JOHN GALLAGHER
ADSO-FS AFLOAT
14-05-11
I joined the Auxiliary a few years after 9/11at the suggestion of sailing friends and was selected not that long afterwards by the DIRAUX to expand the Auxiliary to upper Manhattan as the founding Flotilla Commander of Flotilla 5-11. I qualified as a Vessel Examiner, Program Visitor, Boat Crewmember and Watchstander at Station New York where I worked closely with the command cadre to expand support around the needs of the UN General Assembly.
Becoming Division Commander I
expanded the capabilities and effectiveness of Division 5 and upon leaving that office I was chosen by the Commodore to initiate the Auxiliary University Program in the D1SR and then, with the election of the next Commodore was brought in to revitalize the AUXCHEF program.
I began a program to support visiting cutters for the annual Fleet Week visits as well as an annual Thanksgiving program to support the duty sections of the 1SR cutters based out of Bayonne, deep frying turkeys for all of the ships and the ATON crews. I also provided the cutters with support so the CS petty officers could take leave by providing underway and in port relief both himself and with other auxiliarists.
The AUXCHEF work leveraged my skills as a former restaurant manager and short order cook. As family can tell you he has a big problem cooking for less than a dozen people so the program really appealed to him. Prior to the COVID shutdown I trained a cadre of new chefs to support Station Burlington.
An amateur sailor I was most happy to lead a cadre of chefs to cook on the Eagle, America's Tall Ship, for an evening Academy Alumni Association event with a quick turnaround to cook breakfast at 0600 for the Academy cadets as well as visitors from West Point. Of course I would have been happier if the ship were underway!