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From the Desk of the Commodore
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Welcome to 2022 by COMO Joseph Giannattasio
Great Auxiliarist don ’ t seek to lead . They are called to it . And they answer .
During the past year some people have commented they feel bad that my term as District Commodore has been beset by the COVID pandemic and necessary mitigations . And they are often taken aback when I tell them that I am grateful to be leading through these daunting times . Why ? Because I ’ ve always been the type that feels at home on a sailboat surrounded by sea with no land in sight for days to come , rather than a sight-ofland sailor . And I believe an Auxiliary Leader needs to fully utilize their skill and experience , augmented with the courage to perceiver during challenging times .
Commodore Joseph Giannattasio District Commodore
U . S . Coast Guard Auxiliary 5th District-Northern Region
Though effective leaders can only provide enough guidance for Auxiliarists to succeed - it ’ s up to the members to do the work . And the past year 5NR members themselves have demonstrated outstanding leadership , skill , dedication , and devotion to duty . The fact that we have accomplished what we have the past year is incredible .
You have done things that I still find amazing . The past year there have been a lot of negatives – AUXDATA-II “ growing pains ”, an abbreviated patrol season , the transition of the Coast Guard financial system ; and of course , the COVID-19 pandemic . But , it has been the actions you did during this pandemic that make a difference . You did the safe things to protect yourself , your family , and your shipmates . You took necessary precautions to safely perform Auxiliary missions , train your fellow members and support the active duty . You proved our resiliency ; you , and many of our more dedicated leaders and members proved our adaptability ; it proved our dedication , it demonstrated our value to the Coast Guard .
We learned totally new skillsets . Pulling off having virtual meetings , training sessions , elections and conferences , seamlessly . If we considered doing this four or five years ago - I doubt it would have happened . Our RBS Missions ( VE , PV & PE ) have returned approximately 87 % to pre-pandemic levels . Surface Operations executed 45 SAR cases . 116 members perform operational roles in directly supporting the Active Duty . 59 new Auxiliarists joined D5NR in 2021 ( 107 new members total joined during the 2020-21 pandemic .)
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