attach the ¼ strip about ½ inch forward of the hinge to allow the “trap door” to be opened. Use either exterior glue or small brads. Attach the wooden drawer pulls ½ inch from the front of the movable wooden platforms. Recess the flathead screws by counter-sinking. The platform with drawer pull should be painted the same color as the plywood after this assembly. Attach the time line labels to the top of the “trap doors” using spray adhesive. The time line is from the least amount of decay time on the left-most “trap door” graduating to the far right being “Unknown” Attach the trash labels to the top forward part of the moveable platforms using spray adhesive. Attach the Officer Snook pictures under the appropriate “trap door” using spray adhesive. These may also be ordered from the Officer Snook Water Pollution Program at officersnook@aol.com . Attach the challenge card to a 8 ½ inch by 11 inch by ¼ piece of plywood using spray adhesive. It is recommended that the labels, challenge card and pictures be laminated to protect them from wear, tear and the weather. Ω
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A Win-Win for Everyone By Judith Hudson, DCDR 6, District Captain-E (e)
collected almost all of the 12,000 tabs from other places.
HOMESTEAD, Fla.— Handsome, charming, friendly, and very eager to help is how I would describe Billy Chong. I met Billy at a Flotilla 61 meeting in July 2011 where he joins his dad, Auxiliarist Eric Chong, whenever he can. At the last meeting, Billy made a big hit with everyone. He brought three large zip-lock bags of pull-tabs that he has been collecting for over ten years. The weight was 8 pounds, for approximately 12,000 tabs. Years ago, his grandmother showed him some Hawaiian leis that she had made, and Billy decided he wanted to help make something. Later his Aunt mentioned that McDonald House was collecting pull-tabs to help finance their operation of providing housing and basic needs to families of children who had to travel to a distant hospital to receive surgery and other badly needed medical care. Billy decided that this was what he wanted to do – help make McDonald House better prepared to serve more families.
HOMESTEAD, Fla.— Billy Chong, son of Auxiliary member Eric Chong, poses with some of the thousands of pull-tabs he has collected over the years . Billy presented the pull-tabs to Flotilla 61 in Homestead to benefit the McDonald House Foundation. Photo by Eric Chong
According to his dad, Billy takes every opportunity to collect the pull-tabs, no matter where he is, be it parking lots, recreational parks, social gatherings, sidewalks, etc. He removes the tabs and then disposes of the cans properly – in recycle containers, if available. He collected tabs from everyone at the 2010 Division 6 picnic. As the family does not drink canned sodas at home, Billy
Born in December, 1974, at the Camp Kuwai Army Hospital in Okinawa, Japan, while Eric Chong was stationed at the Kadena Air Base, Billy was born mentally disabled. He is now 36 years old and attends the Sunrise Old Dixie Workshop for the Handicapped, where he is considered ‘high functioning’ despite his low IQ scores. His Dad attributes this to the way Billy was raised. His family has never treated him as handicapped or disabled and has always given him chores and responsibilities. Billy helps his Dad with the cleaning and maintaining of the family’s rental units. “I would never trade him for a hired hand,” his father says.
Billy never complains about his work and asks very little in return – maybe a beer and a hamburger when his work is done. He strives to please, and loved the recognition given to him by Flotilla 61 when he presented the pull-tabs to them. So everyone wins – Billy, Flotilla 61 and the families who need and use McDonald House. Billy has made many people happy by his worthwhile and long-term endeavor. Ω
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
Behind the Scenes: District 7 Material Center By Linda Barnard, FL 73
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Hundreds of Auxiliarists visited the District 7 Material Center during the District Conference. It takes a nearly Herculean effort to bring the entire D7 Material Center to the District Conference (DCON). Members eager to browse through the aisles and buy, may all too often take for granted what is involved in opening the center at DCON. For this reason, we offer you a “behind the scenes” look at the store and its staff.
The center, located in Clearwater, Fla., moves its entire stock to the yearly District 7 Conference. This year, the conference was held in Jacksonville, Fla., and required
The 7th District Material Center is staffed by volunteers every Monday and Thursday (except holidays) and is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. Staff members include Tom and Bernice Brickey, Brenda Burger, Ralph McCullough, Jacob McCullough, Bob Mathes, John Curtis, and Linda Barnard. Tom Brickey manages the center. Burger and Ralph McCullough run the center on Mondays and Thursdays and order stock items. The other staff members pull the orders, package them for mailing, label new items, and restock the shelves. This small band of dedicated volunteers keeps the D7 Material Center running smoothly. Most of the center’s orders come from the website, http://d7materials.org. On average, the center mails out 90 –100 packages a week, everything from small padded envelopes to large boxes. Last year, the store mailed out 1,850 orders. The heaviest box weighed in at 47 pounds. The center has mailed orders to every state in the Union and to several territories. Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Islands are common because they are part of the District 7, but mailing addresses also include Guam and American Samoa.
Top: JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—After a successful three days at DCON, Bernice Brickey and Jacob McCullough load the truck on Sunday, Sept. 25, to return the stock to their Clearwater location. Bottom: The countless totes and boxes line the sidewalk next to the entrance of the hotel in Jacksonville. More containers wait off-camera to be loaded. Photos by Kirk Altman, Staff Officer-Publications 14
Along with the e-commerce, the center does a fair amount of “walk-in” business. The center had about 200 walk-in customers last year. This does not include the yearly District 7 Conference, which averages 215-250 customers.
three weeks of preparation and planning. The staff (Continued on page 27)
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packed countless tote boxes, piled them on pallets, and then loaded everything on a 24-foot rental truck. Ralph McCullough drove the truck the 225 miles to Jacksonville. It took over five hours because, he said, “Its max speed was 60 mph going downhill with a tail wind.”
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There, Burger directed where to place and unpack the containers. It took the rest of Wednesday to set up the temporary center. Elaine Cornell joined the staff for the conference, and her help was greatly appreciated! The District 7 Material Center was up and running on Thursday to a slow but steady stream of customers and friends. By Friday morning, people were waiting in the hallway for the center to open. Saturday started out the same and just got busier. The only little glitch happened on Friday when the computers slowed down for awhile, but all in all, it was a very successful weekend, with 221 sales in 2 ½ days of operation. On Sunday morning, everyone started to pack everything up again. Then the truck was loaded for the return trip to Clearwater. By Wednesday, the pallets were unpacked and the stock was back on the shelves and ready to go. Early Thursday morning, the center was back to business as usual, and the staff pulled over 50 orders, then packed them, and mailed them out. A lot of time, sweat, and sore muscles go into moving the entire center, but the staff feels it is worth it. At DCON, the staff has an opportunity to meet their customers face to face and introduce themselves to new ones. They also understand that this may be the only opportunity that some District 7 members have to walk thru the center. The rewards far outweigh the preparation and hard work.
Top: JACKSONVILLE, Fla.,— Bob Mathes moves a stack of plasticwrapped totes to be loaded onto the truck for the return trip to Clearwater. Photo by Kirk Altman Bottom: Bernice Brickey and Brenda Burger check out customers at the D7 Material Center at DCON on Sept. 24, 2011. Photo by D. Riley
Early Wednesday, the staff unloaded the truck and hauled everything to the second floor conference room.
The center is located in the Clearwater Air Station Annex building at 15300 Fairchild Dr. Clearwater, FL 33762. The front yard of the building has an unusual “lawn ornament”- a USCG Seaplane, a good landmark to look for when visiting the center. The staff looks forward to seeing everyone in St. Petersburg in Sept 2012, but you don’t have to wait until then. If you are in the Clearwater area on a Monday or Thursday, please stop in and say hi! If you are planning on coming to the center, please call ahead. The phone number is (727) 535-2593. Ω
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United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
The Efficacy of Out-of-Date (Expired) Visual Distress Signals By M.D. Schlitt, Flotilla 98 tests. The Punta Gorda Fire Department conducted the fire suppressant systems demonstration, while a representative of West Marine offered the life jacket demonstration. In addition to the clinic, Flotilla 98 set up a Public Affairs information booth for Vessel Safety Checks, Program Visitors and Public Education staffed by Ronald Dressler and Judy Sikorski.
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. Jennifer Molnar, Punta Gorda Fire Department Fire Marshall, directs an attendee in firefighting at the Visual Distress Demo at Laishley Park on Feb 26, 2011. Photo by Dick Carl
PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—On February 26, 2011, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 98, Charlotte Harbor, Fla., conducted a “Vessel Safety Day” demonstration and clinic. Demonstrations included the proper use and maintenance of visual distress signals, fire extinguishers, and life jackets. Flotilla 98 members who assisted in the clinic and demonstrations included Richard J. Sikorski and Michael Kinsman (Radio Van Watchstanders), Kenneth H. Johnson, Herbert C. Hanson, Chuck Thomas, Mitchell Schlitt, and Frank Wondolkowski. Since they were firing the visual distress signals over water, the Coast Guard required the flotilla to issue "Securite" messages every 15 minutes, to advise boaters and others about the testing and to provide their location during both clinics, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. In addition, two Auxiliary
vessels were positioned offshore, just outside the firing range to prevent curious boaters from entering the exclusion zone set up for the
For the “clinic” portion of the day, participants were encouraged to bring their own expired visual distress signaling devices, which they fired under the supervision of an Auxiliary Instructor. In addition, the Punta Gorda Fire Department brought expired fire extinguishers, which they used to mentor participants in the proper way to extinguish a fire, using a controlled-burn fire in a fire pan. Everyone who attended the demonstration and clinic, including members of the Auxiliary, received an eye-opening lesson on the reliabilityor lack thereof- of out-of-date (expired) visual signaling devices. By law, visual signaling devices have an expiration date of 42 months after manufacture. After that date, they no longer meet the legal requirements for signaling devices, although they may be carried on board a vessel as additional items. Similarly, out-of-date extinguishers may be kept on board, but do not meet the legal requirements to carry extinguishers.
Henry Hoenk, manager of the Punta Gorda West Marine store, uses the manual pull cord to activate his vest’s CO2 inflator. Photo by Dick Carl
For the record, all visual signaling (Continued on page 29)
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devices used were manufactured by “Orion”, the major manufacturer of USCG-approved visual distress signaling devices in the United States. Information collected that day confirms that out-of-date visual signaling devices, and fire extinguishers whose gauges read in the “red,” cannot be relied upon to perform as expected. These conclusions were confirmed during the demonstration portion of the program, as Auxiliarists tested devices brought by clinic participants. Auxiliary Instructors also demonstrated Orange Smoke/Day-Use hand-held signaling devices. Although out-of-date, they performed well after igniting. Boaters should carry this type of visual signaling device for daytime use, as they are much more effective than hand-held flares in sunlight.
Mitchell Schlitt, Auxiliary instructor (back to camera), and Kenneth Johnson demonstrate the preparation of a large flare. Below: A demonstration attendee holds a Day/Smoke signal under the tutelage of Mitchell Schlitt, Auxiliary instructor. Photos by Dick Carl
Since, by definition, “visual” signaling devices need to be seen to be effective, each attendee was also reminded of the need to carry a Marine VHF-FM radio on board and to use it to use to call for help before setting off any visual signaling devices. Because the water was cold, we had no volunteers for an in-water life jacket demonstration. However, the West Marine representative did have a varied supply of Type V (CO2 activated) life jackets on hand, and manually inflated one. Finally, since even the best safety devices only work when boaters know how to work them, flotilla members reminded attendees that when their vessel is taking on water, there is a fire, or someone has fallen overboard or is seriously injured, is not the time to stop and try to read directions. Periodic reviews
in the use of all safety devices should be performed by all boaters and their crews. Conclusion: Flotilla 98’s demonstration and clinic visually confirmed that out-of-date visual signaling devices and fire extinguishing devices are just that -- EXPIRED! Boaters should not depend on them on to
work when needed. Any boater, recreational or otherwise, who does not replace their safety equipment as it reaches its expiration date not only violates both Federal and local laws, but also endangers both themselves and all who climb aboard their vessel.Ω
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The Efficacy of Out-of-Date (Expired) Visual Distress Signals: Summary of Devices and their Effectiveness By M. D. Schlitt 1. Hand-Held Flares: A hand-held flare is activated by removing the cap, and “striking” the top of the flare until it ignites. Over half the time, expired flares had insufficient striker material to ignite the flare. When they did ignite, it often took multiple attempts, although once ignited, they did burn for the prescribed time. The age and the conditions under which boaters store this type of visual signaling device can significantly affect its reliability. On the other hand, when the Auxiliary Instructor lit in-date flares, they ignited on the first attempt and lasted the expected time. Hand-held flares are the most economical visual signaling devices, costing approximately $30 for a four-pack. 2. Hand-Held Meteor: These visual signaling devices are activated by extending their cylinder and unscrewing the bottom cap, releasing a “pull” chain. Upon pulling the chain, the visual signaling device is activated, sending a “meteor” approximately 450’ vertically. When instructors tested the majority of expired Hand-Held Meteors (2006 and older), the chain detached from the device without activating the flare. Even after multiple attempts, only one worked, and that one did not reach the prescribed height before self-extinguishing. On the other hand, both demonstrations of “in-date” visual signaling devices worked and launched to the expected height and burned for the proper time (approximate). The cost of these visual signaling devices is approximately $50 for a four-pack. 3. 12 Gauge Meteor Flare Gun: This visual signaling device is by far the most popular. The boater places a “shell” into the breech of the “gun”, closes the breech, cocks the hammer, and fires the gun slightly angled from overhead in order to optimize its vertical range (advertised as 500’). The demonstration showed that, although all the tested shells fired properly, the newer shells – those manufactured after 2000 – had a higher non-ignition rate, launching the projectile up, but failing to ignite. Surprisingly, the older, shotgun-type shells proved more reliable. Predictably, however, less than 25% of the out-of-date visual signaling devices ignited after discharge from the gun. Even when the shell ignited, it did not meet the manufacturer’s altitude/duration standards. On both occasions that in-date shells were used, (complete kit) both fired, ignited, went sufficiently high in the air, and lasted the required duration. This type of visual signaling device has an initial cost of $60 (gun with four flares), and a replacement cost of under $30 for four shells. 4. 25mm Meteor Flare Gun: Due to the high cost (approximately $130 for the gun and $60 for four shells), we were unable to obtain in-date samples of this visual signaling device, but did obtain two that had expired in 2005. The loading/ firing procedure is similar to those with the 12 gauge; however, hearing protection is recommended, as the “’report” from this “gun” is rather loud. In order to accommodate the larger, more powerful shell, the gun is cast aluminum versus the plastic used for the 12 gauge. (The manufacturer, Orion does sell an aluminum sleeve that will convert this gun to fire the less expensive 12 gauge.) In both instances, the 25mm meteor successfully fired and the flare ignited, travelling much higher than either the hand-held aerial or the 12 gauge meteor. Although the flares tested were six years old, they worked as advertised and exceed USCG requirements. 5. Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Parachute Signal Rocket: This is both the most expensive and most complicated visual signaling device to use. One slides the signaling rocket from a tube, removes two end caps and a safety tab, and then bends an aluminum tab outward. We found the manufacturer’s illustration less clear than we would have wished. Parachute signal rockets are quite expensive, at over $50 each, so we only had expired ones (2005) to demonstrate. They both worked flawlessly, however, each sending a parachute flare over 1000’ vertical. Their bright red flares wafted gently down under their parachutes, taking about 60 seconds to hit the water, and staying lit the entire time. This device brought “oohs and ahs” reactions from the attendees, and one boater stated that, regardless of cost, he would purchase these.Ω
Breeze, Volume LVII
Fall/Winter 2011
2011 District 7 Conference Unless you are a division or district officer, there is no reason to attend the District 7 Conference (DCON) - right? If you are under this impression then you are wrong! In addition to the three days of training in a broad range of topics, members attending the 2011 District 7 Conference, held Sept. 22-25 in Jacksonville, Fla., shared other experiences. These include shopping in the D7 Material Center, the Commodore’s Reception aboard the USCGC Maria Bray (free to all members), the Commodore’s Banquet, and finally, the Tropical themed “Fun Night” dinner. From thousands of photographs taken, on the following pages we publish but a few. What these photographs cannot adequately convey is the sense of camaraderie and pride shared by members of District 7, from South Carolina to the Virgin Islands. If you missed this year’s conference, be sure to attend next year in St. Petersburg!
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Training opportunities abounded at the District 7 Conference held September 22-25, 2011, in Jacksonville, Fla. Courses offered ranged from CPR/First Aid, to an Aids Verifying Workshop, Public Affairs and Publications (which even included a segment about social media) and many other topics. Training was scheduled all three days of the conference.
Above: The CPR program is always popular and well attended. Photo by Gary Barth
Top right: Gary Barth, one of the CPR instructors, spends some one-on-one instructional time with Pauline Roan. Photo by Terry Barth
Bottom right: “Boys and their toys.� Chuck Kelemen takes a turn at the flight simulator. The simulator is likely the most popular table-top presentation at the annual conference. While as much fun as an arcade game, the flight simulator is a valuable training tool. Photo by D. Riley
Breeze, Volume LVII
Fall/Winter 2011
Below: The chairs fill up quickly as the Opening Ceremony and District Board Business Meeting is scheduled to begin. In the front row are all of the Division Commanders and Division Vice Commanders set to participate in the vote for District Captains. This meeting is open to all members of District 7. Photo by Kirk Altman
The Division 14 Honor Guard prepares to present the colors at the Opening Ceremony on Sept. 23, 2011, in Jacksonville. The members are, from front, David Green, Bill Sekeres, David Hensel, Rich Craven, and Paul Davis. Photo by D. Riley
Above: COMO Walter Jaskiewicz and John Ciampa fasten the new shoulder boards on Judith Hudson, newly-elected District Captain–East at the Commodore’s Banquet on Sept. 23, 2011. Photo by Zach Lessin Left: COMO Walter Jaskiewicz poses under the banner that served as the backdrop to all official events. Photo by Vickie Aponte
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COMO Don Frasch, Deputy National Commodore-Recreational Boating Safety (in red shirt), is seated with William Tejeiro, Auxiliary Sector Coordinator Miami, and Gary Barth, Division Commander 5, aboard the CGC Maria Bray. Photo by Vickie Aponte
Top right: COMO Walter Jaskiewicz (far rear) prepares to enjoy his meal after a tour of the CGC Maria Bray. Photo by D. Riley Mid page left: One of the CGC Maria Bray food service staff seated behind an array of fresh fruits and vegetables in the galley. Photo by D. Riley Bottom right: CDR José Quinones, Director of Auxiliary D7, and CWO2 Ursula Walther, Operations Training Officer D7, arrive at the CGC Maria Bray for the Commodore’s reception. Photo by Vickie Aponte
Commodore’s Reception was held aboard the CGC Maria Bray, Jacksonville, Fla., September 22, 2011 Background photo: CGC Maria Bray, Coast Guard Photo Archives
Breeze, Volume LVII
Fall/Winter 2011
District 7 Conference in Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. 24, 2011
Right: Robert Waters is dressed to party tropical style. Below: David Cawton and Angela Pomaro Photos by V. Aponte
A Star is born! Pat Feighery croons a tune during the conference fun night, Sept. 24, 2011. Photo: D. Riley
Left: Whimsical table settings and delectable food delighted the partygoers. Right: Sammie the Sea Otter and Stacey Wright lead a train dance. Photos by Kirk Altman
Right: COMO Jay Dahlgren is having a blast fudging the moves to Y-M-C-A. Also visible are Terry Barth, Wilson Riggan and William Tejeiro. Photo by Vickie Aponte
Far right: Heleyde Aponte joins in a line dance. To the right are Stacey Wright and David Cawton. Photo by Vickie Aponte
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http://d7virtuallibrary.org/
The District 7 Virtual Library is an effort to archive and make available the vast amount of historical documents and pictures that exist within both the USCG Auxiliary District 7 and the Coast Guard District 7. Of course, this library will not build itself. We need your help! If you have any documents (old manuals, publications, current and past newsletters, copies of charters and other historical documents or photographs) that you would like to add to 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 in JPG or PDF file formats. When scanning documents, please set the resolution to 300 dpi. Send your digital documents to d7history@yahoo.com Publications officers: Please add this email address to your distribution list!
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.— “Oscar” rests after several man overboard drills aboard the Heartbeat on Oct. 10, 2011. Behind Oscar, Ron Albert, coxswain, and crewmembers Brian Lichtenstein, Pam Charles, (Flotilla 38), George Kozel (Flotilla 37), Habib Ullah and Gary Krantz, (Flotilla 31) conduct side-by-side towing evolutions. Photo by Brian Lichtenstein
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.— Miami Dolphins cheerleaders help promote Recreational Boating Safety by demonstrating proper life jacket wear while aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Dolphin at Station Miami Beach, Fla., on Oct. 14, 2011. The photo carried the message across the east coast when it appeared in the New York Post on Oct. 17, 2011. Photo by Christopher Todd, Deputy Director/Government & Public Affairs, member of Flotilla 6-11
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Auxiliary Air Assists Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen. Articles and photos by Lee Bertman Sometimes, Auxiliarists can spend hours on the water or in the air and nothing of significance happens. Other times, we know that we “earned our keep” when we put in at dock, or in the case of Auxiliary Air (AUXAIR), when the plane touches down on the tarmac. AUXAIR is an operational program, but organized at district rather than at flotilla or division levels. AUXAIR aviators volunteer their aircraft for use as facilities, just as surface operators volunteer their boats. The following is the story of one recent AUXAIR mission. ____________________________________________ On Oct. 23, 2011 at 2:45 p.m., a CG facility flown by Auxiliarist Chuck Fischer, Air Station Borinquen, Auxiliary Aviation Coordinator, departed Borinquen with Auxiliarists Lee Bertman and Duane Minton serving as aircrew. Shortly after takeoff, they heard a report of persons in the water along the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. This resulted in considerable radio traffic between Sector San Juan and the helo, which was bound for the reported location of the persons in the water. The Auxiliary aircraft called Sector to offer their services, if needed. Simultaneously with this activity, at 3:20 p.m., Auxiliarist Fischer observed a vessel at his 10 o’clock, about three miles in the distance making a visible wake. Upon see-
Cuba
ing the aircraft, the vessel, by now a target of interest (TOI), stopped and deployed multiple blue tarps to cover the vessel stem to stern. The Auxiliary aircraft reported the TOI to Sector and circled it. They took photos and observed the boat through stabilized binoculars. In the report to Sector, they gave a full description of the boat, now covered with tarps, including the GPS coordinates and the suspicious behavior of the vessel. Communications took additional time due to the radio traffic being passed between the rescue helo on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico and Sector. They advised Sector that the TOI was most likely carrying migrants. (Continued on page 39)
Above: CARRIBEAN SEA southwest of Puerto Rico, Oct. 23, 2011— Blue tarps over the suspicious vessel made it difficult for the Auxiliary Air crew to see from the air– difficult, but not impossible to their well trained eyes. Photo by Lee Bertman
Left: Map of the area. ©2011 Google maps
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Auxiliary Air Assists Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen. Continued (Continued from page 38)
The Auxiliary aircraft continued circling the suspicious vessel taking photos and looking for changes in its status. The blue tarp made it difficult to track against the blue sea. They called Sector to ask when surface and air assets could be deployed. Sector requested the “splash time,” or their availability to remain on scene. While Auxiliary aircraft had in excess of four hours before they needed to depart due to fuel requirements, they were limited by loss of daylight and advised Sector that they expected to lose sight of the TOI between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m. due to low light
tus of the TOI and their concerns over losing sight of the vessel at sunset. The Coast Guard Ocean Sentry increased their airspeed and gave them a new estimated arrival time of 6:07 p.m. After providing additional updates to Sector, they ‘de-conflicted’ their altitudes to provide a safe separation between the two aircraft. At about 6:00 p.m., the Auxiliary Air crew observed a boat approaching the area at a high rate of speed. The boat changed heading numerous times, apparently going to the initial coordinates provided to Sector, but by then, the TOI had drifted 2.5 nautical miles to the northwest. After five minutes, the patrol boat crew saw the aircraft and headed straight towards the TOI that they were circling. As the patrol boat approached the suspicious vessel, the migrants and crew removed the tarps revealing there were 30 migrants on board. The Coast Guard Ocean Sentry relieved the Auxiliary aircraft.
CARRIBEAN SEA southwest of Puerto Rico, Oct. 23, 2011—Just before sunset, a patrol vessel, later identified as a vessel of the Dominican Republic Navy, intercepts the “target of interest,” filled with over 30 migrants who were safely returned to the Dominican Republic. The haziness of the image is due to the loss of light. Photo by Lee Bertman
conditions. At 5:27 p.m., Auxiliarists Bertman, Fischer, and Minton heard communications between a Coast Guard Ocean Sentry and Borinquen tower. They immediately called the other Coast Guard asset to advise them of the sta-
Suffice it to say, this Auxiliary Air crew received several expressions of “Bravo-Zulu” from the Coast Guard. Ω
District Staff Officers
Past District 7 Commodores
Prevention Department Bruce Lindsey………………….…...DDC-P John Sprague-Williams ……..........DSO-MS Frank R. Lann ….………………DSO-MT William B. Riley...…………………..DSO-PV John L. Vanosdol……..……………DSO-PE William S. Griswold……..…………DSO-SL Chuck Kelemen ……......……….…DSO-VE
Response Department Richard Leys…………………...…...DDC-R David Cawton …………………...…DSO-NS Cecil Christopher..…………..……..DSO-AV Joseph Colee, Jr……..…...………DSO-CM Janee Henderson………………….DSO-OP Jerry Henderson.……..……QE Coordinator
Logistics Department James Dennen………………..……..DDC-L Nestor Tacoronte…...……...……...DSO-CS Susan Z. Hastings……...……...…...DSO-IS Thomas A. Loughlin ……………..DSO-PA Dorothy J. Riley…. ……………..….DSO-PB Angela Pomaro .…..…...…….….…DSO-HR Terry Barth ……………...…………DSO-MA Bruce L. Perri……………………....DSO-DV Nestor Tacoronte ……….…….. Webmaster
Lillian G. GaNun …….…………….DSO-SR Douglas Hanson..…...….…..………...DSSO Douglas Hanson..………….………….DFSO Andrew Anderson…………….…….DSO-LP Antoinette Borman………….….……....D-LL James Mayer.......………….………DSO-FN Richard Leys………..….………….PPDCPA Peter Fernandez…….....Plan Coordinator Thomas Brickey …District Materials Center
Auxiliary Sector Coordinators Reginald B. Hollar ASC Sector Charleston Donald C. Hoge ASC Sector St. Petersburg Jesse L. Stevens ASC Sector Jacksonville R. Dewey Jackson ASC Sector Key West Osvaldo M. Catinchi ASC Sector San Juan William V. Tejeiro ASC Sector Miami
http://d7materials.org/index.php The center is now open Monday & Thursday 1000-1600 You can reach the center by phone during these hours at: (727) 535-2593
2009-10………………….Donald L. Frasch 2007-08……………….……....Allen Brown 2005-06………………….Peter Fernandez 2003-04 ………..…………... Jay Dahlgren 2001-02…….…...………...….. Mary Larsen 1999-00……...…...…...…... Helmut Hertle 1997-98…………..……..... E.W. Edgerton 1995-96……....….... George E. Jeandheur 1993-94……..........…. Joseph E. Norman 1991-92…………......…… Walter W. Bock 1989-90…………...…. Guy R. Markley, Jr. 1987-88……………….…. Rene E. Dubois 1985-86…………..... Robert B. Waggoner 1983-84………….……… John C. King, Jr. 1981-82………….…. William J. Callerame 1979-80……………….… Bolling Douglas 1977-78………………………. James Titus 1975-76………….……….... Newton Baker 1973-74………... Lawrence G. Danneman 1971-72…………….… Dr. Elbert C. Prince 1969-70…………..….. George B.M. Loden 1967-68…………….….. Ernest A. Baldine 1965-66……………...….. Roland Birnn
1963-64……..……Miguel A. Colorado 1961-62…………… E. E. Vanderveer 1959-60…………….. Richard L. Smith 1957-58………………. Herbert L. Lutz 1956…………..… A. Harlow Merryday 1954-55…….…….... Stanley W. Hand 1952-53……….…….... N.J.M. McLean 1951-52……….... Fred T. Youngs, Jr. 1950…………..... Guersey Curran, Jr. 1948-49………...…Charley E. Sanford 1946-47……....……... W. N. Mansfield 1939-45...no DCOs yet, DCPs governed
Division Commanders 2011 District Administrative Assistant & Aide Carolyn R. Hooley ……...…................D-AD Elaine J. Cornell ……………………...D-AA COMO Mary T. Larsen ...………...Advocate http://www.teamcoastguard.org/
District 7 2012 Fall Conference
“Guard Your Own” Give generously to the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance Program.
http://www.cgmahq.org/index.htm
Sept. 10-13, 2012 Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront 333 First Street South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727.894.5000 -direct Ask for IN HOUSE RESERVATION $98.00 room rate
Division 1………………………Angel Benero Division 2….……....….……....... David Fuller Division 3….……...……….. Samuel E. Duda Division 4…………William J. Sorrentino, Sr. Division 5……….….....…….... Gary P. Barth Division 6……...……….……. Judith Hudson Division 7…....……...…...….. Amos Johnson Division 8…….....……….…..... Braxton Ezell Division 9………..…………...….. Louis Conti Division 10…………....…..Warren M. Wilson Division 11……..………….. Jimmy R. Ryder Division 12………………….Vito W. Giardina Division 13……………... Jeffery A. Bronsing Division 14…….……...……Henry T. Hayden Division 15……………………….. Craig Elliot Division 16………...…... James “CC” Kreglo Division 17……...………..... George S. Peek