OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
John Eberhardt
C
OMMITMENT, practice and
teamwork were the tools that three Auxiliarists used to achieve the lofty goal of Operational Excellence. The purpose of the Operational Excellence Program is to provide Coast Guard Auxiliary boat crews with a challenging opportunity to highlight their proficiency and skills, foster teamwork, and encourage fellowship among operational members. Under the leadership of Mike Rebeck, Dean Ferraro and David Gray from Flotilla 04-04 accepted that challenge and set out on a course to improve their skills and make them better able to support Recreational Boating Safety in the area. The three had worked together on numerous patrols so it was a perfect fit.
The timing was ideal for them to start preparing for their mission. Dean was due for recertification for Boat Crew and David was preparing for Coxswain. Mike reviewed the requirements and prepared the training schedule. The three met throughout the boating season and continued to work on their skills while on patrols. In addition to assisting and mentoring each other, they worked with trainees to help them refine the skill sets needed to become boat crew. They ran underway drills including, Man Overboard, Anchoring, Towing Evolutions, Search and Rescue Patterns, and Communications. The dockside tasks included pre-underway checks, GAR reports, dewatering, and chart plotting. The main theme during the entire process was safety. With the help of Chain of Leadership, Active Duty and, of course, Mother Nature, the crew continued perfecting their skills. The commitment to the task and the hundreds of hours of training resulted in a solid team structure where each member of that team would support the others.
On the afternoon of September 16, 2015, Mike Rebeck's crew of Dean Ferraro and David Gray met at Captain Hook's Marina in Sewaren to start their shoreside and underway signoffs for Operational Excellence. USCG Chief Petty Officer Juan Quinones from Sector New York proctored the signoffs. They performed the required tasks of planning a search, executing that search, pump drills, communications and normal currency maintenance tasks. At 1600 hours the mission was complete, and the crew received the good news that all tasks were completed excellently, and their final score was 100%. Congratulations Mike, Dean, and David!
OVER THE BOW Summer 2016