Intercom Summer 2014 by Dorothy Riley

Division 7 Tampa Bay, District 7 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Volume XXXVII Issue 2 Summer 2014

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Oh, the Places You'll Go! The things you will do!

INTERCOM Newsle er for Division 7 Tampa Bay, District 7, USCG Auxiliary Volume XXXVI

Issue 2

Summer 2014

Division 7 Elected Officers 2014 Div 7 Division Commander Jeﬀrey Gines, DCDR Div 7 Division Vice Commander Gene Keller, VCDR Div 7 Immed. Past Division Commander J. Michael Shea, IPDCDR FL-72 Flo lla Commander (ac ng) Flo lla Vice Commander FL-74 Flo lla Commander Flo lla Vice Commander FL-75 Flo lla Commander Flo lla Vice Commander FL-78 Flo lla Commander Flo lla Vice Commander FL-79 Flo lla Commander Flo lla Vice Commander FL-7-16 Flo lla Commander Flo lla Vice Commander

Jack Lee, VFC Jack Lee, VFC James Mulligan, FC Mark Jaqua, Jr. VFC Guy Mandigo, FC Judith Clapp, VFC Bradley Marchant, FC Zelda Troiano, VFC Michael Massimini, FC John McLoughlin, VFC D. Terry Hershman, FC Donald Rimel, VFC

Division 7 Appointed Staff 2014 Communica ons Communica on Systems Diversity Finance Informa on Systems Human Resources Materials Marine Safety Member Training Naviga on Systems Opera ons Public Aﬀairs Publica ons Public Educa on Program Visitor Secretary Vessel Examina ons Division Liaison

David Rockwell, SO-CM Cliﬀord Holensworth, SO-CS D. Terry Hershman, SO-DV Linda Brandt, SO-FN Cliﬀord Holensworth, SO-IS Judith Clapp, SO-HR Ronald G. Matz, SO-MA Conrad Palermo, SO-MS David Langdon, Jr., SO-MT Marvin Bayles, SO-NS Linda Churchill, SO-OP George Papabeis, SO-PA Dorothy J. Riley, SO-PB James Fogle, SO-PE Timothy Teahan, SO-PV Alexandra Kaan, SO-SR John Simone, SO-VE Richard Short

We’re on the web! h p://A07007.wow.uscgaux.info You can contact any of our oﬃcers on the Division 7 web page! The Intercom is a publica on of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Division Seven, District Seven. The cost of publica on is provided by dues-paying members of the Auxiliary, an organiza on of unpaid, civilian volunteers whose mission is to assist the U.S. Coast Guard in promo ng boa ng safety. Ar cles may be reprinted only with the express consent of the author or photographer, with proper credit given to same. For permissions or for more informa on, please contact the editor, Dorothy Joan Riley, SO-PB, Email address: do eriley1@verizon.net Cover photo: AIR STATION CLEARWATER, Fla., April 27, 2014—Personnel from Coast Guard Reserve Port Security Unit 307 prac ce emergency egress skills. Auxiliary members George Papabeis and Zac Lessin photographed the fully dressed PSU members as they jumped into the pool, stripped their gear, and emerged again from the water. USCGAUX photo by George Papabeis.

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In this Issue.... Note: Each title functions as a live link to the article. Follow the 'Home' image at the bottom of the pages to return to the content page.

From the Helm: Jeffrey Gines, DCDR

A Message from COMO Tom Mallison, NACO

From the Helm: Gene Keller, VCDR

Auxiliary Awarded Coast Guard Unit Commendation

Flotilla News Member Travels Over 300 Miles to Conduct Vessel Examinations

7-12 13

Donald Rimel and Charles Truthan

Division 7 Awards Luncheon

Division 7 NSBW Highlights

MacDill Airfest 2014

FLASHBACK: Historical look at the Coast Guard Auxiliary at MacDill Airfest

Operation Hightide: Auxiliary Assists in Training for the Unthinkable

Rick Short

Auxiliary Protects Swimmers During Annual Tampa Bay Marathon Swim

John Simone

How I Shoot Photographs as an Auxiliary Public Affairs OfďŹ cer and Photo Corps Member. George Papabeis Photo Corps and Division 7 Media Feed Committee

Auxiliary 75th Anniversary

Sector St. Petersburg Holds Open House to Kick-off National Safe Boating Week

Franco Ripple

Auxiliary Supports Coast Guard Reserve Port Security Unit Training.

Dottie Riley

Auxiliary Food Service Training

Valerie Fernandes

Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg Recognizes Ombudsman Marla Short.

NACON (Auxiliary National Conference)

Admiral Paul F. Zukunft, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard

D-Day: June 6, 1944 The Day That Changed the Course of History

District 7 Board Meeting and Training

Coast Guard Mutual Assistance Fund

FWC Releases 2013 Boating Safety Statistics

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Intercom

USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

From the Helm Jeffrey Gines, Division Commander Our division’s con nued service to the Coast Guard and this Country has been one rooted in great sacrifice and deep commitment by you, and by those before us, to our core values as an organiza on. This is not only our proud history, but also our legacy that our ac ons con nue to strengthen and bring great dis nc on to this division, our district, and the Auxiliary and Coast Guard at large. As we celebrate our 75th Anniversary this month, never forget that you are all part of the Auxiliary’s disnguished past and an invaluable part of its exci ng future. “Semper Paratus” is not just our mo o, it is our legacy. It defines what must live on within the Auxiliary and represents what must always exist to serve with excellence and a devo on to saving lives. This issue of the INTERCOM during our 75th Anniversary is special in that it further allows us all to reflect upon our many important missions as well as the faces

A message from our Na onal Commodore On the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, I would like to oﬀer my personal thanks to each member for your faithful service to our fellow ci zens. Thanks also to your families who shared your me. Time and talent are the most valuable things a volunteer can oﬀer, and we are immensely grateful for the unselfish sharing of your me by all those who are a part of your world. Our success is also due in no small part to the support of our partners without whose financial and coopera ve commitments we would not be able to succeed. Together we are the best- trained, most valued mari me volunteer organiza on in the world! Our history is replete with the service of the Auxiliary to our na on. Those who served before us pointed the way and set the course of excellence in all we do. The Greatest Genera on linked arms to help keep our coasts secure when the Auxiliary was in its infancy. They taught boaters how to go about their ac vi es safely, thus enabling the regular Coast Guard to concentrate more on direct law enforcement and military opera ons. We carry on that proud tradi on, teaching classes, performing vessel safety checks, visi ng ma-

and names of both those whom we serve, and with those whom we serve. It offers us a telling glimpse of where we have been, the opportunity to see the compelling progress we have made, and a striking view of where and how we can con nue to make a great impact and difference in people’s lives. The first half of this year, we achieved much. And in the fine tradi ons of this division, we capitalized on our strengths and overcame the challenges before us. With great pride and deep apprecia on, I want to thank you all for your me, talents, and commitment to what we have set out to accomplish this year. S ll, there is more to do, and I have the greatest of confidence that we will con nue to meet any challenges we face and perform with excellence in the coming months and years ahead. Congratula ons and thanks to you all for your outstanding service and being a part of 75 years of exceponal achievements and unselfish devo on to duty. Semper Paratus! Respec ully, Jeffrey O. Gines Division Commander 7, D7 rine dealers, par cipa ng in boat shows, public affairs func ons, and u lizing our facili es on safety patrols on the water, in the air, and on the airwaves. We support the regular Coast Guard more than ever before in marine safety, food service, medical, engineering, watch standing, and a myriad of other areas for which we are trained and qualified. We do these things willingly, for we know that what we do saves lives. With our service we know that our fellow ci zens are able to more safely enjoy their me on the water without adverse incidents thanks to our efforts. This is our heritage; this is our purpose. This is the charge given to us by all those who have so ably served over the last 75 years. We will steadfastly maintain the tradi ons passed to us by those thousands of members who wore the khaki and Coast Guard blue over the years. We will rely on those tradi ons of our predecessors to give us strength and provide a course line when the going gets tough. We will con nue to be Semper Paratus as the Auxiliary has been for 75 years. Respec ully, Tom Mallison Na onal Commodore

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From the Helm Gene Keller, Division Vice Commander Being your Vice Commander is a great honor. I pledge to live up to that honor by serving you diligently, always remembering that each of you is in fact the reason I have chosen to accept this assignment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each Division 7 shipmate for your support and to express to you my goals and thoughts concerning our future. The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is and will always be in transi on, always evolving and always changing. Over the next few years we will be facing a torrent of change and we must be ready. The challenge is to embrace it and eﬃciently take advantage of all that it has to oﬀer. Our systems for training, record keeping and communica ng have evolved over me; I believe we will soon be faced with an even more rapid period of technological development. Exci ng as that is, the digital world comes with its own set of challenges. In a connected world unlimited amounts of informa on tend to flow freely and I fear that we run the risk of becoming overwhelmed by our own sea of data. By developing a philosophy of using technology wisely, we will foster crea vity while maintaining order and respec ng the chain of leadership.

major source of funding; to remain strong our efforts toward public educaon must redoubled. Recrea onal Boa ng Safety is the cornerstone of our mission and the primary task given us by the Coast Guard. It is proven that boater safety classes save lives; we will need to evolve our Public Educa on program to remain both compe ve and relevant. The ease of taking boater safety classes on line will con nue to challenge our classroom a endance. Together we can find new ways of reaching out to the boa ng public, make learning more relevant and perhaps more fun. Working more closely with our Public Educa on teams we can develop marke ng plans for boater safety training, reaching out to new as well as underserved markets. Last of all, let me touch on our most important resource: people. We must all focus on recrui ng quality people who join to serve and we will need to develop more proac ve methods for reaching out to prospecve new members.

Another area is learning to do more – with less mon- I propose that a commi ee dedicated to promo ng the ey and resources. We must be er prac ce ge ng the division through public speaking engagements at varimost out of our ght budgets. Some of our costs can be ous civic organiza ons be formed. Let’s work together reduced by switching our phones to voice over internet to reach out and tell folks how rewarding it can be to and reducing and removing costly legacy systems. serve in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. For some of our flo llas, tradi onal sources of fund- Once more thank you and as always, we are SEMPER ing are becoming less reliable. Public educa on is a PARATUS- ALWAYS READY! 

Gene Keller, newly elected Division Vice Commander, accepts the Ritchie Award for Public Affairs presented to Flotilla 72 at the Awards Luncheon on June 7, 2014 in Tampa. Presenters are Jeffrey Gines, newly elected Division Commander, and COMO Walter Jaskiewicz, Immediate Past District Commodore. This was one of Keller's ﬁnal duties as Flotilla Commander 72. Photo by Heleyde Aponte

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Intercom

USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

The Commandant of the Coast Guard takes pleasure in presen ng the COAST GUARD UNIT COMMENDATION to: UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY for service as set forth in the following CITATION: "For excep onally meritorious service from June 24, 2009 to June 23, 2014, while providing unprecedented levels of dedicated public service and opera onal support to the U. S. Coast Guard's missions. Demonstra ng remarkable professionalism and boa ng safety exper se, the Auxiliary performed over 1.1 million vessel safety checks and marine dealer visits, delivered over 540 thousand hours of boa ng safety course instruc on and conducted over 809 thousand hours of public outreach. Displaying superior underway and airborne opera onal proficiency, Auxiliarists logged over 19.8 million hours of support and patrol missions, saved over one thousand lives, assisted over 20 thousand boaters in distress and prevented the loss of more than 185 million dollars in property. The Auxiliary always answered the call, remaining in lockstep with the Coast Guard's response to every major incident. In 2010, unique Auxiliary talents were brought to bear in the interna onal response to the Hai an earthquake, blazing new trails in the applica on of social media to locate and save dozens of trapped vic ms. Also during that year, well-qualified Auxiliarists filled essen al incident command post watch posi ons and augmented ac ve duty units to support the Deepwater Horizon response. Similarly in 2012, Auxiliary commitment following Super Storm SANDY and Hurricane IRENE was instrumental to effec ve Coast Guard response and recovery opera ons. The Auxiliary consistently found innova ve ways to support the Coast Guard, including establishment of the Auxiliary Food Services program which trained Auxiliarists to augment Coast Guard galleys, afloat and ashore. Auxiliarists involved with Public Affairs, Interpreter Corps, America's Waterway Watch, and many other programs further contributed to Coast Guard success by volunteering their professional talents, mastery of trade, and disciplined ini a ve wherever and whenever needed. The Auxiliary's unwavering efforts directly contributed to unprecedented na onal boa ng safety achievements, highlighted in 2013 with the fewest boa ng fatali es in 50 years. Despite incredible challenges amid keen compe on for America's volunteers, the Auxiliary grew its membership, provided over 22 million hours of inspira onal support to the Coast Guard, and kept our Na on's coasts, lakes, and waterways safe and secure. The professionalism, pride, and devo on to duty displayed by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary are in keeping with the highest tradi ons of the United States Coast Guard." P. F. ZUKUNFT Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant

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Flotilla 72 St. Petersburg

Jack Lee, Flotilla Vice Commander Flo lla 72 will offer the “About Boa ng Safely” course one day every month starting on July 12, 2014. Adver sing for the class has begun. We will con nue to offer the nine-week Boa ng Skills and Seamanship class. Our members con nue to support B-0 SAR Standby missions to Sta on St. Petersburg and marine observa on missions. Flo lla 72 began coxswain training (tabletop only sessions). Members of other flollas within our division are par cipa ng. Boat Crew Training completed with two new Boat Crew members for Flo lla 72: James Campau and Henry Norris. Con- Rick Short (far left) and Rick Smith (center) demonstrate the hardships that our members undergo while on B0-SAR standgratula ons to both! Members Gene Keller, Clifford Holensworth, and David Langdon resolved the problem with comple on of the Instructor Qualifica on for Tony Hooper. Apparently, there was an issue with being able to see the proper repor ng within Aux Data. Others encountering a similar issue may find the ‘How-To’ instruc ons by David Langdon beneficial.

by at Station St. Petersburg. Volleyball is incredibly challenging when your opponents are young and ﬁt Coast Guardsmen! All kidding aside, friendly interactions like this go a long way to developing a sense of 'Team Coast Guard'! Photo provided by Richard Short

Great credit goes to Franco Ripple and other members for assis ng with the prepara on and planning for Sector St. Petersburg's Open House on May 17, 2014. Ripple arranged for several dignitaries to a end and present Na onal Safe Boa ng Week (NSBW) Proclama ons to the Coast Guard. The ceremonies went oﬀ well and were a great success! Other NSBW ac vi es appear in other pages of this issue of Intercom as well as the ar cles about our many on the water Franco Ripple, member of Flotilla 72 acts as emcee for the missions in support of the Coast guard.  National Safe Boating Week ceremony conducted at Sector St. Petersburg during their Open House on May 17, 2014. May 17 was coincidentally, also Armed Forces Day. Photo by Richard Risk

Sector St. Petersburg South Moorings, USCGC Venturous by D. Riley

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Intercom

USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

Flotilla 74 Brandon James Mulligan, Flotilla Commander The members of Flo lla 74 con nue their outstanding ac vi es in support of our Recrea onal Boa ng Safety missions. We received Na onal Safe Boa ng Week Proclamaons from Lakeland, Bartow, Haines City, and Lake Wales. An unexpected result was that all of these cities except Lakeland requested ‘About Boa ng Safely’ classes and will provide classrooms at no cost to the Auxiliary. We presented the ‘About Boa ng Safely’ class on May 10. This was in addi on to our con nuing Boa ng Skills and Seamanship program. Our Polk County Detachment held a special event in conjunc on with Ile Yacht Club Kids Fishing Tournament. Ninety-two children and parents par cipated. Children prac ced pu ng on life jackets in support of the Wear It! campaign and received coloring books while parents safe boa ng literature. The Polk County Detachment also par cipated in a special Public Aﬀairs event at Marchant Stadium on June 11 to promote hurricane preparedness. Although we were forced to end the mission early because of lightning in the area, we successfully made numerous contacts before closing. Polk County Detachment par cipated in a special Vessel Examina ons/Public Aﬀairs event, “The Float” held by Chain of Life, a group that supports recrea onal boa ng on the Chain-of-Lakes in Winter Haven, Florida. We conducted Vessel Safety Checks and distributed boa ng safety literature.

Williams Park, Riverview, Fla. by D. Riley

Our members conduct Vessel Safety Check weekly alterna ng between Williams Park and the Riverview Boat Ramp. The Polk County Detachment conductS Vessel Safety Checks at both Lake Arianna and Lake Summit, and our Recrea onal Boa ng Safety-Program Visitor efforts are ongoing. A special Vessel Examina ons mission will be held at Williams Park on June 28 in support of law enforcement “Opera on Dry Water,” an an -alcohol ini a ve. The flo lla’s outstanding contribu ons to Recrea onal Boa ng Safety missions was recognized at the Division 7 Annual Awards Luncheon. Flo lla 74 received the Krough Award for Public Educa on, the William Waldo Chase Memorial Award for Recrea onal Boa ng Safety, and The Captain’s Jug for the four cornerstones of the Auxiliary. Galen Johnston, Flo lla Staff Officer-Public Educa on, received the award for the greatest number of Public Educa on hours. We congratulate all of our members! Jim Mulligan, a member of the United States Coast Guard Pipe Band, par cipated at Bri sh Cemetery Memorial Services in the outer-banks of North Carolina to honor those who gave their lives defending the Eastern shores before America entered World War II. Addi onally, members par cipated as watch-standers at Sector St. Petersburg Open House and as watch-standers at Tampa Bay Boat Show at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

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Flotilla 75 Ruskin Guy Mandigo, Flotilla Commander Flo lla 75 recently swore in member Robert Martellucci as Flo lla Staff Officer-Vessel Examina ons. Despite having no staff officer coordina ng vessel examiners for the first five months, we reached 31% of our goal for the year.

In the Public Educa on arena, Tampa Cruise-A-Cade Club invited Flo lla 75 to make a presenta on early in June. An About Boa ng Safely class is scheduled for three days in July, and a Sailing Skills and Seamanship course is scheduled for late August through early December. In Opera ons, Alastair Taggart completed the Boat Crew program and is presently crew qualified. He is a welcome addi on to our Opera ons program.

Recrea onal Boa ng Safety ac vi es are ongoing. We presented “Suddenly in Command” at the SouthShore Two new VHF-FM marine radios were installed and Library to kick-off Na onal Safe Boa ng Week, stood calibrated by Jack Sa erfield, Assistant Staff Officerwatches at the Tampa Bay Boat Show at the Florida Communica ons, Division 7. The standing wave ra o State Fairgrounds May16-18, and par cipated as vol- of one antenna is too high and needs to be checked, unteers during the Sector St. Petersburg Open House but Ruskin Radio returned to ac ve service on May 20, 2014, and provided radio guard for a vessel from on May 17, 2014. Flo lla 79. Despite radio problems on the vessel, the Another fun event was our par cipa on in a Cinco Ruskin Radio team tracked and supported the vessel de Mayo public outreach event at Ruskin Elementary throughout the mission. School ccelebra eleebra ng the Wear It! “Wear Wear Your Life Jacket Market” was a reannu an nual al “Nau “Na Nau u ccal al FFlea lea M le arket” k Work” to Work k” campaign. Members Patricia Stone, e, JJudith udit ud ith h Flo lla 75'ss annual Clapp, Maria-Elena Clap Cl app p, aand nd n dM aria ar ia-El Elena TTaylor ayllor coordinated our par ci- sounding success with 24 vendors and over 600 buythat pa on in n th hat event and took many photos of teachers, ers; 23 flo lla members (with friends and family) parcipated.  pupils an and nd parents wearing life jackets to post on the official W Wear official We ear It! website.

Members of Flotilla 75 wore their life jackets to the ﬂotilla meeting on May 14, their version of the National Safe Boating Week “Wear Your Life Jacket to Work” Campaign. From left are BM1 Greg Pascume, liaison to Flotilla 75 from Station St. Petersburg, Guy Mandigo, and Alastair Taggart. Photos by Patricia Stone

E.G. Simmons Park, Ruskin, Fla., boat ramp by D. Riley

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Intercom

USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

Flotilla 78 Pass-a-Grille Bradley Marchant, Flotilla Commander Division 7 named Valerie Fernandes “Auxiliarist of the Year.” While Division 7 bestowed this honor upon her, Fernandes was oﬀ hiking at almost 13,000 feet al tude in the Reserva An sana in Ecuador! The Division 7 Auxiliarist of the Year award recognizes the most exemplary performance by an eligible Auxiliarist during the previous calendar year. Only those Auxiliarists who demonstrate sustained, excep onal standards of proficiency and conduct, and whose appearance and bearing are consistently impeccable, are considered. Of all of the deserving candidates submi ed, one person stood out who is truly deserving of this recogni on — Valerie Fernandes.

Fernandes embraces the Auxiliary’s core values, projects excep onal uniform appearance and bearing at all mes, and consistently delivers outstanding performance in terms of leadership and professionalism, Auxiliary program skills, personal and work ethics, and Auxiliary knowledge. Congratula ons, Valerie! Both the award and the vacaon are well deserved! 

Valerie Fernandes, named Division 7 "Auxiliarist of the Year," devotes a great deal of her time to the division's Operations program. Fernandes (front center) is seen here aboard the Bayou Bengal with Keith Westbrook, Guy Mandigo, and Patricia Stone from Flotilla 75 on January 25, 2014, setting out for the Gasparilla boat parade. Photo provided by Valerie Fernandes was taken by a passerby (owner of the dogs who wanted to go along for the ride!)

St. Pete Beach, Photo from Wikimedia Commons; Author: Ebyabe; licensed for reuse

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Flotilla 79 Tampa Michael Massimini, Flotilla Commander Seven Niner received first place in the District 7 Publica ons contest in the flolla category. Congratulaons to Do e Riley and all who contributed to such a successful publica on! At the Division 7 Annual Awards Luncheon on June 7, 2014, Flo lla 79 received the Oalmann Award for Member Training, the McKendree Award for Speciality Course Advancement, and the Ne ling Award for Opera ons for 2013. Tampa Radio One supported crew training at Gandy on May 24 and 28, 2014. On May 28, Tampa Radio One provided coverage for two vessels prac cing night opera ons and naviga on in prepara on for qualifying examina on, and then on Saturday, May 31, supported the crew training qualifying examina on for six vessels.

His name is Gunwale, and while he accompanies John Simone as often as possible, he is only pretending to be a member and does not have a member number!

In the early morning hours of May 31, 2014, six Auxiliary vessels with crews, trainees and Qualifying Examiners prepare to launch from the Salty Sol Boat Ramp behind Flotilla 79. The weather prediction was for rain, and fortunately, the qualifying examination mission was completed before the downpour. Photos by Betty Hagan

Flotilla 79 Tampa, Fla. by D. Riley

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Intercom

USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

Flotilla 7-16 Gulfport D. Terry Hershman, Flotilla Commander Member Don Rimel contributed an ar cle (opposing page) about traveling to Bainbridge, Ga., to conduct Vessel Safety Checks. We are proud of Rimel and his team of Vessel Examiners who have earned the Presco Award for Vessel Examina ons and the Shingledecker Award for Program Partner Visita ons several years running. Our members' commitment to the Recrea onal Boa ng Safety missions is self-evident. We conducted four major Vessel Examina ons blitzes the last half of May and are presently exceeding Vessel Safety Check performance expecta ons set for this point in the year. We also partnered with Flo lla 11-3 and par cipated at the Hurricane Seminar held at the City of Seminole Complex.

Gulfport Fourth of July Parade. Addi onally, we are working to confirm a date for “Suddenly in Command” class to present at Boca Ciega Yacht Club. Gulfport Radio was on the air May 30, 2014; from 6 to 11 p.m. Tom Bodi was lead Telecommunica ons Operator (TCO). Members Bill Zinner and Terry Hershman (both qualified TCOs) assisted. Jessica Hathaway and Jim Armstrong (Flo lla 78) assisted as trainees. The team provided radio guard for Luv@1st Site from Flo lla 72 for a rou ne marine observa on mission. A severe storm warning played a significant role and adjustments were made accordingly. The mission had excellent results from both a training and opera ons viewpoint. One sad note was the loss of member, Bruce Cardall. Flo lla 7-16 and members of Division 7 assisted his family in sca ering Cardall's ashes in the bay on April 26, 2014. Fair winds and following seas! 

We are working with the City of Gulfport to set up a recrui ng table at City Hall and at the Senior Complex in Gulfport and have been invited to par cipate in the

The crew of Miss Marla, Auxiliary facility from Flotilla 72, spreads ﬂower petals where Bruce Cardall’s ashes were scattered on April 26, 2014. Coxswain of Miss Marla is Rick Short with crewmembers Rick Smith, David Langdon, Jack Lee, and Jim Campau. Photo taken by James Newman, coxswain of Lay Low, which hosted Cardall’s family members.

We are proud of David Main, editor of Beacon, the Flotilla 7-16 newsletter, for earning the Ritchie Award for Publications at the Annual Awards Luncheon. A view of the bay in front of Flotilla 7-16 Gulfport. Photo by Dottie Riley

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Member Travels Over 300 Miles to Conduct Vessel Examina ons Don Rimel Par cipates in Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament Vessel Examina on Blitz Contributors: Don Rimel and Charles Truthan

he United States Coast Guard Auxiliary conducted the fourth annual Vessel Safety Check Blitz for the Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament Anglers, on March 9, 2014, at the Bainbridge High School, Bainbridge, Georgia. Bainbridge is located within District 8-Coastal Region, near the border of District 7. The Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament includes the top 100 bass anglers in the world. The closest flo lla to the event was Flo lla 12 (D8CR) Apalachee Bay, at 56 miles from Bainbridge and the furthest par cipant traveled from Flo lla 7-16 (D7) Gulfport, at 307 miles (one-way). This was Don Rimel (standing in the inside front right) from Flotilla 7-16 Gulfour own Don Rimel, from Flo- port was one of 15 Auxiliarists who participated in the Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament Vessel Safety Check Blitz on March 9, 2014, in Bainlla 7-16.

bridge, Georgia. Participants included (listed by ﬂotilla) Fran D. Keating, Apalachee Bay; Kenneth B. Weeks, Mark E Waltman and Joseph P. Giangrosso Jr., Destin-Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.; Leslie H. Combs, Panama Beach; Robert Miller and Gene Hall, Marietta, Ga.; Richard C. Bogden, Central Lakes Ga. (Eatonton/Milledgeville); Charles E. Truthan, Victor Dvorak, Joyce Dvorak, George Hendricks, Shon Limor, and Nathan Richards, Ocala. Photo provided by Charles Truthan, event coordinator.

Rimel drove to Ocala on March 8, 2014, and got a motel room because on the morning of March 9 the clocks were set ahead one hour and he was to meet with other Auxiliary Vessel Examiners at 7 a.m. He got a room, ate, and picked up an extra sandwich for the Vessel Examina ons Blitz, and the following morning, le the motel in me to meet the motor coach in which the members were riding to Bainbridge. Rimel thought the Auxiliarists on the motor coach were interes ng and enjoyed learning about their diﬀerent backgrounds.

Once in Bainbridge, within the narrow three and a half hour window allo ed to them, the 13 par cipa ng Vessel Examiners conducted 49 Vessel Safety Checks and awarded 40 decals. Rimel completed four Vessel Safety Checks. (Two additonal members accompanied the group to perform administra ve du es.) This year’s event received direct support from the V Directorate, which made it easier for Charles Truthan,

event Coordinator, to organize par cipa on across district lines. The event was well planned and ran smoothly. Rimel enjoyed par cipa ng in this event and told Truthan that he wanted to do it again next year. Now we know why Donald Rimel holds the record for Vessel Safety Checks within our division. He is willing to drive over 300 miles to par cipate in a Vessel Safety Check event! 

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Intercom

USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

Division 7 Awards Luncheon Not Your Usual Awards Luncheon! Dottie Riley, Staff Ofﬁcer-Publications 7

he Division 7 Annual Awards Luncheon held June 7, 2014, at the Spaghe Warehouse in Ybor was definitely like none other! While as in previous years, it celebrated the achiements of our members, it also ushered in new elected leaders when the division’s voting board elected Jeﬀrey Gines as Division Commander and Gene Keller as Division Vice Commander. Dis nguished guests represen ng the Auxiliary included COMO Walter Jaskiewicz, Immediate Past District Commodore, Braxton Ezell, District CaptainWest, Karen Miller, Division Commander 11, Paule e Parent, Immediate Past Division Commander 8, and Donald Hoge, Auxiliary Sector Coordinator St. PetersThe Division 7 Annual Awards Luncheon on June 7, 2014, at the burg. Spaghetti Warehouse in Ybor also included elections of new Represen ng the Coast Guard were CDR Sco Calhoun, Chief, Preven on Department, Sector St. Petersburg, and LTJG Shawn Antonelli, Auxiliary Liaison, Sector St. Petersburg. While Ezell conducted the elec on, CDR Calhoun joined COMO Jaskiewicz in administering the oath of oﬃce to Gines and Keller.

division leaders. From left, newly elected officers Gene Keller, Division Vice Commander, Jeffry Gines, Division Commander, with COMO Walter Jaskiewicz, Immediate Past District Commodore, and CDR Scott Calhoun, Chief, Prevention Department, Sector St Petersburg, who officiated at the oath of office. Photo by Linda Brandt, FL 74

Gines quickly moved the program forward to its primary agenda: honoring the accomplishments of the members of Division 7. This year oﬀered a few surprises as awards long held by a one flo lla were presented to another. Note the qualifica on “few.” Two awards in par cular, the awards for Vessel Examina ons and Recrea onal Boa ng SafetyProgram Visitor remained solidly with Flo lla 7-16. Their record appears to be unbeatable! A complete list of awards and its winners appears separately. We congratulate all of the winners of this year’s awards, especially Valerie Fernandes of Flo lla 78 who received the esteemed “Auxiliarist of the Year” award. Unfortunately, Fernandes was not present to receive the award. FerCon nued on page 15

The Spaghetti Warehouse in Ybor, site of the 2014 Division 7 Awards Luncheon, provided lots of ambiance and a great Italian menu. Over 60 members and guests attended this year. Photo by Linda Brandt, FL 74

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Issue 2

Summer 2014

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Con nued from page 14 nandes is with us li le more than half a year, yet in those months, manages to make a major diﬀerence to Division 7 Opera ons and Member Training. Fernandes also publishes Flo lla 78’s monthly newsle er, “Scu lebu .” Thanks to email, Fernandes manages to publish nearly every month despite her absence in the summer. Again, congratula ons to all of our award winners. We thank every member who contributed to the success of his or her flo lla, to our division, and in support of the United States Coast Guard and United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. 

FLOTILLA AWARDS Mike Award for Personnel Services

Flo lla 7-16 Oalmann Award for Member Training

Flo lla 79 Ne ling Award for Opera ons

Flo lla 79 Presco Award for Vessel Examina ons

Flo lla 7-16 Shingledecker Award for Program Partner Visita ons

Flo lla 7-16 Krough Award for Public Educa on Flo lla 74 Richie Award for Public Aﬀairs

Flo lla 72 McKendree Award for Specialty Course Advancement

Flo lla 79 William Waldo Chase Memorial Award

Flo lla 74 Richie Award for Publica ons

Flo lla 7-16 Duignan Award for Fellowship

Flo lla 75 The Captain's Jug

Flo lla 74

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS Bill and Elanor Zinner, members of Flotilla 7-16 Gulfport are the recipients of the Vans Evers Award. In honor of Vans and Gran Evers, this award is presented annually to a couple or an individual who has demonstrated exceptional dedication to the ideals of the Auxiliary. The Zinners are highly regarded by their fellow members. Photo by Linda Brandt, FL 74 (Photo below also by Linda Brandt)

Public Educa on Instructor Hours

Galen Johnston Public Educa on Aide Hours

Jim Fogle Member Training Instructor Hours

Tim Teahan Skipper Hours

David Perillo Crew Hours

Judy Clapp SAR Assists

Richard Smith Vessel Examina ons

Don Rimel Program Partner Visita ons

Don Rimel Julie Award

Terry Hershman Vans Evers Award

Bill and Elanor Zinner Auxiliarist of Year Award

Valerie Fernandes

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USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

Division 7 NSBW Highlights Flotilla 72 Member Assists in Production of National Safe Boating Week Public Service Video By Dick Risk, Senior Editor, Breeze, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

im Fogle, member of Flo lla 72, St. Petersburg, answered the call from the Eckerd College Waterfront Program to help locate an open powerboat capable of holding 12 to 15 people to use in the produc on of a public service video, which debuted on May 17, 2014, in conjunc on with Na onal Safe Boa ng Week (NSBW), May 17-23. He provided his own boat and served as captain. The television spot, “Live the Life,” shares the experience of two families and a dog as they spend the day boa ng and fishing. It was shot at St. Petersburg’s Eckerd College on April 5 and will be distributed by the Na onal Safe Boa ng Council (NSBC) throughout the U.S. and Canada for the 2014 North American Safe Boa ng Campaign, which is a yearlong eﬀort focused on spreading the message of boa ng safety and the cri cal importance of consistent life jacket wear. In addi on to life jacket wear, the campaign also reminds boaters of the importance of boa ng safely, including taking a boa ng safety course and never boa ng under the influence, knowing naviga onal rules and having a proper lookout. Simply known as Wear It!, the annual

Jim Fogle (right) from Flotilla 72 pilots his powerboat for a video shoot on April 5 from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg for the National Safe Boating Council’s Wear It! life jacket campaign. The “family” pictured are paid models. Photo courtesy National Safe Boating Council.

campaign con nues throughout the year.

Flotilla 75 Adds a Twist to "Wear Your Life Jacket to Work" Day By Patricia Stone Members of Flo lla 75 added a unique twist to the the oﬃcial Wear It! websites.  Na onal Safe Boa ng Week “Wear Your Life Jacket to Work” day Campaign. Members wore their life jackets to their flo lla mee ng on May 14. What a great way to emphasize the ‘wear your life jacket’ message! On Friday, May 16, flo lla members Judy Clapp, Patricia Stone, and Maria-Elena Taylor, took the Wear It! campaign message to Ruskin Elementary School for their Cinco de Mayo celebra on where they set up a water and boa ng safety educaon booth visited by approximately 400 pupils and parents. Since this was the oﬃcial “Wear Your Life Jacket to Work” day, parents and children posed for photographs to post on

Some of the "Wear Your Life Jacket to Work" photos include (from left) pupils and parents at Ruskin Elementary School; and ﬂotilla members Dotty Engel, Judy Clapp and Ted Cohen.

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Summer 2014

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Division 7 NSBW Highlights Flotilla 78 Participates in "Wear Your Life Jacket to Work" Zelda Troiano, Flotilla Vice Commander 78, wears her life jacket to work on May, 16, 2014. Troiano volunteers at the St. Pete Beach Library. (Photo from May issue of Scuttlebutt, newsletter for Flotilla 78.

“Ready, Set, Wear, It!” Gets Boost from Social Media Campaign: Social Networking Used to Increase Boating Safety Awareness By Dottie Riley This year, the “Ready, Set, Wear It!” campaign, sponsored through a partnership between the Na onal Safe Boa ng Council and Canadian Safe Boa ng Council, added a new twist to its annual life jacket awareness promo on.

While this ‘selfie’ campaign is in its first year, it proved quite eﬀec ve in helping to increase boater’s awareness about the importance of wearing a life jacket.  NASBLA

While the Ready, Set Wear It (RSWI) Facebook page has been around for several years, two years ago, they added the “Wear Your Life Jacket to Work” campaign that invited people to take photos of themselves wearing their life jackets to work and post them to Facebook. Darren Hart, The Na onal Safe Boa ng Week coordinator for Division 7 Tampa Bay, and a social media enthusiast, took this one-step further by crea ng a Twi er campaign invi ng others to take a photo of themselves commonly known as a ‘selfie’, wearing their life jacket, and send it via Twi er or post it to Facebook. This ‘tweet’ was ‘re-tweeted’ (reposted/forwarded) by the Na onal Safe Boa ng Council and garnered over 500 responses. Selfies came from as far as Alaska and included Coast Guard units and state and na onal government agencies in addi on to hundreds of private individuals. Some of the more notable ‘selfie’ contributors included the Na onal Transporta on Safety Council Board, Naonal Associa on of State Boa ng Law Administrators, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conserva on Commission, BoatUS, Mustang Survival Corpora on, Discover Boating, and WFLA 970 Newsradio in St. Petersburg.

Discover Boating

Alaska Coast Guard Jim Fogle at 970 Newsradio

NTSC

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USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

The Air Force Thunderbirds scream across the sky while performing death-defying aerial feats at MacDill Airfest 2014. Photo by Zac Lessin, FL 79

he Coast Guard Auxiliary was a hit at the 2014 MacDill Airfest held Mar. 20-21, 2014, at MacDill Air Base. The Division 7 Public Aﬀairs display featured the Coast Guard Recrea onal Boa ng Safety BAT/PAC trailer, the Auxiliary facility JoBe owned by Be y Hagan, a kayak, and a 1958 Lyman wooden an que runabout owned by Flo lla 79 member, Jim Frijouf.

one lucky winner earned a free Boa ng Skills and Seamanship course.

In addi on to Hitchcock and Lessin, other member par cipants included Heleyde Aponte, Jim Frijouf, Jack Lohman, Larry Ivey, Jennifer Logan-Porter, T. D. Parrish, Be y Hagan, Glen Leroy, Thomas Pate, and Ernie Costa from Flo lla 79; Dean Hoskins from Flo lla 72; The BAT/PAK trailer, staﬀed by Bruce Wright, U.S. Coast Marty Seiden, Len Chiacchia and George Papabeis from Guard Recrea onal Boa ng Safety Specialist and Sta- Flo lla 74. If you missed this year’s event, be sure to volunteer next year. cey Wright, member Witnessing the Thunof Flo lla 6-11 Miami The Coast Guard exhibited both their immense HC-130 derbirds’ flying skills United States Coast Hercules aircraft and an HH-60 Medium Range Recovery makes this one of the Guard Auxiliary, in- helicopter ( pictured below) at the MacDill Airfest held in March 2014 at MacDill AFB. Photo by George Papabeis most thrilling events cluded an appearance to a end!  by Sammy the Sea O er, ever a hit with crowds. As in previous years, Cinda Hitchcock and Zac Lessin organized the Auxiliary’s par cipa on in this event. Hundreds of people stopped by and received Recrea onal Boa ng Safety literature or signed up for a boa ng safety course. They also conducted a signature raﬄe and

Volume Vol o um u e XXXVII

Issue 2

Division 7 set up a 40-foot display area March 20-21, 2014, at MacDill Airfest That included two vessels, a PWC a kayak, and the Coast Guard Recrea onal Boa ng Safety BAT/PAC. Persons shown include (from rear le ) Stacey Wright from Flo lla 6-11, Heleyde Aponte, Cinda Hitchcock, Ernie Costa from Flo lla 79, Marty Seiden , from Flo lla 74, and front, Bruce Wright, U.S. Coast Guard Recrea onal Boa ng Safety Specialists, and Zac Lessin, Auxiliary Air, member of Flo lla 79. Photo by George Papabeis, SO-PA 7.

FLASHBACK: Historical look at the Coast Guard Auxiliary at MacDill Airfest

The Coast Guard Auxiliary set up a 40-foot display area on May 20, 1961, at MacDill Airfest which also included boats and boa ng safety informa on. Shown mid-page are Col Morrow and Elizabeth Morrow, Jack Wools and Pop Cooper. Members shown on the lower right image are Col and Elizabeth Morrow, Bert Craddock, Pop Cooper and Earl Colley and his wife. The photo takes in the en re dispay area.

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USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

Opera on High de: Auxiliary Assists in Training for the Unthinkable Contributors: Rick Short and Do e Riley

Dean Hoskins from Flotilla 72 looks out at the United States Army Vessel (USAV) New Orleans (LCU 2031) during Operation Hightide, an anti-terrorism exercise to test the response of federal, state, and local resources in the event of an identiﬁed chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incident conducted April 4-5, 2014, on Tampa Bay. Photo by George Papabeis

he thrill of being out on the water, conduc ng patrols, and the opportunity to support the Coast Guard in its training is just one reason why many Auxiliarists undergo the diﬃculty of the Auxiliary Boat Crew Training Program. Some missions are simply fun to watch even when the Auxiliary’s limited role is to provide a security zone for the primary par cipants. Opera on High de, conducted April 4-5, 2014, was one of those missions that for members of the Auxiliary was fun to watch. The High de An -Terrorism Exercise tests the response of federal, state, and local resources in the event of an iden fied chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incident. In addi on, it tests the federal, state, and local responders' ability to implement a Unified Command Structure on scene, provide logis c support,

and inter-agency communica ons. At federal level, par cipa ng agencies included the Federal Bureau of Inves ga on (FBI), the United States Army Reserve, and the Coast Guard. Some of the state and county agencies included the Florida Na onal Guard 48th Civil Support Team, Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Hillsborough County Emergency Management, and the Tampa Fire Department. In all, at least 16 agencies par cipated in the training. For Auxiliary members par cipa ng in Opera on Highde, the day started early. Rick Short, coxswain aboard Miss Marla, opened orders with Tampa Radio One at Con nued on page 21

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Summer 2014

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Con nued from page 20 5:20 a.m. This, of course, meant that those providing radio watches started a bit earlier! Short and his crew; Dean Hoskin, Jack Lee, Rick Smith (Flo lla 72), and George Papabeis (Flo lla 74), reported to Unified Command at the Gandy Ramp and distributed life jackets for the FBI, a er which Short, his crew and the crew of Chasin’ Tail, with John Simone, coxswain, had a pre-underway briefing. Simone’s crew members were Linda Churchill, Larry Ivey, and John McLoughlin, all from Flo lla 79. Terry Hickox (Flo lla 79) also coxswained an Auxiliary facility with crew Above: Terry Hickox (Flotilla 79) with crew Robin Conn and Paul Robin Conn and Paul Cooke (Flo lla Cooke (Flotilla 79); and Galen Johnson (Flotilla 74) participate in maintaining a security zone around the USAV New Orleans LCU 79); and Galen Johnson (Flo lla 74). Most of the on-the-water responsibilies were to escort the United States Army Vessel (USAV) New Orleans (LCU 2031) to its anchorage point and to maintain a security zone around the vessel. That was not a bad thing because that is where all of the ac on was! The ‘target’ of the exercise was a suspected terrorist aboard the New Orleans bent on making a CBRN a ack on Tampa, so they were able to watch all of the par cipa ng agencies play their parts in containing the threat.

during Operation Hightide, an inter-agency anti-terrorism exercise conducted April 4-5, 2014. The excercise tested the response of federal, state, and local resources in the event of an identiﬁed chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident. Photo by John Simone Below: Click on the image below to watch the Florida National Guard 48th Civil Support Team video describing the event from planning to execution.

Unfortunately, Simone experienced some engine troubles and had to return to port. Linda Churchill transferred to Miss Marla to con nue with Short’s crew. At the conclusion of the mission, Miss Marla escorted the New Orleans back to port and stood by while they transferred personnel. Short later met with Capt. Chris Atherton, 48th Civil Support Team, Brad Geeslin, from the FBI, and LTJG Shawn Antonelli, Unites States Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, for a debrief at Unified Command Center. They reported that the exercise went well. Only then did Short return to his home port in St. Petersburg — a long and exci ng day! 

▶ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofb3WO3tLc&list=UUpKLu8VkLf6vVLM6fEFXi2Q

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USCG G Au Auxiliary xili iliary

Division Diiviision i 7, 7, District District Di i 7

Auxiliary Protects Swimmers During Annual Tampa Bay Marathon Swim John Simone, FL 79, Photos by George Papabeis, SO-PA 7

The 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, one of the longest marathon swims in the world, is held on Earth Day (April) every year in Tampa Bay and includes both solo swimmers and relay teams. Now in its 17th year, the annual Tampa Bay Marathon Swim is one of the most challenging open-water events in the world. Most years, compeƟtors complete the course in between 10 and 14 hours, but this year, due to weather condiƟons, the fastest Ɵme was 12 hours and 18 minutes- two to three hours longer than expected. The extended Ɵme also meant longer hours for the Auxiliarists maintaining the safety zone.

hanks to geography and weather, Tampa Bay hosts several annual swim and boa ng events throughout the winter months. These include but are not limited to the Frogman Swim, the Tampa Bay 24-Mile Marathon Swim, Dragon Boat Races and several sail-

ing rega as. These serve to keep the Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary busy providing safety zones around racecourses and keeping recrea onal boaters from placing swimmers in jeopardy. What set apart April 19, 2014, from previous years is that two major events were scheduled on the same day, the Tampa Bay 24-Mile Marathon Swim and the Davis Island Yacht Club J/24 Fleet Race. To complicate ma ers, the fleet race ran in an area that could be crossed by swimmers already exhausted from being in the water six to nine hours on a day with 20-knot northern winds and wakes up to four feet high. With a star ng point near the Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg and a finish line near the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, the course oﬀered Division 7 flo llas on both sides of Tampa Bay an opportunity to par cipate. John Simone, coxswain aboard “Chasin’ Tail” was one of the par cipants along with crewmembers John Mcloughlin and George Papabeis, and Jennifer LoganPorter, trainee. All are from Flo lla 79 Tampa except Papabeis, who is a member of Flo lla 74 Brandon.

Google map displaying the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim course

Con nued on page 23

Volume XXXVII

Issue 2

Con nued from page 22 Simone and his crew stayed busy star ng with contacting the Fleet Race and asking them to move one mile west to avoid jeopardizing the swimmers. Just a er noon, they received a request for assistance from a vessel operated by the swim organizers. They arrived on scene to find them removing a swimmer from the water who appeared hypothermic, disoriented, shivering and weak. Simone contacted the Fire Rescue boat, which had a paramedic on board and stood by while the swimmer was transferred to their vessel. By this me, the seas were already three to four feet with winds approaching 15 to 20 knots. Simone’s engine was vibra ng, and with high winds and diminishing visibility, they followed the rescue boat back to the dock. Fortunately, they were underway again in approximately 20 minutes. Later that a ernoon, they followed several swimmers across K-Cut, one of the primary shipping channels in Tampa Bay. The day was long and some mes stressful, if for no reason other than fa gue from wind, water and sun. Throughout the mission, they no fied numerous pleasure boats of the event, and once the winds hit 15 knots, they were requested to perform frequent “roll calls” to provide status updates. Simone and his crew started their day at 9 a.m., and returned to base and closed out their orders at 6:30 p.m. The Marathon Swim requires a lot of planning and coordina on. Swimmers were spread out by as much as 12 miles during the event. Simone noted that there is no eﬃcient way to cover the en re course and educate all boaters about the event. Sector St. Petersburg, however, did broadcast a no ce to mariners every 30 minutes. St. Pete Fire Rescue kept to the rear of the event with the thought that the weakest or slowest swimmers might be the ones who presented the most need as the event progressed. Con-

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sidering the 24-mile length of the swim, the Auxiliary covered the event and was available where and when needed. Bravo Zulu to all who par cipated! 

Above: Prior to getting out on the water, John Simone, coxswain, briefs his crew, John McLoughlin, George Papabeis (not shown), and Jennifer Logan-Porter, trainee, about the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim on April 19 and what was expected of them during the 24-mile race. Below: Richard Rioles, coxswain, with crewmembers Dean Bell and Miguel Marquez-Reines, all from Flotilla 79, approach Simone's boat along the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim course. All photos by George Papabeis including lead photo of swimmers in the water.

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U USCG S GA SC Au Auxiliary u uxi xxiililiarry

Division Diivi D ivviiisi sion si on 7, 7, District Dis istr tricct 7

How I Shoot Photographs as an Auxiliary Public Affairs Officer and Photo Corps Member. George Papabeis SO-PA 7, D7 The physical stuff I shoot with a Canon T2i with the standard kit lens. It is lighter and cheaper than my Canon 5D which I use professionally. I will, however, use my 5D on an Auxiliary photo shoot, if on an assignment that I know is going to be used for high-resolu on prints. I use a polarizing filter to lop off the high end (hot spots). This gives be er depths in the shadows, be er color, and clarity. I use an eye loop to look at the LCD screen even though I use the viewfinder when shoo ng. The eye loop allows me to see menus without glare and review photos, and compare my image colora on with the real world in the field. I also use it to view my iPhone in bright sunlight and the back of my GoPro LCD. It hangs around my neck on a strap and magne cally a aches to an add-on metal frame on my camera.

I generally leave the f-stop at 8f unless I am shoo ng in very low light and adjust the shu er speed according to condi ons. On occasion, I will lock down the ISO; for example, indoors low light or outside shoo ng into the shadows. (I just blow out the hot spots and concentrate on the subject.) I check the posi on of the polarizing filter o en. I use only the center focusing dot and turn the others oﬀ. I will move the dot to the object I want focused, hold the shu er halfway down, focus, frame up, and depress the shu er the rest of the way. When framing my photos; I use rule of thirds and try to create depth using foreground, mid-ground, and background elements. I tend to frame shots “cinema cally.” My primary influences are two movies: “A Touch of Evil,” by Orson Wells, and “The Seven Samurai” by Akira Kurosawa. Each shot in those two movies could be framed and hung on a wall.

I use one addi onal lens; an EF 100-300mm used Canon zoom lens (cheap). On occasion, I use a DIY splash Some other stuff box I made for the T2i. I also use waterproof case for GoPros: I use an LCD backpack to help me frame up. I organiza on and peace of mind. set the camera to “one bu on mode” and the interInside the Camera valometer ( me-lapse controller) to three 3 seconds. When I turn the camera on it takes a picture every I hack all my Canon Cameras with Magic Lantern (ML) three seconds un l I turn the camera off. I have the Gofirmware/so ware. Not for the faint of heart or for the Pro in a life jacket pocket with a lanyard, or use a pipe amateur! It adds an assortment of features to the cam- clamp on a boat… with a safety lanyard. era. I keep the camera set to “Neutral” as “Standard” mode over saturates colors. I shoot in RAW mode, not I took the AUX 20 Intro to Auxiliary Public Affairs all the me, but I prefer it. course. If you take photos while under orders or during any Auxiliary or Coast Guard func on/mission, an My start se ngs are as follows: 1/125 shu er speed, understanding of Auxiliary Public Affairs is a must, no 8f aperture, Auto ISO, and manual white balance (con- ma er what your office or posi on in the Auxiliary. In trolled by thumb wheel via ML) and use LCD displaying lieu of that… cross hatch (1/3rds) for quick frame-ups. ALWAYS contact your Flo lla Public Affairs or PublicaWhile I’m shoo ng ons Officer before publishing or pos ng photographs, I look through the eye loop at the LCD display and dial and remember that any photographs you take as an in the white balance using ML. I tend to go neutral color Auxiliarist belong to the Coast Guard.  or a smidge on the warm side. This se ng will change as the day progresses and as the color temperature of the sun changes.

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Summer Summ Su mmer er 2014 2014

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Photo Corps and Division 7 Media Feed Commi ee Coopera on and collabora on foster new measures to support Division 7 and the Coast Guard. Do e Riley, SO-PB 7, D7

eorge Papabeis has been quite busy since stepping into the office of Staff Officer-Public Affairs for Division 7. Papabeis recognized the need for increased communica on between flo llas and the division, and between departments.

Systems’. To this end, Papabeis liaised with members experienced with electronic and social media. They assembled a team of five to launch and administer the new division social media, networking, marke ng and press release program.

Public Affairs ac vi es have always been cri cal funcons within our flo llas. Without effec ve Public Affairs campaigns, we cannot fill our Public Educa on classes, increase boaters' awareness about the Auxiliary’s Recrea onal Boa ng Safety programs, or grow our membership. To that end, Papabeis first order of business was to get to know the Flo lla Staff Officer-Public Affairs, and offer guidance and support, especially to the new officers.

Called the Division 7 Media Feed Commi ee, the team’s first endeavor was during Na onal Safe Boating Week with the #PFDselfie campaign. Using a newly created division Twi er account, the goal was to have people send ‘selfies’ wearing life jackets to promote the ‘Wear It!’ campaign. It was a huge success, which garnered over 500 selfies! Using social media campaigns like this, the team can promote every event at flo lla and division levels. They will use Division 7 Facebook, Twi er, Instagram, press release, and other accounts.

In the previous year, Papabeis served as Assistant Staff Officer-Publica ons. From this experience, he realized how much Public Affairs and Publica ons relied upon each other. External media releases and newsle er arcles have much in common. They must be well written, offer interes ng imagery, and accurately reflect our missions and ac vi es.

The Division 7 Media Feed Commi ee is also charged with wri ng news releases and ar cles for external news releases, Auxiliary newsle er ar cles and content for the social media campaigns. This will expand resources available to every flo lla and help to prevent duplica on of eﬀorts.

This inspired the forma on of the Division 7 Photo Corps. Following policies set at na onal level, Papabeis next set out to form a Division 7 Photo Corps. While the corps primary mission is to, ‘generate photographic enthusiasm and pride, to acquire content for media and publica ons (especially for our award-winning Intercom), and to catalog the history of Division 7,’ the availability of photographers has drawn the a en on of the Coast Guard. They have taken advantage of the corps to augment their Public Aﬀairs Oﬃce capabili es and to photograph training and other ac vi es at both Sector St. Petersburg and Air Sta on Clearwater.

Papabeis has made great strides in building the Public Aﬀairs department and in improving and enhancing available resources for Division 7 and its flo llas. Services and support between levels is interdependent. It requires collabora on and coopera on at every level.

One of the stated objec ves of the Photo Corps is to ‘Liaise with Communica on Services and Informa on

Interested in ge ng on board? Help spread the word about the Auxiliary! Contact George Papabeis or Do e Riley for more informa on. You do not need to serve on a commi ee to help. Just send your photographs, news releases, ar cles (or notes and outlines) to Papabeis or Riley and we will take it from there! 

@USCGAUXTAMPABAY

https://www.facebook.com/USCGAuxTampaBay

U L N O TEER SE V F O S R RVI YEA

HONORING THE PAST PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE The original intent... “In the interest of (a) safety to life at sea and upon the navigable waters, (b) the promotion of efficiency in the operation of motorboats and yachts, and (c) a wider knowledge of, and better compliance with, the laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation and navigation of motorboats and yachts, and (d) facilitating certain operations of the Coast Guard, there is hereby established a United States Coast Guard Reserve...which shall be composed of citizens of the United States and its Territories and possessions...who are owners (sole or in part) or motorboats or yachts.... “The new Coast Guard Reserve was to be a civilian organization. Members were not to hold military ranks, wear uniforms, receive military training, or "be vested with or exercise any right, privilege, power, or duty vested in or imposed upon the personnel of the Coast Guard." Reservists were invited to place their boats at the disposal of the Coast Guard "in the conduct of duties incident to the saving of life and property and in the patrol of marine parades and regattas" - with the understanding that each such boat would be commanded by a regular Coast Guard officer or petty officer.” Source: http://www.uscg.mil/auxiliary/administration/aux-history.asp

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District 7 Coast Guard Auxiliary During the War Years:

War adds new purposes and dimensions to Auxiliary missions.

How it played out...

n Dec. 7, 1941, Japan a acked on Pearl Harbor. Four days later, Hitler declared war against the United States. Long before that, however, Germans were setng mines in the channels from the Gulf of Mexico to Nova Sco a, and German U-boats torpedoed merchant vessels oﬀ our Eastern coast.

of the heavy losses among personnel of torpedoed vessels along the coasts, the Commandant directs that immediate steps be taken to u lize vessels and members of the auxiliary to the fullest extent for the purpose of rescuing survivors."

"On 5 May, the Commandant of the Coast Guard sent the following to the 7th District Commander: "In view

Gum card image courtesy Joseph Gianna asio, BCASP

“In spite of hazards, during one 2-week period, AuxiliaWhile the United States was oﬃcially neutral un l that ry crews rescued 151 survivors of submarine sinkings. declara on of war, the Germans' intent was to stop oil The tanker, Halsey, was torpedoed just before dawn and other supplies from reaching Canada and Britain. on 7 May. Coast Guard Auxiliary and commercial fishThe Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve (Auxiliary) ing vessels rescued 32 men. Also in May two Mexican patrolled our Eastern coast lines, looked for distress tankers were sunk, a week apart. Members from three signals and rescued survivors of these a acks. A er Auxiliary flo llas rescued 22 survivors from the Petrero Germany declared war and less than a year a er its de Lano that was engulfed in flames "while hundreds forma on, Auxiliary missions took on other func ons. of civilians lined Miami Beach or watched [the rescue opera on] from skyscraper hotel windows," as the ship “On 28 April 1942, the District Director of the Coast was torpedoed a short distance from shore. The AuxGuard Reserve and Auxiliary reported that on 9 April iliarists "drove their li le boats right into the flames" orders had been issued to dispatch as many Auxiliary that had spread over the water to take on the men. vessels as possible to the shipping lanes between St. Ac ve duty Coast Guard crews rescued 28 from the Augus ne and the Jupiter Light, 7 p.m. to sunrise, to second Mexican ship. Auxiliarist Kit Johnson and crew look for distress signals and to rescue survivors. The rescued 22 merchant seamen from lifeboats oﬀ the report noted that given the dangers of mistaken iden- SS Java Arrow that had been torpedoed on the night ty, "The possibility of loss of Auxiliary personnel and of 5 May. Johnson's overloaded boat was in a sinking boats on this patrol should be considered." It conclud- condi on when he brought it into the dock at the Fort ed that in the future it would be safer to sta on vessels Pierce Coast Guard Sta on.”  close to the beaches. In this way they could be out of the shipping lanes, but be near enough to be able to Source: h p://history.auxpa.org/collec ons/textarcles/ar cle0002.htm respond to distress calls.

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USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

Sector St. Petersburg Holds Open House to Kick-oﬀ Na onal Safe Boa ng Week. Auxiliary adds new elements to this annual event. Franco Ripple, FL 72

hat be er way to kick oﬀ Na onal Safe Boa ng Week and draw a en on to the safe boa ng message than for Sector St. Petersburg to receive the Na onal Safe Boating Week proclama ons during their annual Open House? While Sector’s Open House ac vi es usually include aweinspiring search and rescue displays, opening their cu ers to the public, and informaon booths staﬀed by both the Coast Guard and Auxiliary, this year, on Saturday, May 17, 2014, the Coast Guard also held ceremonies which read the Na onal Safe Boating Week proclama ons into record. Coincidentally, May 17 was also Armed Forces Day which added to the special A Coast Guard C-130 Hercules from Air Station Clearwater performs a meaning of the Open House "dirty" low pass during the Sector Saint Petersburg Open House on May event. 17, 2014. In the foreground is Keeper class coastal buoy tender USCGC Joshua Appleby. Photo by Dave Langdon, FL 72

Dignitaries from several municipali es and other elected oﬃcials par cipated in the cerD. Case, Commander, Sector St. Petersburg, United emonies. These included State Representa ve Dwight States Coast Guard. Dudley, House District 68, St. Petersburg; Darden Rice, City Councilmember District 4, St. Petersburg; and Vito Ripple next introduced Councilmember Rice, who ofSheeley, Outreach Director for U.S. Congresswoman fered brief remarks and presented the City of St. PeBe y Castor, Florida 14th District, Tampa. Elected of- tersburg's proclama on, followed by Representa ve ficials who did a end but who sent proclama ons in- Dudley who presented a proclama on from the Florida cluded State Senator Jack Latvala, Senate District 20, House of Representa ves to CAPT Case. On behalf of Be y Castor, Sheeley presented a U.S. flag flown over North Pinellas; and Bob Buckhorn, Mayor Tampa. the U.S. Capitol to the Coast Guard and to Flo lla 72, LTJG Jessica Vogel, United States Coast Guard, opened the primary organizers of this event. the ceremonies at approximately 12:30 p.m. and Franco Ripple, an Auxiliarist from Flo lla 72 St. Petersburg, CAPT Case then spoke of the importance of boa ng acted as emcee. Ripple's remarks noted the signifi- safety in the Tampa Bay region, and Ripple concluded cance of the proclama ons, the importance of the sup- the ceremony by asking those present to always wear port for Na onal Safe Boa ng Week from our elected a life jacket any me onboard a vessel, and to get a free representa ves, and a brief background of this na on- vessel safety check. al ini a ve. He then presented the proclama ons from A er the ceremony, CAPT Case invited the Auxiliary to the Florida Senate and City of Tampa to CAPT Gregory Con nued on page 29

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Members of Divisions 7, 8, 11, and Auxiliary Air along with members of the active duty Coast Guard participating in Sector St. Petersburg's Open House on May 17, 2014, pose for a group photo in front of the public information booths. Photo by Linda Brandt, FL 74 Top right: A child proudly displays her Coastie the Safety Boat 'tatoo' at one of the Auxiliary staffed public information booths. Center right: Pat Prado, a Coast Guard Academy Recruiter from Flotilla 79 points to the academy recruitment table set up next to the Auxiliary booths. Below right: The public loved touring the Coast Guard cutters during the Sector St. Petersburg Open House on May 17, 2014. All photos at right by Carl Mogavero, Flotilla 11-10

present the U.S. flag from Congresswoman Castor to Sector St. Petersburg at their all-hands mee ng in June. Flo lla 72 will encase the flag and present it formally at that me. Later that a ernoon, CAPT Case spoke to Jeffrey Gines, Division Commander 7, about the proclama ons and expressed his apprecia on for all that the Auxiliary put into play to make the Open House and Na onal Safe Boa ng Week kick-off a great success. LTJG Vogel and other members of the United States Coast Guard said that receiving this recogni on from elected officials was a new element of their annual Open House while the elected officials who a ended were grateful for the opportunity to par cipate. In addi on to the proclama ons presented at the ceremony, Flolla 72 received a proclama on from Janet Long, Pinellas County Commissioner, at the County Hall in Clearwater.

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Division 7, District 7

Left: Auxiliary Facility Chasin' Tail' prepares to be towed by a Coast Guard 25-foot Response Boat-Small (RB-S) during one of Sector's Open House demonstrations. Coxswain aboard is John Simone with crew members, Larry Ivey, John Mc Loughlin and Jennifer LoganPorter (trainee), all from Flotilla 79. Photo by Linda Brandt, Flotilla 74 Right: Attendees ďŹ ll the deck of the USCGC Joshua Appleby. Photo by Richard Risk, Flotilla 72

Sector St. Petersburg Open House May 17, 2014

Left: Auxiliary Facility Chasin' Tail waits alongside a Coast 25-foot RB-S during one of Sector's Open House demonstr tions. In the background are various aids to navigation. Co aboard Chasin' Tail is John Simone with crew members, La Ivey, John Mc Loughlin, and Jennifer Logan-Porter (trainee from Flotilla 79. Photo by Carl Mogavero Flotilla 11-10

Above: Persons attending the Sector Open House line up t the USCG Auxiliary's information tables. Photo by Carl Mo Flotilla 11-10

Guard raoxswain arry e), all

to see ogavero

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Right: Donald (Terry) Hershman, Flotilla Commander 7-16, prepares to take a photograph of the ceremonies during the Sector St. Pete Open House. Photo by Richard Risk, Flotilla 72 Below, page center: Heleyde Aponte, Flotilla 79, is charmed by a child at one of the Pubic Affairs information tables staffed by the Coast Guard Auxiliary during Sector's Open House. Photo by Linda Brandt, Flotilla 74 Below, mid-page right: Attendees of the Sector St Petersburg Open House watch a SAR demonstration from the decks of the USCGC Joshua Appleby. Photo by Richard Risk, Flotilla 72

Below: CAPT Gregory D. Case, Commander, Sector St. Petersburg, USCG, addresses those attending the Open House on May 17, which coincided with the ďŹ rst day of National Safe Boating Week and Armed Forces Day. Photo by Richard Risk, Flotilla 72

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USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

Broadening the "Team Coast Guard" Experience:

Auxiliary Supports Coast Guard Reserve Port Security Unit Training. Dorothy Joan Riley, SO-PB 7

With his camera set to shoot at intervals, George Papabeis, SO-PA 7, catches a 'selﬁe' while checking his camera during the emergency egress portion of the Coast Guard Reserve Port Security Unit 307 training conducted between April and May 2014 at Air Station Clearwater. Papabeis was one of several photographers who volunteered to create a photographic record of the unit's training.

CDR Eric Bernstein, Unites States Coast Guard, Commanding Oﬃcer of PSU 307, a former Auxiliarist himself, requested Auxiliary support during the unit’s twoweek ac ve duty period, late April thru early May. They conducted a variety of ac vi es both afloat and ashore to train personnel and to assess their readiness to deploy.

30 days once at des na on, which means that they can be sent anywhere, any me and provide their own field berthing and messing as well as opera ons, communica ons, logis cs and maintenance. They operate well-armed 32-foot Transportable Port Security Boats (TPSB) powered by two 315 HP inboard diesel engines with outdrives. Normal crew complement is four.

Port Security Unit 307 is a Coast Guard Reserve (USCGR) unit that provides waterside and shoreside protec on to key assets, such as pier areas, high value vessels, and harbor entrances. It is an Expedi onary Warfare Unit serving as part of the Coast Guard and is homeported at Air Sta on Clearwater, Florida. The unit is air deployable and can be anywhere in the world, mission ready, within 96 hours. It is self-suﬃcient for

Donald Hoge, Auxiliary Sector Coordinator-St. Petersburg was the Auxiliary coordinator who organized the Auxiliary member volunteers. Auxiliary support presented members a great opportunity to observe and support, and to broaden the team Coast Guard experience with a very special unit that has already deployed Con nued on page 33

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Con nued from page 32 to hot spots around the world. Auxiliary support func ons ranged widely and included providing vessels to act in the role as a high value asset (HVA) transi ng Tampa Bay. PSU 307 crews exercised underway escort tac cs with vessels from Divisions 7 and 11. Coxswains from Division 7 included Richard Short, David Perillo, and Terry Hickox, and crewmembers Paul Cooke, George Hornby, James Desanto, Gene Keller, John Simone and Richard Smith. Addi onal support included Auxiliary members ac ng as civilians entering and leaving an established camp (entry control point, vehicle searches, etc.), during protests/civil unrest drills. These members, acting in a non-contact non-combatant capacity, enhanced the realism of the force protec on training. Division 7 members John Greenhalgh and Patricia Prado joined volunteers from Divisions 8 and 11 in this capacity. Other support requests included providing a qualified EMT poolside for the survival training at Air Staon Clearwater. Bradford Dykens from Flo lla 7-16 filled this role. A final support request was for Auxiliary photographers to capture USCGR members conduc ng mission drills, training and other ac vi es, both s lls and video, for Public Affairs and training purposes. George Papabeis and Zac Lessin, members of the Division 7 Photo Corps, fulfilled this request. In all, 13 members of Division 7 par cipated.

Top: The Unites States Coast Guard Reserve Port Security Unit 307 operates well-armed 32-foot Transportable Port Security Boats (TPSB) powered by two 315 HP inboard diesel engines with outdrives. Normal crew complement is four. Auxiliary photo by Walter Murray

Below: Coast Guard Reserve PSU 307 practices urban terrain training using a number of scenarios which include crossing both open and urban areas, evading a simulated gas or biological IED attack, Suppor ng the Coast Guard dur- setting up and maintaining base camps, locating and detaining “bad ing the PSU training presented a guys,” giving aid to victims, and other tasks. Auxiliary photo by Stewin-win for both the Coast Guard ven Johnson

and the Auxiliary. The Coast Guard (More photos on following pages) benefited in that we were able to provide vessels and actors to asfor the members of the United States Coast Guard and sist in their training exercises as well as from the great an apprecia on for the intensive training that its memphotographers that the Auxiliary provided. Auxiliary bers undergo to keep our ports safe.  members gained an increased respect and admira on

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USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

Auxiliary Supports USCG Reserve Port Security Unit Training The Unites States Coast Guard Reserve Port Security Unit (PSU) 307 prac ces emergency water training on April 27, 2014, in the pool at Air Sta on Clearwater. Team members are fully clothed including boots and carry full combat gear: helmet, rifle and body armor. Each reservist has two flotaon devices, le and right respec vely, that should ac vate when immersed in water. In case of non-infla on, the procedure is helmet off, then rifle, then body armor. Then they surface to manually release and inflate one air bladder, and then retrieve their helmet. The training is conducted in stages. They first prac ce in the shallow end of the pool. A er the shallow end prac ce, they move on to the deep end of the pool. First, they jump off the deck into the water, and then off the high dive. The series of photos by Zac Lessin and George Papabeis at le chronicles the exercise from the dive board into the water.

Above: Flanked by two instructors, a member of USCGR PSU 307 is captured on camera as he enters the water in full gear. Photo by George Papabeis. Le : A PSU 307 32-foot Transportable Port Security Boat escorts the “Robon,” an Auxiliary facility from Flo lla 11-10 which served as a high value asset (HVA). Auxiliary photo by Walter Murray

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Top left and mid-page left: The Coast Guard Reserve PSU 307 unit encounters simulated enemy ďŹ re and approaches the enemy in a Vformation to the site of a 'truck crash'. An IED explodes (simulated by a red smoke canister), and unit members don their gas masks before cautiously moving forward. Photos by Steven Johnson Top right: ME3 Jonathan Cruz, Maritime Enforcement Specialist with the Coast Guard PSU 307 unit, checks IDs of persons entering the camp. Auxiliary photo by Patti Kuhn Mid page right: Members of the Coast Guard Reserve PSU 307 Unit detain and search "bad guys." Auxiliary members volunteered as actors to provide realism to the training. Auxiliary photo by Gerald Hottinger Left: YN1 Lauren Moore practices donning protective clothing designed to shield from chemical and biological agents. The complete suit includes boots, protectice head gear and gloves. Auxiliary photo by Patti Kuhn

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USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

nother Opportunity to Serve our Coast Guard Partners:

Auxiliary Food Service Training

Photos and ar cle by Valerie Fernandes, FSO-PB 78 From March 21 through 23, 2014, Valerie Fernandes a ended Auxiliary Food Service (AUXFS) training at Air Sta on Clearwater. No, it is not a new program. The name “AUXCHEF” was changed to “AUXFS” in October 2013 to bring us in line with the ac ve duty Coast Guard. Along with the name change came several other changes. AUXFS candidates must now get a health screening and a Hepa s A vaccina on. Uniform and grooming standards were also updated. Fernandes’ training started on Friday morning at the Air Sta on Clearwater Annex with 17 students. Auxiliarists from as far South as Miami and from as far north as Spring Hill and Tarpon Springs a ended. The instructors were Paule e Parent, Assistant District Staff Officer-Human Resources/Auxiliary Food Service D7 and Toni Borman, Assistant District Staff Officer-Public Affairs D7. Both live in Sarasota, and both paid their own way to Clearwater to teach this class. Very impressive! The first two days of AUXFS consisted of classroom training in tools and equipment, sanita on and safety, and an introduc on to food prepara on. All of the stu-

dents successfully passed their wri en examina on on these topics. During our second day of training, the Coast Guard treated them to a ride in a C-130 Hercules. This was the icing on the cake! Fernandes, who holds a private pilot license earned “many moons ago,” reports that she is always up for a ride on an airplane, helicopter or hot air balloon. The flight took them south to Marco Island about 1,100 above the shoreline then turned north to return home. The last day of training was hands-on experience in the galley at Clearwater. They split the students into groups of four and gave each specific tasks to perform to assist the Air Sta on food service staﬀ with food prepara on for the dinner meal. Some prepared dough to bake rolls, some baked cookies, and some diced and sliced vegetables. Several of them also worked the food serving line and dished out lunch to the ac ve duty Coast Guard and re rees. The next step in becoming a "qualified" AUXFS is to complete about 20 Performance Qualifica on StanCon nued on page 37

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Con nued from Page 36 dards (PQS) at an actual galley. These must be signed off by a qualified AUXFS or a unit Coast Guard Food Service Specialist second class (FS2) and above. A er working two days at the Sta on St. Pete galley the last week with Chief Lewis, Food Service Officer and his crew, Fernandes was able to complete all her PQS requirements. She will become a qualified AUXFS as soon as the Assistant District Staff Officer-Human Resources receives her completed paperwork. Fernandes met some very dedicated Auxiliarists and members of the ac ve duty Coast Guard during the course of her training. Fernandes finished by saying, “Many thanks to our instructors and especially to Paule e Parent for all her efforts to further the AUXFS program.”  Right: Valerie Fernandes poses in front of a C-130 Hercules while attending the Auxiliary Food Service training conducted at Air Station Clearwater March 21-23, 2014. Fernandes, who holds a private pilot license, reports that she is "always up for a ride on an airplane, helicopter or hot air balloon."

At the AUXFS training held in March 2014 at Air Station Clearwater, students make cookies from scratch. Yum!

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Division 7, District 7

Coast Guard Sta on St. Petersburg Recognizes Auxiliary Ombudsman Marla Short. USCG Public Aﬀairs Detachment, Clearwater Air Sta on, Fla. Reprinted from “Breeze,” Volume LX, Spring 2014, oﬃcial publica on of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary 7th District a great ombudsman, but she also serves the Coast Guard Auxiliary under Flo lla 72 and is one of only six Auxiliarists ac ng as Coast Guard Ombudsman na on-wide. She embodies, and inspires other to live out the Coast Guard’s core values. She genuinely cares for the men and women of Sta on St. Petersburg, and her service highlights the importance and the impact the Coast Guard Auxiliary has in suppor ng our Ac ve Duty [members], Reserve Forces and families at home.”

Senior Chief Petty Officer Eamon McCormack, officer in charge of Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg, Fla., presents the Auxiliary Commendation Medal to Coast Guard Auxiliarist Marla Short, ombudsman for Station St. Petersburg, at the station March 26, 2014. As the station’s ombudsman, Short coordinates family gatherings and holds training for 72 members and their families. Photo by Rick Short ST. PETERSBURG — Coast Guard Auxiliarist Marla Short, ombudsman at Coast Guard Sta on St. Petersburg, Fla., recently received the Auxiliary Commenda on Medal at a ceremony at Coast Guard Sta on St. Petersburg. As the sta on’s ombudsman, Short coordinates family gatherings and holds training for 72 Coast Guard members and their families. She developed a monthly newsle er to keep the crews and their families informed of unit events and accomplishments. She networked with neighboring unit ombudsmen to coordinate region wide family events. “Coast Guard ombudsmen are communica on links, referral resources and advocates for our unit’s family members,” said Senior Chief Eamon McCormack, officer in charge at the sta on. “Mrs. Short is not only

USCG Photograph, USCGNEWS.COM

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Plan now to attend the

2014 National Convention of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary in Orlando, FL August 21 – 24, 2014 A great way to celebrate our 75th Anniversary! y

Rosen Centre Hotel

Enjoy the amazing room rate of $95/night for single/double excluding state/local taxes applicable. Reserva ons may be made by calling their toll free number 1-800-204-7234 or booking online via Hotel Online Reserva ons. You must request the group rate for Coast Guard Auxiliary Associaon to receive the conven on room rate. To make reserva ons online go to: h ps://bookings.ihotelier.com/Rosen-Centre/ bookings.jsp?hotelID=2018&groupID=1208240 The hotel reserva ons must be made by 5:00 pm on Wednesday July 23, 2014. Reserva ons a er the cut-oﬀ date will be accepted based on hotel availability at the group rate. Check-in me a er 3:00 p.m. Check-out me 11:00 a.m. Self-parking for hotel guests is complimentary. Registra on is required for all a endees par cipa ng in conven on ac vi es. Go to: h p://cgauxa.org/nacon/registra on_intro.php The mail in registra on form is now available at: h p://cgauxa.org/nacon/registra on_intro.php.

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Admiral Paul F. Zukun Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Paul Zukun assumed the du es of the 25th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on May 30, 2014. He leads America’s oldest con nuous seagoing service and the largest component of the Department of Homeland Security, comprised of 41,700 ac ve duty, 7,800 reserve, 8,300 civilian and 31,000 volunteer Auxiliarists. Prior to this, Admiral Admiral Paul Zukunft, Zukun served as Com- Commandant, U.S. Coast mander, Coast Guard Guard. (USCG photograph) Pacific Area, where he was opera onal commander for all U.S. Coast Guard missions in an area encompassing more than 74 million square miles and provided mission support to the Department of Defense and Combatant Commanders. Other Flag assignments include Commander of the Eleventh Coast Guard District and Director, Joint Interagency Task Force West, where he served as execu ve agent to United States Pacific Command for comba ng Transna onal Criminal Organiza ons in the Asia-Pacific Region. In 2010, Admiral Zukun served as the Federal OnScene Coordinator for the Deepwater Horizon Spill of Na onal Significance where he directed more than 47,000 responders, 6,500 vessels and 120 aircra during the largest oil spill in U.S. history. His senior staﬀ assignments included Chief of Opera ons, Coast Guard Pacific Area and Chief of Opera ons Oversight, Coast Guard Atlan c Area where he directly supervised all major cu er opera ons in the Atlan c and Pacific theaters. He also served as Chief of Staﬀ, at the Fourteenth Coast Guard District in Honolulu, Hawaii. Admiral Zukun has commanded six units and served extensively in the cu er fleet where he commanded the cu ers CAPE UPRIGHT, HARRIET LANE, and RUSH.

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USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

D-Day: June 6, 1944 The Day That Changed the Course of History

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Photo by Taueres; Wikimedia Commons

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“In World War II, 70 million people are killed — 70 million! It is the most significant event of the Twentieth Century bar none. Nothing comes close to it in terms of shaping the world we live in. And so, when you stand at that cemetery, these are the men who made that difference. These are the men who did more to shape the world that you live in right now, more than anybody else, and you should understand that!” Nova, American Experience: D-Day; Voice-over for scene of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial by Adrian Lewis, PhD, military historian and author.

“On June 6, 1944, Allied forces began the largest amphibious invasion of all me on the coast of France at Normandy. D-Day saw 160,000 troops land at Omaha Beach thanks to nearly 200,000 naval and merchant marine personnel on approximately 5,000 ships. Among those ships were 60 Coast Guard cu ers providing search and rescue opera ons for the invasion force. Coast Guard personnel also manned the ships delivering soldiers to the beach.” The Coast Guard pays tribute to the heroism and sacrifice of the Coast Guardsmen who took part in D-Day operaons, par cularly those who gave their lives. - See more at: h p://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2010/06/remembering-d-days-coast-guard-heroes/#sthash.s8pjnN1F.dpuf "My eyes were glued to the boat coming in next to ours, and on the water in between, boiling with bullets from hidden shore emplacements, like a mud puddle in a hailstorm. It seemed impossible that we could make it in without being riddled." -A Coast Guard coxswain describes the waters off Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944. Photo credit: The Jaws of Death. A photo by CPHOM Robert F. Sargent, USCG. A Coast Guardmanned LCVP from the U.S.S. Samuel Chase disembarks troops on the morning of June 6, 1944 at Omaha Beach. Coast Guard Photo #2343.

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District 7 Board Mee ng and Training Sept 18 – 21, 2014

District 7 Board Meeting and Training

Florida Hotel and Conference Center 1500 Sand Lake Road Orlando, Florida, 32809 407-859-1500 (For reservation - mention CGAux) $101.00 room rate per night

•

Put faces to the names you work with daily! Meet your fellow members from throughout District 7

•

Come for the training

•

Come for the fun!

To register online: http://www.exhibitservices.net/#!dtrain2014/ c1kme (Speciﬁc conference information, such as classes and meals, is not yet available.)

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USCG Auxiliary

Division 7, District 7

FWC Releases 2013 Boa ng Safety Sta s cs Source: h p://myfwc.com/media/2804464/2013-Boa ngSta s cs.pdf

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conserva on Commission Division of Law Enforcement (FWC) released the 2013 Boa ng Accidents Sta s cal Report. Florida con nues to lead the na on with a total number of 896,632 registered vessels in 2013. There were a total of 736 reportable boa ng accidents in 2013. This is up from 704 reportable accidents in 2012. Flo da leads the na on in boa ng accidents and fatali es. This means we have our work cut out for us! 2013 Reportable Boa ng Fatali es • 42% of the fatal accidents were falls overboard (22 accidents). Boaters falling overboard remains the main cause of boa ng fatali es. • The leading cause of death in fatal boa ng accidents was drowning (74%). • The deadliest month in 2013 was December with 12 fatali es. • Alcohol or drug-use played a role in 15% of boa ng fatali es. • 84% of the vic ms of fatal boa ng accidents were males (52). • The total fatality count for 2013 is reported at 62. • 72% (41) of the 57 operators involved in fatal accidents were over the age of 35. • 49% (29) of all fatal accidents in 2013 involved vessels 16 feet or less in length. 2013 Boa ng Educa on Sta s cs • FWC issued 36,251 Boa ng Safety Educa on ID Cards in 2013. • 43% of the cards were issued to persons 21 years of age or younger. • Of the 36,251 cards issued, 26,714 were issued to males, 8,613 were issued to females, and 924 cards did not specify the person’s gender. • 63% of the operators involved in fatal accidents had no formal boater educa on. 

Nau cal terms to know... Scu lebu is slang for rumor or gossip. An analogy is a water cooler in an oﬃce se ng, which at mes becomes the focus of congrega on and casual discussion. Water for immediate consump on on a sailing ship was conven onally stored in a scu led bu : a bu (cask) which had been scu led by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn. Since sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scu lebu for a drink of water, scu lebu became Navy slang for gossip or rumors. (Source: Wikipedia) PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT

The Privacy Act of 1974 protects names, addresses, telephone/fax numbers and e-mail addresses of Auxiliary members which may appear in this or other USCGAUX publica ons. As a ma er of policy, informa on described above is not made available to the general public or outside groups without that member’s express and/or wri en consent. When such informa on appears, its privacy shall be safeguarded and the informa on will be clearly labeled. Publica on of this informa on by the general public and/or outside groups is prohibited by the Privacy Act.