History
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
A Proud Tradition, A Worthy Mission
For nearly 60 years, tens-of-thousands of men and women of the Coast Guard
Auxiliary have spent millions of volunteer hours helping the Coast Guard carry
out its mission. They have saved countless lives through their work, on and
off the water. Auxiliarists are probably best known for educating the public
through their boating safety classes and Courtesy Marine Examinations. Yet,
they do much more and will be doing even more following passage of the Coast
Guard Authorization Act of 1996. The purpose of the Act, passed Oct. 19, is to
assist the Coast Guard, as authorized by the Commandant, in performance of any
Coast Guard function, duty, role, mission or operation authorized by law. This
story hopefully will give you a broad knowledge of the Auxiliary, especially
since reservists will be working with Auxiliarists even more in the future, as
they become an increasingly important component in the Team Coast Guard
line-up.
When the Coast Guard "Reserve" was authorized by act of Congress
on June 23, 1939, the Coast Guard was given a legislative mandate to use
civilian volunteers to promote safety on and over the high seas and the
nation's navigable waters. The Coast Guard Reserve was then a non-military
service comprised of unpaid, volunteer U.S. citizens who owned motorboats or
yachts.
Two years later, on Feb. 19, Congress amended the 1939 act with passage of
the Auxiliary and Reserve Act of 1941. Passage of this act designated the
Reserve as a military branch of the active service, while the civilian
volunteers, formerly referred to as the Coast Guard Reserve, became the
Auxiliary. So, Feb. 19 is formally recognized as the birth of the Coast Guard
Reserve while June 23 is recognized as birthday of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
When America entered World War II, 50,000 Auxiliary members joined the war
effort. Some Auxiliarists served weeks at a time with the Temporary Reserve.
They guarded waterfronts, carried out coastal picket patrols, rescued
survivors from scuttled ships and did anything else they were asked to do.
Many of their private vessels were placed in service.
After the war, Auxiliarists resumed their recreational boating safety
duties. The Auxiliary's four cornerstones - Vessel Examination, Education,
Operations and Fellowship - were established and remain the Auxiliary's
pillars in the 1990s.
The Vessel Examination program evolved into the well-known Courtesy Marine
Examination (CME), a free examination available to any recreational boater.
CMEs help boaters ensure their craft complies with Federal regulations.
As for education, the Auxiliary teaches boating safety to recreational
boaters of all ages. The Auxiliary offers Boating Skills and Seamanship
(geared toward power boaters) and Sailing and Seamanship (for sail boaters) as
well as basic and advanced navigation courses.
The Auxiliary operates safety and regatta patrols and is an integral part
of the Coast Guard Search and Rescue team. Auxiliarists also stand
communication watches, assist during mobilization exercises, perform harbor
and pollution patrols, provide platforms for unarmed boarding parties and
recruit new people for the Service. During Olympic yachting events in
Savannah, Ga. last summer, the Coast Guard Auxiliary had 29 boats and a CG
Auxiliary aircraft on hand for security operations.
Today, as in 1939, Auxiliarists are civilian volunteers who are authorized
to wear a uniform similar to the Coast Guard Officer's uniform. Distinctive
emblems, buttons, insignias, and ribbons are employed to identify the wearer
as a member of the Auxiliary. One such insignia is the letter "A" on
the shoulder boards of an Auxiliarist. Despite their silver shoulder boards
(versus gold for Coast Guard officers), Auxiliarists hold no rank. The
shoulder boards symbolize the office and level to which an individual
Auxiliarist has been either appointed or elected.
The Auxiliary has members in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. Membership is open to men and women, 17
years or older, U.S. citizens of all states and territories, civilians or
active duty or former members of any of the uniformed services and their
Reserve components, including the Coast Guard. Facility (radio station, boat
or aircraft) ownership is desirable but not mandatory.
Although under the authority of the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, the
Auxiliary is internally autonomous, operating on four organizational levels:
Flotilla, Division, District Regions and National.
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Flotilla - The flotilla is the basic organizational unit
of the Auxiliary and is comprised of at least 15 qualified members who carry
out Auxiliary program activities. Every Auxiliarist is a member of a local
flotilla. Each flotilla is headed by a Flotilla Commander (FC).
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Division
- For maximum administrative effectiveness in
carrying out Auxiliary programs, flotillas in the same general geographic
area are grouped into divisions. The division provides administrative,
training and supervisory support to flotillas and promotes district policy.
Each division is headed by a Division Captain (DCP), and Division
Vice-Captain (VCP) and usually consists of five or more flotillas.
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District/Region - Flotillas and divisions are organized
in districts comparable to the Coast Guard Districts and must be assigned
the same district number. Some districts are further divided into regions.
The district/region provides administrative and supervisory support to
divisions, promotes policies of both the district commander and national
Auxiliary committee. All districts and regions are governed by a District
Commodore (DCO), District Vice Commodore (VCO), and District Rear Commodore
(RCO), under the guidance of the Coast Guard District Commander. At this
level, Coast Guard officers are assigned to oversee and promote the
Auxiliary programs. |
National - The Auxiliary has national officers who are
responsible, along with the Commandant, for the administration and
policy-making for the entire Auxiliary. These officers comprise the National
Executive Committee (NEXCOM) that is composed of the Chief Director of
Auxiliary (an Active Duty officer), National Commodore and the National Vice
Commodores.
NEXCOM and the National Staff make up the Auxiliary Headquarters
organization. The Chief Director is a senior Coast Guard officer and directs
the administration of the Auxiliary on policies established by the Commandant.
The overall supervision of the Coast Guard Auxiliary is under the Assistant
Commandant for Operations (G-O), who reports directly to the Commandant.
Auxiliarists are dedicated civilians who believe strongly in the Coast
Guard and its missions. A hearty thank you is the only pay an Auxiliarist
expects. Personally, they receive tremendous satisfaction for a job well done.
They have proven valiant throughout the years and take the oath of membership
seriously. They contribute immeasurably to our Team Coast Guard efforts.