t opside V olume 79 , I s s u e 1 P a ge 3
From the Desk of the Commodore
Plotting a Course to Thrive in the New Decade . COMO Joseph Giannattasio
It is an honor to be addressing you as the Auxiliary ' s District Fifth Northern Commodore . The past twelve months has certainly challenged all of us and given us the opportunity to demonstrate personal flexibility in many ways . When I pinned on my star in November , I never thought it wouldn ' t be at a DTRAIN , not surrounded by you , all my shipmate friends , and broadcast over social media . Many more of our Auxiliary routines and long -standing customs have changed , but one thing that hasn ’ t changed is the desire to continuously improve our district ' s activities and make it even more proficient and robust .
Commodore Joseph Giannattasio District Commodore
U . S . Coast Guard Auxiliary 5th District-Northern Region
Speaking of DTRAIN , applying the GAR Model to the decision of whether to cancel our spring conference made it absolutely clear that the safety of our members outweighs the potential gains we would have in continuing forward with an in-person event . HOWEVER we will hold a virtual Board Meeting on Friday , 12 March and a virtual awards ceremony Saturday , 13 March where we will honor all members who have received National and District awards , which will be mailed to every recipient in advance , and they will be able to show them off on the online platform . Special VIP guests will also be joining the ceremony .
We will maintain the " TRAIN " in DTRAIN by providing virtual training events at the district level throughout the year , Risk Management / TCT and Operations Workshops as soon as 2021 versions are approved . Your District Staff Officers ( DSO ) will be offering training in their respective missions to inform members about the various Auxiliary operations and qualification opportunities . Divisions and Flotillas should take the initiative to augment member training to maintain their unit ’ s readiness .
For those of you who wish to pursue becoming an elected leader , or become more proficient as Flotilla Commander all the way to District Commodore , the Auxiliary Leadership Development Program ( ALDP ) facilitates leadership development at any unit level . The website helps train and prepare members for elected positions . Just web-search " Auxiliary Leadership Development Program " or go to : http :// wow . uscgaux . info / content . php ? unit = AUX60
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