District Chief of Staff ’ s Message
I would like to thank everyone for the opportunity bestowed on me to serve as your District 1SR Chief of Staff . These past two years have flown by , and it has been a true honor and experience like none other .
I have successfully completed nearly two years of the challenging Senior Leadership course known as ASOC , where I was teamed up with other District Chiefs of Staff and National Directors . One of the great takeaways from ASOC was the opportunity to work side by side with these great and inspirational leaders and instructors , who hail from every corner of the nation , and becoming a team which has created relationships which will bear fruit for the Auxiliary for years to come .
Catch-phrases such as “ blue on blue ” and “ force multiplier ” are words we often hear spoken by the Coast Guard when describing their work with the Auxiliary , and how they could not do their job if it were not for the great work we do . I am sure many of us have questioned whether our contributions were as needed and valued as those catchphrases would lead us to believe . During my travels as Chief of Staff , seeing other Districts and building those valued relationships , I have answered those questions for myself and the answer is a resounding YES . While most of us may not see the interaction of the Coast Guard and the Auxiliary from our respective AOR ’ s , it is alive and growing .
I feel that our members are underutilized , so it is time to step up our game and show the Coast Guard how much they really need us and that they should continue every effort to integrate us more closely than ever before into
“ Team Coast Guard ”. Our members are amazing , every one of us having a different background and talent , these are some of the untapped resources that we can offer . With each new member we only add to the variety , diversity and value , not to mention the enthusiasm that a new member brings to the organization , so keep hitting recruitment hard !
We have been through a tough patch the last few years and now we need to find our way back to normalcy . Fellowship is what has always driven the true success of the Auxiliary , so we need to recapture that . On June 4 th a great day was had by all who attended our long-awaited and really needed Awards ceremony and luncheon at Brewster , NY . Hundreds of awards were handed out , the ceremony being both in-person and televised to those who could not attend . D-Train is right around the corner , this year being held September 8-11 at the Hilton in Stamford CT . Instructors and staff have been hard at work to prepare lots of great training and fellowship so we are hopeful to fill the hotel and classrooms to the rafters , so take a look at the registration on our District website .
Michael West
Michael West District Chief of Staff First Southern District
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