I cannot be more thrilled than I am with the start of 2023. As I travel around the District and speak with our members I can see the excitement building.
DISTRICT COMMODORE’ S MESSAGE
I cannot be more thrilled than I am with the start of 2023. As I travel around the District and speak with our members I can see the excitement building.
The Auxiliary has once again sprung to life, hitting the deck hard with training and getting boots on the ground and engaging the boating public. As you may often hear me say,“ we are one of the best kept secrets”, so I look forward to seeing that change. Not only by engaging the boating public, but by bringing our message to everyone, creating relationships with businesses and community groups which will pay dividends for years to come. Added value will be each of us getting that one new member, as it is now time for us to grow!
There is no question that the Coast Guard is looking for our help. In recent months we have been involved in a nationwide GAP analysis that will indicate where we stand and what more we can bring to the table to partner with active duty. Already we have added substantial value to the active duty by our ability to step up, back-fill essential positions among many programs. We provide chefs, chaplains, watchhstanders, and more up and down the chain at every level in RBS.
Also let us not forget those who sacrificed time and enjoyment of family by deploying to the Southwest border. We say Bravo Zulu to those Auxiliarists who were available to support this mission. When we are asked what we do, the answer should always be“ I save lives”. When asked to explain you should be ready and say without hesitation that while you may never know the life you save, that what you do, whether teaching a boating safety course, doing a vessel inspection, or working as a program visitor, in the end someone, somewhere at some time received that golden nugget that saved their day.
At the start of the year we established several goals. Chief among those was seeing that outstanding awards were issued and that those owed money on orders were paid. On the awards front, more than 1200 awards were prepared and distributed to Divisions, thanks to the exhaustive work of David Mooney, Doug Janelle, DCOS Michael Klacik and Auxiliary Affairs Specialist Roger Lett. On the repayment of back orders, that work still continues, so more to come.
In closing, I am so very proud and honored to be an Auxiliarist, and one of those you have chosen to serve the District in any way I can.
Michael West
Michael West District Commodore First Southern District
4 OVER THE BOW USCGAUX FIRST DISTRICT SOUTHERN REGION- WINTER 2023