THE SCUTTLEBUTT

Apr. 2009 U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Scuttlebutt Flotilla 12-8, 7th District Charleston, South Carolina Vol. Vol.35, 35,No. No.3-March 4-April 2009 2009
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Flotilla Web Site: http://www.uscgauxcharleston.org

Commanders Corner
Joe Fleming, FC 12-8
Greetings everyone, I hope all is going well. Its getting busy on the water and on land. Training with Sector on marine environmental response is great for everyone. Working with them, on the water, gives us a better picture of how important it is for boaters to prevent oil and fuel spills. All members can get involved with this program. Boat shows this year have been affected badly by the economy. Our participation in them has not changed. We need to keep putting out the message on boating safety in any manner we can. Local festivals, school functions, community programs and public relations are just a few ways we can get involved in teaching boating safety. Help is always needed and your reward for this is knowing that you can make a difference in someones life. Crew training has started for ten of our new members. The Citadel detachment has started AUXSEA training and vessel exam training. Theres always room for us to learn something new. Please get involved in every one of our programs. Operations are going well. Hap is working hard to meet the need on the water. All members are welcome to join us and see what we can do. I want to thank all of our staff for doing a fabulous job. 12-8 is the greatest flotilla of them all. Joe Fleming, FC

Vice Commander
Alan Miles, VFC 12-8
With the arrival of spring and a new Boating Season we have our work cut out for us. Vessel examinations, summer patrols, Navigation Services Patrols, boat shows and town festivals Inside all will be demandFC ............. 1 ing our attention. Please sign up to work these events. VFC .......... 1 Our efforts are repaid CM ............ 3 in lives we save. When you CS ............. 5 FN ............. 2 do not hear of a life lost today IS............... 8 on the water, it might be beMA ............ 6 cause of your efforts. You MS ............ 8 may have personally touched MT ............ 2 that person who made the NS ............. 6 right choice and did not per- OP ............. 7 ish. Regardless if its at a PA ............. 3 vessel examination, boat PB ............. 2 show or even at the Grits Fes- PE ............. 7 tival, much of the public is PS .............. 6 not aware of the dangers of PV ............. 2 being on the water. Its up to SR ............. 5 each and every one of us as VE ............. 4 Auxiliarists to find ways to Calendar... 10 reach people and educate Trivia ........ 9 them on safe boating. Do not forget that We are the Coast Guard, We are the Auxiliary, We are the Nations Volunteer Lifesavers. We are Semper Paratus. Alan Jean Pierre Miles, VFC

Confidentiality Notice: Telephone numbers and addresses of members are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. As a matter of policy, rosters of names, addresses and telephone numbers shall not be made available to the general public or any outside organization. Privacy of all rosters shall be safeguarded and the page clearly labeled. The publication of these rosters, addresses, and telephone numbers on any computer on-line service including the Internet is prohibited by the Privacy Act of 1974. The Auxiliary is guided by the current equal opportunities policies of the Commandant of the Coast Guard. No Person shall be subject to

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Member Training
Bob Mathewes, SO-MT

Publications
Bob Mathewes, FSO-PB

t the eleventh hour before the carved in stone deadline for the completion of ICS 210 or ICS 300 by all coxswains and pilots, the deadline was pushed back to 1 April 2010. This grants a twelve month reprieve to all the procrastinators. On Friday, 3 April we will begin an AUXSEA class at the Citadel. As of this writing, there are seventeen students enrolled. Nine are members of the flotilla, proper and seven are members of the Citadel Detachment. None of these people have taken any of the Specialty Courses before so they are all launching into the AUXOP Program. The course should take about six weeks and produce seventeen new Seamanship Specialists. We have completed four of the workshops we committed to at the beginning of the year. The Operations Workshop and TCT refresher was given to twentythree members in February and a somewhat smaller group attended the Partner Visitor/ Vessel Examiner Workshops in March. On the 22nd of this month we will have the Sexual Harassment Prevention Workshop. We have a number of coxswains and crewmembers who are due for their three year QE check ride in 2009. That coupled with the large number of people in the crew class will make for a busy season with the limited number of QEs, we need to start early. Coxswains who need requal are: Allen James, David Beaudrot, Dean Creed, Richard Daniel, Bob Mathewes and Bob Orenstein. Crewmembers who need requal are: , Bobby Baker, Barney Holt, Bob Lovinger, Dick Morgan and Agnes Wright. Dont come up short at the end of the year. Bob Mathewes, SO-MT

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ou have done it again! For the fourth consecutive month every elected and appointed officer has submitted an article for The Scuttlebutt. You are to be congratulated for your efforts. There is an ongoing effort to get the Citadel Detachment to participate on a regular basis and I hope that will materialize soon. Bob Mathewes, FSO-PB

Finance
Frank Leister, FSO-FN
our FSO-FN has nothing to offer you on our financial status that was not discussed at the last Membership meeting. Our balance is larger than usual as we have yet to receive the bill for District/Division dues. All other categories are on budget as much as one can tell this early in the fiscal year. Frank Leister, FSO-FN

Partner Visitor
Paul Berka, FSO-PV
hris Heironimus has completed all his requirements on March 21, 2009 to be certified as a PV. The PV/VE workshop was held on March 25, 2009. Seven PVs and VEs were in attendance. Paul Berka, FSO-PV
Sexual Harassment Prevention Workshop Wednesday, 22 April at the Brass Buckle. Begins at 1900

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Public Affairs
Barbara Thibodeaux, FSO-PA

pring has sprung and Im sure our activities and events will increase. PA is submitting articles and pictures for publication in numerous prints and periodicals. Everyone can contribute by taking along a camera when doing patrols, vessel exams, etc. and forwarding the pictures to me. If you dont take pictures, you can still email me or call me with the information about the event and I can put it in writing. The more we put ourselves out there the better! A special thank you to Bob and Ellen Kreiling for their donation of a laptop computer to the flotilla. PA will make good use of it. I look forward to its use with PA and events. Thanks to those who assisted me in maintaining a booth at The Freshfields Village Boat Show this past weekend. The event turned out to be low in attendance but if we were able to reach one boater or one boating family I consider it a success. We had the distinct honor of displaying the Search and Rescue Display for the first time. The display is the brainchild and creation of our VFC Alan Miles. It is a wonderful tool to engage and educate children (and adults) on the importance of wearing life jackets. It gives them a window into what is involved in a rescue mission also. Please make a point to see this display. VFC Miles spent approximately 550 hours crafting it, not to mention the out of pocket cost. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his dedication and generosity for this and all he does for the Coast Guard Auxiliary! We will have a booth at the Flowertown Festival in Summerville for Saturday only, April 4th, 2009. If you can help man

the booth for this event, please get in touch with me. We will also be planning to be in attendance at The Grits Festival in St. George. The dates will be April 17th through 19th. We will have a booth and participate in the parade at a minimum, so I will need your support on this. Thank you for all you do. Barbara Thibodeaux, FSO-PA

Communications

Dean Creed, FSO-CM

he brand-new Telecommunications Operator (TCO) Mentoring Guide has been released. This is your ticket to earning the new TCO qualification. If you are even slightly interested in communications, please visit http://www.auxodept.org/telecoms.htm and let me know if you want to pursue it. Radio communications in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary have undergone extensive changes in recent years, and will continue to evolve. The advent and use of new technologies, the implementation of Rescue 21, the implementation of GMDSS (Global Marine Distress and Safety System) and new roles for the Auxiliary post9/11 have driven many of these changes. The qualification of Auxiliary communicators must be better linked to actual telecommunications operation and minimum standards for such operations. As a result, it is clear that the current and future "comms" eligibility based upon completion of the AUXCOM class needs to be updated. Auxiliarists are now required to perform tasks and fulfill duties for which AUXCOM no longer provided adequate training or guidance. Dean Creed, FSO-CM
Help make 12-8 even better: Get Involved !

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Communication Services John Sikes, FSO-CS

quatic Nuisance Species: We all are aware of Zebra Mussels that were brought into the Great Lakes in water used as ballast in freighters coming from South America. These critters are slowly making their way from the Great Lakes down the rivers toward the Gulf of Mexico. A new aquatic nuisance species has made its debut in the Northeast. The species, Didymosphenia geminate, is invading that area. Commonly known as rock snot due to its appearance, it is an algae that is making its way into New England and causing problems in the waterways. The algae has already established itself in the western U.S., as far north as Alaska. It is a problem because when it blooms it forms thick, ugly, yellow-green masses (hence the nickname) that can choke a waterway and smother food sources for the local fish and insects. It attaches itself to rocks and to other plants. The algae is now found nearly worldwide and is causing problems everywhere. In some areas where it has been found for years, without being invasive, it is now causing a problem. It is as though some of the growth has exploded tremendously. Some scientists suggest that this is a super-mutation. This new development was first noted in Vancouver, British Columbia in the 1980s in the Canadian rivers there. These earlier preferred areas, in rivers with cold water and gravel bottoms, seem to have been expanded. The algae is now found in areas, such as the warmer rivers in the U.S. where it was not thought to grow. This new variety continues to spread and cause problems. Outside the U.S. and Canada this

algae is a problem in other areas of the world. It is such a problem in New Zealand that everyone who knowingly spreads it faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $100,000. There are several things that can be done to prevent the spread of this nuisance species. Fishermen can clean their boats and gear, using disinfectants. This is especially true for any wells or areas where water can collect. If any clumps are present, they must be removed. Boats should be allowed to dry completely for at least 48 hours (and cleaned) before being used in a different waterway or lake. The cleaning solution can be a weak (2%) bleach solution in hot water. John Sikes, FSO-CS

Vessel Examinations
essel exams at Limehouse boat ramp and West Ashley Boat Club brought plenty of boaters needing our help. Out of date flares look to be the big thing. Congratulations to our newest vessel examiner, Chris Heironimus. Chris was able to get his required supervised inspections and then some. Lets make April 12th our next blitz, Wappoo boat ramp. Joe Fleming, FSO-VE

Joe Fleming, FSO-VE

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Secretary Records
Rick Miller, FSO-SR
Flotilla 12-8 Membership Meeting Minutes 11 March 2009 The meeting was called to order at 19:07 by FC Joe Fleming and commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance. Members present: Joseph Fleming, Paul Berka, Marguerite Bishop, Agnes Wright, Kim Rees, Eric Kilpatrick, Mike Rasnak, Kerri Puckhaber, Chris Heironimus, Robert Lovinger, Bob Mathewes, Barbara Thibodeaux, Bob Orenstein, Allen James, Frank Leister, Ellin Kreiling, Bob Kreiling, Richard Daniel, Alan Miles, Paul Thomas, Tom Rigsby, Patrick Boyle, Cody Westall, Evelyn Egan, David Beaudrot and Rick Miller. Visitors/Guests:, CPO Travis Andrews, CMST2 had Boyd, MSTC Jim Burton, PO3 Gary Barnum, Bryan Miller, Kathy Zygment, Drayton Parker, Naomi Broughton, Kelly Simmons, Marvin Gravino, Gabriel Gomez, Teresa Rhoades. CPO Travis Andrews gave a presentation on the POMS (Patrol Order Management System) website at http://www.statronics.com/poms/. User ID is your member number and password is the last 6 digits of your SSN. FC Fleming presented a certificate for completing the ABC course to Paul Thomas, Paul Berka and Eve Egan. ID Cards were presented to Paul Thomas, Tom Rigsby and Chris Heironimus. A certificate of Appreciation was presented to Marguerite Bishop for her donation of a digital camera to the Flotilla. Minutes of the February meeting were approved as published in the Scuttlebutt. VFC Miles, called for Staff Officer Reports: FSO-OP Allen James reported that there will be a Marine Emergency Response training exercise this Friday and Saturday. Four Auxiliary vessels will be participating, two from our flotilla and one each from Mt Pleasant and Edisto. A nighttime Navigation Services verification patrol will be scheduled during warmer weather. FSO-PB/MT Bob Mathewes stated that all cox-

swains must have a copy of the Navigation rules with them while on patrol. He has copies of the Navigation rules for any coxswains who need them. He further stated that 100% of the Flotillas officers submitted a report for publication in the Scuttlebutt. An AUXSEA course will be held on six consecutive Friday evenings beginning April 3th at the Citadel in room 161 of Bond Hall. The class consists of 7 Cadets and 9 Flotilla members. FSO-PE Lovinger stated that a BS&S course is being held at the Brass Buckle. There are 10 people in the class and 3 are Aux members. Instructors are needed for this course. We have received a request from a business to conduct a two day ABC course for the companys employees. FSO-FS&IS Frank Leister distributed the budget and last months expenditures. He stated that report submissions are correct, however, he is not receiving many reports from members. FSO-PA Barbara Thibodeaux state that the in water boat show has been cancelled. We will participate in a boat show at Fresh Fields at Kiawah and Seabrook Island s from 10:00 to 17:00 on March 21 and March 22. Five local dealers are participating and help is needed to staff a booth. FSO-MS Bob Orenstein reported that he is turning in the Trident Program applications to PO3 Barnum. Bob received a communication from LT Litsinger stating that coxswains participating in the Oil spill training must attend both days. On 3/12 the training will be held at the Brass Buckle from 08:30 to 16:00 and on 3/13 the training will be held at the County Farm Boat Landing (Riverside Marina formerly Duncans Boat Harbor) from 07:30 to 12:30. FSO-AV Eric Kilpatrick stated that he has completed the required training to maintain his aviation qualifications. A new member who is a licensed pilot and an aircraft owner is currently training for his qualifications. FSO-MA Tom Beauchemin was absent due to injury. FSO-PV Paul Berka stated that Chris Heironimus passed the PV examination. There will be a VE and PV workshop at the Brass Buckle at 19:00 on March 18th.
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FSO-PS Alan Miles stated that we have a total of 5 new members for the month and 10-12 prospective members in various stages of processing. Citadel Detachment Patrick Boyle stated that members of the Detachment accompanied the Coast Guard on an in water training exercise last weekend. Four Citadel Cadets will participate in program at the Coast Guard Academy during their break. FSO-VE Joe Fleming stated that the first vessel examination will be at the Limehouse Bridge Boat Landing on 3/15 from 09:00 to 13:00. The tall ships will be in Charleston Harbor on 6/24 to 6/29. The Coast Guard will not have a security zone but the Auxiliary will run a safety zone and staff a boating safely display. Senior Chief Lindsay wants us to be familiar with the Coast Guards dewatering systems. The Mess Deck has re-opened. Coxswains should be aware the Station conducts drills on Tuesdays and Thursdays. While on patrol you must now call in to Comm. every half hour and you must call in immediately if you change you area of patrol. Old Business: None New Business: None Motion to adjourn seconded and approved. Meeting adjourned at 20:34. Next meeting is 8April at the Brass Buckle on the USCG Base at 1900. Rick Miller FSO-SR

will be helping me as FSO-PS as an Assistant. Kerri Puckhaber and Thomas Rigsby will be helping Barbara Thibodeaux in Public Affairs, and Chris Heronimus is helping Paul Berka in Dealer Visitations. Chris is also well underway to becoming an instructor and will provide a great help in that department. Please take the time to thank them for stepping forward. On another note, there is a car pool forming in the Goose Creek Area with several new members that are getting very exciting. They are calling themselves the Class of 09. Car Pools are a great idea and help to save energy too. I encourage everyone to call other members who live nearby and carpool together. This is part of the glue that binds us together. If you need a ride call me and I will be glad to help you find a one close by. One last thing, if you know someone in our Flotilla that is due recognition for Outstanding Service remember that anyone can recommend someone. I will be glad to help to ensure our fellow members get the recognition they deserve. R e me m b e r : 12 - 8 i s G R EA T ! ! ! Alan J.P. Miles, FSO-PS

Materials

Personnel Services
Alan Miles, FSO-PS
any of our newest members are in various training classes. We have more that are coming onboard soon. These are fantastic new people with all sorts of interesting skills sets and backgrounds. Please continue to reach out to them and be fine examples of what it means to be Auxiliarists. Your response simply amazes me. New Member Paul Thomas

T
season.

Tom Beauchemin, FSO-MA

here has been no reportable activity regarding materials in the last month. That is subject to change with the advent of the boating Tom Beauchemin, FSO-MA

Navigational Services
Allen James, FSO-NS
There will be Navigational Services patrol for private aids this summer. Allen James, FSO-NS

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Public Education

Operations
Allen James, FSO-OP

Bob Lovinger, FSO-PE

he ABS course that was due to start at the end of February at James Island Charter High School was cancelled due to insufficient registration. BS&S is underway at the Brass Buckle with seven members of the public and five new flotilla members, including Chris Heironimus who has taken the Instructor Development Course & passed the book portion and now awaits an opportunity to do his practice teaching. A large section of BS&S starts Monday 23 March for about19 of NOAAs small boat operators stationed here in Charleston. In addition some 6 9 people from a local company have been folded into this class so it will be larger than usual. This class will take a major effort since it will run for three full days beginning 23 March plus a single session the following week. Some people have really stepped up to the plate to help with this. Thanks to all who have been available. Bob Lovinger, FSO-PE

Happy Birthday
This Month To:

John Delago......Apr. 02 Leon DeVillier......Apr. 05 Patrick Lowe.Apr. 06 Dean Creed...Apr. 21 James CurranApr. 21 Janet Endris..Apr. 21 Dont forget the Division 12 meeting on Saturday, 4 April at the Mt. Pleasant Waterworks office on Rifle Range Rd.. Coffee & Doughnuts at 0900 Meeting at 1000.

n March 12 and 13 Flotillas 3,6,8 and 12 were part of Operation Reserve Boom. This operation was conducted to train CG Reservist in oil spill containment. In addition to CG Reservist, active duty CG and CG Aux took part. The first day was in the classroom (eight hours) to teach and review ICS 210. The class of eighty assembled into groups and under the expert training and leadership of LT jg Litzinger developed the Incident Action Plan (IAP) for the drill. The class first wrote their plan which was reviewed and corrected by Lt Litzinger for the actual plan to be carried out the following day. Day two began early at the County Farm Boat Landing .We arrived at 0715 after traveling up the Ashley River in darkness. By referring to our charts, handheld GPS and keeping a sharp lookout the transit was safe. After a briefing on safety and the execution of the IAP, the four AUX OPFACs were assigned. Two would be pulling booms and two would establish the safety zone on the river. Boats pulling booms practiced scooping up the peat moss which represented an oil spill. The OPFACs used "J" and "U" configurations to capture the spill and later towed the booms to the mouth of a creek to prevent intrusion of the spill. The drill finished by noon, everyone cleaned and repacked their equipment and returned to base. At the end of March we had another drill with the USCGC Oak. The Oak deployed a special boom from the side to capture contaminants. This drill was in Charleston Harbor and used one AUX OPFAC for safety only. Allen James, SO-OP

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Marine Safety
Bob Orenstein, FSO-MS

he Boom Deployment was a twoday involvement. On day #1 we were involved with a mixed class of Coast Guard personnel, Reserves and , of course, the Auxiliary in the Brass Buckle. That day, Lt. Litzinger covered a review of the ICS #210 class in the morning and the afternoon was spent actually developing a multi-level plan of attack on an "Oil Spill" on the Ashley at the 526 bridge. I found the afternoon extremely interesting since we saw how the various courses we had taken actually developed into a multifaceted plan to address this accident. The problem, which was presented to the class, was an oil spill from an oil truck which had overturned and ruptured on the 526 bridge. This was similar to the one which had actually happened several months ago. On Friday, day #2, we mustered at 0715 hours at the boat ramp at State Farm launch ramp and proceeded to get underway with four Auxiliary boats and two Station boats. Each Auxiliary OPFAC carried an additional complement of two Reserve people. Two boats were assigned the task of towing the booms from the shore and containing the "spill" which was actually a compost like material. We accomplished this by forming the booms into a "U" and a "J" configuration and anchoring the ends of them to the river bottom. In addition, we also set up a boom as a barrier to protect an inlet from the "oil" and the wildlife there. We all got a "bravo-zulu" from Commander Williams and (you might have seen us) were on the 6:00 news on all of the local channels. For those interested, classes for the Tri-

dent Program will be starting in the near future. Since this is an expertise the Auxiliary can really assist the Coast Guard in with boats and personnel, your interest and involvement is needed. There will be other practice drill of a similar nature in the next few months. Contact me for further information. Bob Orenstein, FSO-MS

Information Services
Frank Leister, FSO-IS

he government supplied PPIRB issued to coxswains requires a reregistration every two years. The emergency contact information registered gives the Rescue Coordination Center up to date phone numbers to call should the coxswain's facility founder and set off the PPIRB. Re-registering could not be easier. Go to this website, https:// beaconregistration.noaa.gov/rgdb/ , and follow instructions. Click on the third option down, Access Beacon Registration and you are off. The Beacon ID is on the PPIRB. You may have to "fish" around if you don't remember your password but there is a path to get it if you have forgotten. The form to complete is selfexplanatory. You will get a confirmation within 24 hours by email and a written one by USPS in about two weeks. The registrations lasts two years. The only other problem with the EPIRB is the battery life. FC Fleming is working on that. Frank Leister, FSO-IS

Have you done your 7029 for March?

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Nautical Trivia
The trivia question last month should have been a breeze. The question was to name the country whose Coast Guard serves as part of the Department of Transport as the USCG once was and who is also known as Garda Csta na hireann. The St. Patricks Day theme of the March issue should have made the answer simple. The Coast Guard in question is the Irish Coast Guard. Four Leprechauns and one Colleen got the correct answer. They were Dean Creed, Reggie Hollar, Dick McLaren, John Sikes and Agnes Wright. Dick also sent in the logo of the Irish Coast Guard which features a stylized anchor and an Irish harp. Thanks, Dick.

We have all hear the term Bravo Zulu meaning Well Done. Here is what the the Navy Historical Center says about the history of the term: Bravo Zulu This is a naval signal, conveyed by flag-hoist or voice radio, meaning "well done"; it has also passed into the spoken and written vocabulary. It can be combined with the "negative" signal, spoken or written NEGAT, to say "NEGAT Bravo Zulu," or "not well done." There are some "myths and legends" attached to this signal. The one most frequently heard has Admiral Halsey sending it to ships of Task Force 38 during World War II. He could not have done this, since the signal did not exist at that time. "Bravo Zulu" actually comes from the Allied Naval Signal Book (ACP 175 series), an international naval signal code adopted after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created in 1949. Until then, each navy had used its own signal code and operational manuals. World War II experience had shown that it

was difficult, or even impossible, for ships of different navies to operate together unless they could readily communicate, and ACP 175 was designed to remedy this. In the U.S. Navy signal code, used before ACP 175, "well done" was signaled as TVG, or "Tare Victor George" in the U.S. phonetic alphabet of that time. ACP 175 was organized in the general manner of other signal books, that is, starting with 1-flag signals, then 2-flag and so on. The 2-flag signals were organized by general subject, starting with AA, AB, AC, ... AZ, BA, BB, BC, ... BZ, and so on. The B- signals were called "Administrative" signals, and dealt with miscellaneous matters of administration and housekeeping. The last signal on the "Administrative" page was BZ, standing for "well done." At that time BZ was not rendered as "Bravo Zulu," but in each navy's particular phonetic alphabet. In the U.S. Navy, BZ was spoken as "Baker Zebra." In the meanwhile, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had adopted English as the international air traffic control language. They developed a phonetic alphabet for international aviation use, designed to be as "pronounceable" as possible by flyers and traffic controllers speaking many different languages. This was the "Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta..." alphabet used today. The Navy adopted this ICAO alphabet in March 1956. It was then that "Baker Zebra" finally became "Bravo Zulu." Now that we know the background, which two signal flags from the group below are the ones that would be used to signal Bravo Zulu? Give me a two digit number in the proper order.
This article suggested by Frank Leister

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A Message from Commodore Don Frasch As I'm sure many of you are by now aware, a great deal of effort has been made over the past few months to bring all Auxiliary pilots, coxswains and trident members into compliance with the mandate of completion of the ICS-210 Course by 31MAR09. That effort involved both silver and gold personnel, and sometimes caused tremendous sacrifices for our members and the units they support. I am extremely grateful for the efforts you all made, and even more so for the partnership and teamwork displayed by both silver and gold in getting the job done. In the past few months, we have trained some 800 members, a tremendous accomplishment! Your efforts took us in D7 from a very low percentage of compliance, around 25%, to a near perfect 100%. However, this was not the case nationwide in the Auxiliary. I believe as the result of lower compliance elsewhere, the Office of the Chief Director requested, and was granted, an extension to the deadline that now allows members one additional year to complete the training. Initially, this extension may seem unfair to those who complied, and maybe it is, but the strength, commitment and intensity of D7 Auxiliarists to make a difference came through loud and clear. My commitment to you is to try to avoid such inconsistencies in the future and to hold you up for all to see as the very best District in the Auxiliary -- simply put, "You Are"!

Our District Commander, RADM Branham, is sending a message to his Sector and Station Commanders applauding the team effort of silver and gold-side alike in meeting the previously announced deadline. In this message, he also recognizes that the resources expended to accomplish what we did were extensive and clearly a "surge" level effort. We can not expect that to happen again due to the new deadline. It is simply unreasonable and unmanageable to do so. In his message, RADM Branham announces a new district-wide requirement that any new pilots, coxswains and trident applicants complete the ICS-210 training before they apply for certification in those specialties. Our ability to understand the roles and responsibilities presented in ICS-210 are critical to our ability to function interactively with CG Units and other agencies during an incident. This is particular relevant here in D7 with our very high operations tempo on a 24 x 7 x 365-basis in most parts of the District. My request of you is to understand your role in our mission sets, and to take advantage of the training, both offered and required, to enable us to SAFELY add value to whatever mission we are assigned. We can and will make a difference! BZ, Don COMO Donald L. Frasch District Commodore 7th District US Coast Guard Auxiliary

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April 2009
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

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Palm Sunday

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Flotilla Meeting

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Full Moon Passover Begins

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Good Friday

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Easter

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15
Income Tax Day

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Sexual Harassment Prevention Workshop

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New Moon

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Flotilla Officers
Flotilla Commander Joe Fleming joeflemingjr@comcast.net Finance Frank Leister fso128-FN@yahoo.com Member Training Bob Mathewes rhmathewes@comcast.net Publications Bob Mathewes rhmathewes@comcast.net Flotilla Vice Commander Alan Miles bigcid@comcast.net Information Services Frank Leister 128FSOIS@gmail.com Navigational Services Allen James jamesan38@bellsouth.net Public Education Bob Lovinger rlovinger@earthlink.net Communications Dean Creed dbcreed@comcast.net Communication Systems John Sikes jsikes@netrockets.com

Materials Marine Safety Tom Beauchemin Bob Orenstein tbeauchemin001@sc.rr.com bandjorenstein@bellsouth.net Operations Public Affairs Allen James Barbara Thibodeaux jamesan38@bellsouth.net barbara.thibodeaux@gmail.com Personnel Services Alan Miles bigcid@comcast.net RBS Visitor Paul Berka phberka@comcast.net IPFC Allen James jamesan38@bellsouth.net

Secretary Records Miller, Rick rick.mllr@gmail.com

Vessel Examination Joe Fleming joeflemingjr@comcast.net