2011-Fall

Breeze Volume LVII Number 3 Fall/Winter 2011
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary 7th District
http://www.cgaux7.org/
Is the official publication of the
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
7th District
http://www.cgaux7.org/
Volume LVII Number 3 Fall/Winter 2011


UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

District Commander:
RADM William D. Baumgartner,
USCG

Director of Auxiliary District 7:
CDR José Quinones
Operations Training Officer:
CWO2 Ursula Walther


U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
District Commodore
COMO Walter Jaskiewicz

District Chief of Staff
John Tyson

Immediate Past District Commodore
COMO Donald L. Frasch

District Captain North
Robert Weskerna

District Captain West
Melvin Manning

District Captain East
J. Pat Feighery, Jr.

BREEZE is the official and educational tool
of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary 7th District
and is intended as a publication to keep the
membership apprised of the activities of the
Auxiliary. All articles and photographs sub-
mitted must be consistent with the policies
of the Coast Guard and the Auxiliary and
may not be returned. Electronic submissions
are encouraged.
Personal information of members is protect-
ed by the Privacy Act of 1974. The use of
these rosters, addresses and telephone
numbers on any computer or online service
including the Internet is prohibited by the
Act.
Comments are encouraged and may be
sent to Dorothy Riley, Editor (District Officer-
Publications) at: [email protected].
Articles in the BREEZE may be reprinted
provided credit is given and a copy is sent to
the above Editor and Publications Officer.
Do not send changes of address to the
BREEZE. You can obtain a change of
member information report (7028) from
your Materials Officer and submit it
through channels.

In this issue:
Cover Photo: TAMPA BAY, Fla.— Reynaldo Rivera-Rosado from Flotilla 74
Brandon, Fla., stands on the bow of the Catalina, owned and coxswained by J oe
Lamb, Flotilla 79 Tampa, during a man overboard drill in March 2011. Photo by
George Papabeis, FL 74
New District 7 Challenge coin is designed to
recognize mentors and to serve as another
incentive to reward flotillas that have low
rates of dis-enrollment. Read about it on
page 16 of this issue of Breeze and in the
current issue of the D7 Connection at: http://
www.cgaux7.org/pdf_files/d7pub/2011-D-7-
Connection-Fall.pdf
From the Bridge– COMO Walter J askiewicz 3
From the Bridge– J ohn Tyson, DCOS 4
From the Bridge– Como Donald Frasch, DNACO-RBS, IPDCO 5
Director’s Quarters 6-7
Robert Weskerna, DCAPT-N 8-11
Melvin Manning, DCAPT-W 12-13
J . P. Feighery, J r., DCAPT-E 14-15
Logistics Directorate, J ames Dennen, DDC-L D7 16
Response Directorate, Richard Leys, DDC-R D7 18-19
Prevention Directorate, Bruce Lindsey, DDC-P D7 20-21
Helo Ops: Auxiliary Training Support to the Coast Guard 22-23
Officer Snook Trash Pollution Game 24
A Win-Win For Everyone 25
Behind the Scenes: District 7 Material Center 26-27
The Efficacy of Out-of-Date (Expired) Visual Distress Signals 28-30
DCON Photos 31-35
D7 Virtual Library 36
Auxiliary Air Assists Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen 38-39
District 7 Officers 40



Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 3
From the Bridge
support to the Coast Guard and the boating public. After
presenting the results of the survey to our Executive Com-
mittee, they all agreed to support the program. They will
serve as the Organizational Performance Team (OPT) that
will focus on the items of greatest concern and will recom-
mend action plans to address them. More information on
the program will be forthcoming, but let me say that in my
opinion, this program could be beneficial to the Auxiliary.
Opportunity is all around us. What matters is where you
put your focus. Wherever
you focus your attention,
you create strength and
momentum. For example, I
have used the term,
“Unwavering Service” as
my guiding words as part
of our District’s Strategic
Plan. We shall be unwa-
vering in the pursuit of our
goals, and we shall be un-
wavering with a boundless
vision dedicated to excel-
lence in all of our missions
and tasks.
Concentrating on our are-
as of defined weaknesses
is the key that will open the
door to all our accomplish-
ments. Concentration is
the first law of success.
Our members must have
defined vision, a direction
provided by leadership at
all levels to provide us fo-
cus. In the absence of a
vision, there can be no
clear focus, nor can we
expect to succeed.
Once members receive a
clear purpose for a mission, they will fulfill the mission with
enthusiasm and a burning desire for success. As more in-
formation on our “Enhancement Performance Plan” is pre-
sented by our leaders, I anticipate the members’ support.Ω
If you missed our District
7 Conference in J ack-
sonville, you missed a
great time! I did not
know so many of our
members are talented
singers until they
stepped up to the stage
to sing karaoke on fun night.
The training classes were
great, as was the camara-
derie that we shared with
the active side. Kudos to
the conference staff for
making it all happen!
District Captain elections
were held, and J udith
Hudson was elected Dis-
trict Captain-East, with
Mel Manning, District Cap-
tain-West and Robert
Weskerna, District Cap-
tain-North elected for se-
cond terms. I look forward
to the talents and skills
that they bring to the
bridge.
During the awards presen-
tation, I announced that
we would present a Com-
modore’s Cup Award for
the Best Division and Flo-
tilla. J ohn Tyson, District 7
Chief of Staff, explained
the procedures used to
determine the winners.
The Commodores Cup is
the first step in my District
7 “Enhance Performance
Program”.
Recently, we requested our leadership to complete a sur-
vey, “Are We Making Progress,” to identify issues that
could impede our performance in improving our Auxiliary
Commodore Walter Jaskiewicz
District Commodore D7
Uncommon Strength – Unwavering Service
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Recipients of the Commodore’s Cup
Award at flotilla level pose with their trophies. From Left,
CDR José Quinones, Director of Auxiliary D7; Ron Foreman,
Flotilla Commander 12-6 accepting the third place award;
Amos Johnson, Division Commander 7, accepting the
second place award for Flotilla 72; Judith Hudson, Division
Commander 6 accepting the first place cup for Flotilla 61;
COMO Walter Jaskiewicz, District 7 Commodore; and Don
Frasch, Deputy National Commodore-Recreational Boating
Safety. John Tyson, Chief of Staff D7 is behind them. Photo
by Kirk Altman



4 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

The ancient Chinese phi-
losopher Lao Tzu once
said, “He who obtains has
little, he who scatters has
much.” Profound words
spoken more than two
thousand years ago, and
every bit as relevant to-
day. As Auxiliarists, we
provide our time, resources and knowledge to support
Coast Guard missions. The work can be demanding and
our compensation is largely words of praise, yet our com-
mitment to serve never wavers. Seventh District Com-
mander RADM William Baumgartner praised our service
and dedication to sharing our knowledge many times dur-
ing remarks at the 2011 District Auxiliary Conference.
Also at the 2011 District Conference, Commodore Walter
J askiewicz recognized and congratulated Division 7 and
Flotilla 61 as the best performing division and flotilla of
2010. He awarded the two units the Commodore’s Cup for
their exceptional achievement. A second and third place
award went to Division 3 and Division 12, a second place
flotilla award was presented to Flotilla 72, and a
third place flotilla award went to Flotilla 12-6.
While only two units took home the Cup, all six
winners had exceptional performance in 2010. In
addition, for the very first time, all members (with
six-months service) of the flotilla that won the
Commodore’s Cup will receive the Flotilla Meritori-
ous Achievement Medal and the certificate and
ribbon that accompany the award.
Looking ahead to next year’s competition, I hope
every flotilla and division will aggressively pursue
winning “the Cup.” All the data used to determine
the winners of the Cup is taken from AUXDATA,
so entering every member’s mission activity in
AUXDATA is critical. By measuring the rate of im-
provement in each unit’s core missions, each unit
is competing against itself for improvement and
the winners of the Commodore’s Cup are recog-
nized for their achievement in activities of greatest
importance to our primary customers, the Coast
Guard and boating public.
As we begin the final quarter of the year, we may
all take pride in the district’s accomplishments to
date. Through mid-October, the members of District Sev-
en’s Auxiliary have provided an impressive 661,000 hours
of volunteer service, conducted over 20,000 Vessel Safety
Checks, made 16,000 visits to Recreational Boating Safety
Program Visitor Partners , held nearly 2,600 boating safety
public education sessions and provided 2,600 missions to
support the safety of the district’s waterways. While those
results are clearly commendable, much remains to be ac-
complished this year. Let’s not let up on any of our support
activities. If we all work to add a few extra Program Visits,
Vessel Safety Checks, Public Education classes and oper-
ational missions this year, we can say we did our very best
to “scatter” the boating safety message and reduce the
number of recreational boating accidents and fatalities in
District 7.
I look forward to thanking many of you at Change of Watch
events in the coming months. Until then, thank you, thank
you, thank you for your service, and keep up your great
work! Ω
John Tyson
District Chief of Staff
From the Bridge
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—COMO Walter Jaskiewicz presents the Commodore’s
Cup Award to Amos Johnson, Division 7 Commander, and Mike Shea, Divi-
sion 7 Vice Commander, at the District 7 business meeting on September 23,
2011, with CDR José Quinones, Director of Auxiliary District 7 looking on.
Behind them are John Tyson, District 7 Chief of Staff; Robert Weskerna, Dis-
trict Captain-North; and Pat Feighery, District Captain-East. Di vision 7
earned first place in the Commodore’s Cup Award for Best Division, while
Flotilla 72 earned second place in the flotilla category. Photo by D. Riley





Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 5
No doubt, you have heard of or seen the new National
Staff Organizational Chart posted on our web site. What
is particularly important and promising is that we have
now combined the Recreational Boating Safety (RBS)
departments into one Directorate. It includes our “V” De-
partment, (Vessel Safety Checks and the RBS Visitation
Program), the “E” Department, (Public Education) and
the newly renamed “RBS Outreach” Department. What
is most exciting to me is that I now have the opportunity
to lead this new Directorate as the Deputy National
Commodore, Recreational Boating Safety (DNACO-
RBS).
I am sure you also know Recreational Boating Safety is
the core, primary mission of the Auxiliary. The Comman-
dant in his “Auxiliary Policy Statement” has recently re-
stated this and declared that our service priorities in-
clude "Promoting and Improving Recreational Boat-
ing Safety." And, yes, it's bolded and underlined, just as
it is here! Our new organizational alignment not only fo-
cuses on his mandate, it also strongly supports his four
Strategic Directives:
1. "Steady the Service" ---That means focus on our
core missions and make sure we get them right. We are
clearly doing that by bringing the essence of Recreation-
al Boating Safety, the Public Education, Vessel Safety
Check, RBS Program Visitation, and RBS Outreach de-
partments under one team-based structure. As we move
forward, I know you will see significant increases in fo-
cus, training, promotion, and impact of our total RBS
program.
2. "Honor our Profession" --- We need both to think
about and highly value what we do in RBS. Our
"profession" is saving lives! We mostly do not know
who, when or where it happens, but it surely does. We
are in the "prevention" business. In addition to the hun-
dreds of lives we are directly credited for saving, there
are countless additional people saved, simply because
we taught them how not to get into trouble, and what to
do if they do. What could be more honorable than sav-
ing a life?
3. "Strengthen our Partnerships" --- In keeping with
our new organization, we have changed the name of our
"RBS Policy" Department to "RBS Outreach". The new
name describes exactly
what we do; go out and
develop partnerships
with other organizations
to increase the benefits
of our combined RBS
efforts. We cannot drive
down the number of
boating accidents and
fatalities alone! We need strong partnerships to do it.
You will hear a lot more about this as we re-energize
our support and involvement with related organizations
to reduce boating accidents.
4. "Respect our Shipmates" --- There really is not
much to discuss with this one. We all need to step back
for a moment and be sure the respect and relationships
we have with our Shipmates are the very best they can
be. Please do not let "egos" get in our way and prevent
us from being effective.
If you don't already, you should know there is a strong
effort underway to improve our Public Education effec-
tiveness. COMO Tom Venezio, my predecessor as
DNACO, is heading up a study team to look at an over-
haul of our present Public Education system. I know,
working with both our RBS Team and many of our part-
ners, his focus is on content, delivery, and reinvigorating
our entire effort. Over the last few years, we have gone
from first to third place nationally in our total Public Edu-
cation output. We are using old methodology and tech-
nology to deliver RBS instruction. We need to fix that
and get back to the work of saving even more lives. Ω


Commodore Donald Frasch
Immediate Past District Commodore
Deputy National Commodore–Recreational
Boating Safety


6 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

Director’s Quarters
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
CDR Quinones’ awards include two Defense Meritorious
Service Medals, two (2) J oint Service Commendation
Medals, two (2) U.S. Coast Guard Commendation Med-
als, two (2) Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and the
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, along with vari-
ous meritorious team and unit awards. He received the
recognition as a “plank holder” by USNORTHCOM for
assistance rendered during their formation. He is an ac-
tive member of the American Bar Association Immigra-
tions, Health, Energy and Environmental Law Sections,
and has served as pro bono legal counsel for environ-
mental, immigrations and health law matters, primarily
devoting his eighteen (18) year professional career as a
Commissioned Officer for the U.S. Armed Forces.
CDR Quinones has been with the U.S. Coast Guard
Auxiliary for almost 20 years. The Auxiliary boating safe-
ty outreach program opened its doors to the U.S. Coast
Guard, with acceptance and completion of active duty
boot camp in 1993. CDR Quinones was then accepted
into, and graduated from, Coast Guard Officer Candi-
date School in 1995. He commenced his tour of duty as
the Auxiliary Liaison Officer for the Marine Safety Office
(previous name) at Miami, Fla., and continued with
same duties in San J uan, Puerto Rico. In 2010, he re-
ceived the Dominican Republic Presidential Award, fol-
lowing the full formation of the Dominican Naval Auxilia-
ry, which he coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard
Auxiliary National Staff.
A strong supporter of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for
decades, CDR Quinones values and admires the firm
dedication of the world’s finest voluntary maritime ser-
vice in safeguarding our Nation’s waterways. In the
short time since his appointment as the Director Of Aux-
iliary District 7, he has revealed a continuing desire to
integrate the unique talents within the Auxiliary Force to
perform a broader range of Coast Guard missions. Re-
taining the core duties of promoting and improving Rec-
reational Boating Safety shall remain the essence of the
Auxiliary Force, while increasing its capability to under-
take at any given time its responsibility to support any
(Continued on page 7)
Commander J osé A.
Quinones has been
assigned as the Direc-
tor of Auxiliary for the
U.S. Coast Guard
Seventh District, the
nation’s largest volun-
teer Auxiliary force.
Previously, CDR Qui-
nones served as the
U.S. Coast Guard Attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic, to include assignment
as the Chief, Contingency Plans, Readiness, and Inci-
dent Management Force, at U.S. Coast Guard Sector
San J uan, PR. CDR Quinones served a specialized tour
of duty with the Department of Defense J oint Task
Force Civil Support at Hampton, VA, operational unit
that plans, responds and deploys for potential or actual
Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Explosive and
Weapons of Mass Destruction (CBRNE-WMD) security
threats to our Nation.
CDR Quinonés has represented the U.S. Coast Guard
with operational crisis and consequence management
events that threaten to employ weapons of mass de-
struction such as chemical, biological, radiological, nu-
clear, and high yield explosives, to include response to
natural catastrophic events such as the Command Ad-
vanced Element to support military deployments. CDR
Quinonés has supported Presidential Venues consid-
ered National Special Security Events (NSSE), along
with responding to increased homeland security levels
threats that targeted critical infrastructure, financial inter-
ests and transportation domains.
CDR Quinones graduated Cum Laude in 1994 from the
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, with a
Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He completed a
J uris Doctor degree in 2003 from the Interamerican Uni-
versity School of Law. In 2005, he acquired a Certifica-
tion in Health Law from the NSU Shepard Broad Law
Center, along with a final admission to practice law be-
fore the Puerto Rico District, Appellate, and Supreme
Courts. In 2006, he was admitted to the Federal Bar for
the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and
Commander José A. Quinones
Director of Auxiliary D7



Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 7
Director’s Quarters

Coast Guard operational, administrative, and logistical
requirements. In the Seventh Coast Guard District, the
Auxiliary Force will spearhead the National effort to pro-
vide trained crews and facilities to augment the Coast
(Continued from page 6)

Guard’s mission to enhance the safety and security of
our Nation’s ports, waterways and environmentally sen-
sitive coastal regions, in accordance with Coast Guard
Auxiliary Policy Statement. Ω
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.— The Commodore's Reception on Sept. 24, 2011, is one of several opportunities at the District 7
Conference for the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary to interact with members whom they might otherwise
know only by name or by email. From left are Stacey Wright, Flotilla 6-11 Miami Beach; CDR José Quinones, Director
of Auxiliary, District 7; CDR Bill Travis, District 7 Legal Department; CWO2 Ursula Walther, District 7 Auxiliary
Operations Training Officer; and MSTC Bruce Wright, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist, District 7. Photo by Zach
Lessin, FL 79


8 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
District Captain North
This past J uly, COMO
J askiewicz invited me to
attend the Auxiliary At-
lantic Search and Res-
cue (ASAR) competition,
held at the U.S. Coast
Guard Training Center
(TRACEN) in  Yorktown,
Va. As I drove to the campus early the Saturday morn-
ing of J uly 23, the car radio announced the various rec-
ord high temperatures expected that day. The car regis-
tered 106 degrees Fahrenheit…in the shade! The ap-
parent temperature was higher by far.
I met the District 7 team the evening before the competi-
tion. The team members were J im Roche from Flotilla
17-9 (aka your D.J . at fun night); J ack Miller from Flotilla
17-6, who marched under the J ackson Arch at Virginia
Military Institute about a decade after I did; professor Bill
Terrell from Flotilla17-6; and Donna Lee Miller from Flo-
tilla 17-6. Donna is about as nice as they come and kept
the team on an even keel. The candid shots on the fol-
lowing pages only begin to tell the story of the day to
follow.
Robert Weskerna, DCAPT-N
ASAR at Yorktown (Photo essay)
Team leader Jim Roche prepares himself
and his team for the SAR pump operation.
Donna Miller is in the background taking a
photo of the team. They look pretty cool at
this point... but just wait.
Members of the Auxiliary Atlantic Search
and Rescue Team from left, Donna Miller,
Jack Miller, Bill Terrell and Jim Roche.
Team Members Jack Miller, Bill Terrell and
Jim Roche share a private moment the
evening before the outdoor activities.
All photographs by Robert Weskerna.


Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 9
At the start of this event, it was probably a “cool” 90 de-
grees...at 7:29 A.M.!
Bill Terrell led the team to the waiting P6 pump. They
needed to unpack this pump and set it up. Later, they
would put it all back together. It was not as easy as it
looked, as they were soon to find out. (The active duty
judges swore that the pump started earlier that morning;
that it should be all warmed up for the exercise. This, of
course, was not the case.
The pump finally started, and our team bailed out the
orange drum, which housed the pump. Soon, the gas in
the carburetor ran out, and our team puzzled out that
the fuel cut-off valve was in the off position.

Once finished with the pumping exercise, the pump that
the team had carried down the ramp was repacked and
J ack and Bill carried the unit back up the hill to the start-
ing position.
It’s now 7:51 AM and our team felt like they started OK.
On to the Life Ring Toss. We’ve just gotten started.
(Continued on page 10)

A fairly fresh Jim Roche and Jack Miller
carry the P6 Pump Kit down a long ramp to a
waiting dock. Bill Terrell is to their right.
Bill Terrell, Jim Roche and Jack
Miller head for the P6 pump.
The pump finally starts and the team bails
out the orange drum.
Once repacked, the team must carry the
pump back up the ramp to the start line.


10 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

I learned a lot by following our team around that Saturday in J uly. While the contestants wore the hot weather uni-
form, the rest of us were in operational dress uniforms (ODUs), complete with wool socks and boots. In spite of that,
I’ll never complain about having to wear ODUs in hot weather again. The spirit of these four contestants out of Divi-
sion 17 would inspire anyone. They never complained and gave an effort not many of us would be willing or able to
duplicate. While we did not place this time around, there is always 2012. Thanks J im, J ack, Bill, and Donna. You are
all winners in my book. Ω
(Continued from page 9)
It looks as though Jim is trying to toss the
life ring over the cormorant nest on top of the
waiting dayboard in the background. There is
actually a ball anchored to the bottom, much
closer than the dayboard. Still, it is a heave.
At right, the effort and concentration shows
on the face of Jack Miller as he heaves the
heaving line. Jack really took to this
challenge. Something about his baseball
experience.

Bill Terrell calculates how to approach the marlinspike
exercise. Bill definitely knew what he was doing at this
station. They all did fine. It is now 9:28 A.M. The
activities continued on for another five and a half
hours.


Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 11
I like this picture, which I took at Fun
Night, of the two “ J’s.” Most of us
know and respect COMO Jay
Dahlgren, past District 7 Commodore.
Some of us are especially lucky to
call him “ friend.” Only in 2010 did I
first meet COMO “ Joe” Favaloro. I
think Joe’s warm personality shines
through in this photograph, and I look
forward to getting to know COMO
“ Joe” a bit better. Both of these
gentlemen represent what makes the
Auxiliary such a great organization.
Thanks for your service,
Commodores.
Finally, I would like to take this
occasion to wish “ all the best” to
my colleague and friend, Pat
Feighery, District Captain-East D7.
Pat’s enthusiasm and love for the
Auxiliary came through loud and
clear throughout our meetings,
both public and private in 2011.
Pat and Nancy will be leaving
Boca Raton for Alabama and out
of our district. I am sure we’ll be
hearing from Pat at some level in
the very near future. Best of luck
in your new digs, Pat! Fair skies
and smooth waters.
Fun Night at DCON
Robert Weskerna, District Captain-North


12 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
District Captain West
Melvin Manning, DCAPT-W
2011 spun by at warp
speed. The year was
filled with training mem-
bers to develop and en-
hance their skills in sup-
port of the Coast Guard
in various areas, includ-
ing surface and air oper-
ations, clerical responsi-
bilities and Auxiliary Chef
(AUXCHEF) duties to
name a few. The mem-
bers throughout the west region also performed their
Recreational Boating Safety missions superbly, often
overcoming challenges and far exceeding their goals.
The working relationship with Air Station Clearwater,
Sector St. Petersburg, and all five Small Boat Stations
exemplified the goal achievement stated at the begin-
ning of the year. The divisions and the flotillas continued
to work together in an ever-increasing cooperative
mode, thereby decreasing the “theirs” and “ours” men-
tality and improving Auxiliary service to the Coast
Guard.
The long awaited new Auxiliary Manual (AUXMAN) ar-
rived just in time for significant changes to be reviewed
at DCON in September by COMO Don Frasch, Deputy
National Commodore - Recreational Boating Safety.
The West Region proudly claims COMO Frasch as one
of its own, since he is a member of Flotilla 11-7, Hud-
son, Florida. Many changes in the AUXMAN are signifi-
cant and others are clarifying. There will be a lot of study
and review necessary to become familiar with the new
AUXMAN.
The District Seven Fall Conference (DCON) held in
J acksonville in late September was an opportunity for
the leadership and members to participate in numerous
seminars and workshops. All five Division Commanders,
Division Vice Commanders, several Staff Officers, Flotil-
la Commanders, Flotilla Vice Commanders and District
Captain-West attended. Many members took advantage
of the DIRAUX test center set up on the second floor,
with eight members of the West Region passing Auxilia-
ry Operations (AUXOP) examinations, representing fifty
percent of all passing tests. One member even complet-
ed the last AUXOP examination necessary for AUXOP2.
Dottie Riley, District Staff Officer–Publications, member
of Flotilla 79, won several awards, including national
awards for best flotilla and best division publication. The
Past Division Commanders Association also presented
her an Outstanding Achievement Award. J ulia E. Bid-
wick, Flotilla 86, again won a National Public Affairs De-
partment First Place Photography Award, as did George
Papabeis from Flotilla 74. Units and individuals in the
West received numerous awards recognizing the excel-
lent effort put forth by our members. Division 7 earned
first place in the Commodore’s Cup Award, while Flotilla
(Continued on page 13)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Zach Lessin from Flotilla
79 and new member of the Auxiliary National
Video Corps produced a video that was shown
on a continuous loop as the members found
their seats before the District 7 general assem-
bly (annual business meeting), at several meet-
ings and classes, and at table-top presenta-
tions. CDR José Quinones, Director of Auxiliary
District 7 looks forward to more of Lessin’s pro-
ductions as learning and recruitment tools.
Photo by Kirk Altman, Staff Officer-Publications
14


Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 13
72 earned second place
in the Commodore’s Cup
Award at flotilla level.
At the end of this year,
we will see three of our
Division Commanders
retire. Amos J ohnson,
Division 7; Braxton Ezell,
Division 8; and Lou Conti,
Division 9 have done a
superb job for two years
and will be missed. Still,
their talent and experi-
ence will be evident as
they assume new roles in
the Auxiliary. We will be
welcoming the new Divi-
sion Commanders and
Vices for 2012 after the
elections in October. Nu-
merous Changes of
Watch are scheduled
through the end of the
year to formally swear in
the new bridges and to
formally pipe out this year’s.
The Coast Guard’s Innovation-Expo took place in Tam-
pa again this year from October 25-27, 2011. The event
is an assembly of the Senior Coast Guard leadership,
and this year the Auxiliary’s National Leadership and
District Commanders from all districts attended. Mem-
bers from Divisions 7 and 11 supported the Auxiliary,
providing logistics and transportation, including on-the-
water boat rides to and from dinner.
Planning is well underway for the Republican National
Convention, to be held in Tampa during the week of
August 27, 2012. Due to the number of expected partic-
ipants, as well as the nature of the event, security re-
quirements will be enormous throughout the Tampa
Bay area. The Auxiliary is expected to play a significant
role, along with other agencies. There will be much
more to say about this as planning develops.
Clearwater became the thirteenth Coast Guard City in
the country and the first in Florida. This is the report I
received from Karen Miller, first by telephone and then
by email. The news became public on September 28,
2011. CWO Morgan Dudley, Commanding Officer Sta-
(Continued from page 12)
tion Sand Key; J im Ryder, Division Commander 11; and
Karen Miller, Past Division Commander, joined CAPT
J ohn Turner, Commanding Officer Air Station Clearwa-
ter, at Clearwater City Hall. At 3:45 P.M., Congressman
C.W. "Bill" Young arrived, along with the heads of the
local Chamber of Commerce and various other organi-
zations, including the Veteran's Alliance and Navy
League. At 4:15 P.M., we were escorted into the main
meeting hall where the Mayor of Clearwater and the City
Council members were assembled.
Congressman Young spoke about how wonderful the
USCG is and the great rapport between the City of
Clearwater and the Coast Guard. Then, Admiral Papp
was connected via telephone (from the Pentagon),
which was broadcast to everyone attending (and carried
on the private Clearwater City Council channel) to for-
mally announced the news. He did say that this requires
Congressional approval, which can take as long as 90
days. Congressman Young assured him it would pass
and it would occur quickly. This is, of course, wonderful
news and it comes as a result of years of hard work
done by a lot of Auxiliarists in cooperation with all the
other supporting agencies.Ω
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Morgan Dudley, Station Sand Key Com-
manding Officer, holds a cellphone for U.S. Rep. Bill Young during a conference call with Adm. Bob
Papp, Commandant of the Coast Guard, at Clearwater City Hall, Sept. 28, 2011. Clearwater is cur-
rently the only city in Florida to have the designation “ Coast Guard City.” Behind Chief Dudley are
Jim Ryder, Division Commander 11, and Karen Miller, Past Commander Di vision 11. U.S. Coast
Guard photos by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tara Molle



14 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
District Captain East
J. P. Feighery, Jr., DCAPT-E
My how the time does
fly! It is truly hard to be-
lieve that 10 months
have gone by and that,
in two months, another
year will be history.
But what a year it has
been in the East area of
responsibility. As I write
this, it never ceases to
amaze me how much time, effort, and imagination that
the 2,273 men and women who make up the Coast
Guard Auxiliary from central Florida to the U.S. Virgin
Islands give to our country.
Let me share some numbers with you as of this writing:
 227,540 Total activity hours, encompassing all mis-
sion sets
 8,157 Vessel Exams
 4, 087 Program Visits
And the year is not over yet!

Now let us look behind some of these numbers to see
some of the “out of the box” activities that are fueling a
successful year.
Division 1 Puerto Rico continues to spread the Recrea-
tional Boating Safety message with Public Affairs events
all over the island. This year’s National Safe Boating
Week in Puerto Rico was second to none, with many
partner agencies participating to spread the safe boat-
ing message. The Division was a large participant in the
Life J ackets Across America event.
Division 3, though small in number, is on its way to con-
tributing more to Coast Guard Auxiliary than ever be-
fore. Support to Station Ft. Lauderdale continues to in-
crease operationally with patrol support, watchstanding,
galley help (AUXCHEF) and a retired active duty BM1
mentoring the crew at the station on a weekly basis.
One member of Division 3 single-handedly increased
the number of boardings at the station when she was
tasked with inputting all MSLE reports when the board-
ing did not result in a violation.
This past spring, members of Division 5 participated in
SOUTHCOM’s Operations Tradewinds, a multi-service
exercise. Division 5 continues to support Stations Lake
Worth and Ft. Pierce with watchstanders and continues
to support Stations Lake Worth and Ft. Pierce with
watchstanders and AUXCHEF members. The Division’s
Public Affairs team will soon help members of the Ft.
Pierce crew by acting as news media reporters, inter-
viewing crewmembers about hypothetical search and
rescue cases in an effort to sharpen the crewmembers’
skills when interacting with the media.
Division 6, serving Miami-Dade County, continues to
support Station and Sector Miami with watchstanders
and patrols. Division 6 has committed to having boats
on the waters of Biscayne Bay every Saturday and Sun-
day and has never failed to deliver on its commitment.
Members of Division 6 are working with Sector Miami to
develop programming and software to be used in kiosks
to be deployed at local marinas. This project, when
complete, will provide boaters with information concern-
ing safe boating classes and vessel exams and will give
them up to the minute weather information and instruc-
tions on how to file a float plan.
Division 13 continues to serve Sector Key West and its
stations with Safety Patrols and Vessel Exams. Division
13 is, at the request of Sector Key West, putting togeth-
er a shallow water response team. Phase one of this
project was to identify shallow draft operational facilities
and crews that can be on call to deploy in the backwater
areas of the Keys to assist stranded boaters. Phase
two, is to stand up a group of personal watercraft opera-
tors who can deploy to shallow water. Training for this
phase is now in process. The Division continues to
place emphasis on improving the safety of high-risk
kayakers and canoeists.
The Auxiliarists of Division 16 continue to give tremen-
dous support to Sector San J uan and Air Station
Borinquen with surface and air patrols. The Division has
also been innovative in establishing a telephone line
that is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week and
can be used to report boating incidents that may neces-
sitate a rapid response by Auxiliary members.
(Continued on page 15)


Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 15
I want to take this opportunity to thank every member
of Team East for all that you have and will accomplish
in 2011. Take the foundation that you have laid this
year and build upon it in 2012. Always remember that
we are not flotillas and divisions in competition with
one another. Our only competition is ourselves — to
improve upon what we do as the U.S. Coast Guard
Auxiliary.
Bravo Zulu to you all!
(Continued from page 14)
AGUADILLA, P.R.—As beach-goers bask in the sun, members
of Flotilla 17 Aguadilla participate with other Sea-Partners in a
clean-up of Crash Boat Beach. Other agencies participating in
the September 2011 event included the Naval Sea Cadets,
Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources, Aguadilla’s
Municipal Government and Inter-American University person-
nel. Photo by Hector M. Vega, Staff Officer-Public Education 1
From: Lindsey, Charles BMCM
Date: J ul 29, 2011 5:46 PM
Subject: USCG/CGAUX
To: Dewey Jackson, Division Commander 13

Let me take a moment to thank you for the tremendous support your crews pro-
vided during this year's Mini Season. Your boat crews not only patrolled the wa-
ters of Marathon and Big Pine, they also assisted by standing by as our SAR
response for both days. By having your crews immediately available to respond
to routine rescues, you allowed Station Marathon to focus heavily on LMR en-
forcement, greatly improving our effectiveness in protecting the resource.
We are extremely proud of our partnership and the many successes of both flo-
tillas; please pass on a "job well done" to everyone involved.
Thank you!
V/r
BMCM Chuck Lindsey
Officer in Charge
USCG Station Marathon


16 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

Logistics Directorate
James Dennen, DDC-L D7
During the past several
years, District 7 has
done an outstanding job
of recruiting new mem-
bers. Our e-Responder
conversion rate is the
best in the nation. Unfor-
tunately, however, when
we look at the average
length of Auxiliary mem-
bership, it is between
eighteen months and
two years.
When we analyzed this, we found that we were losing
both members within the first year of membership and
members who were “old timers”. Possibly new members
are not integrated into our programs quickly enough,
while some long-time members, possibly feel that they
are no longer needed.
We decided to address this issue with a program to rec-
ognize mentors and another to reward flotillas that had
low rates of dis-enrollment (less than 3%).
Angela Pomaro, District Staff Officer for Human Re-
sources, and I designed a coin to be used to reward the-
se flotillas and the single division with the lowest rate of
disenrollment. The coin project is described on page 5
of the current issue of D7 Connection. http://
www.cgaux7.org/pdf_files/d7pub/2011-D-7-Connection-
Fall.pdf
Later this year, each flotilla’s best mentor will be recog-
nized. We feel that if we can “marry” these two groups,
we can give our more experienced members and our
newest members a mutual goal. If it works, it will take
advantage of the experience that some of our older
members possess by using them to mentor the newest
members. Ω
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—COMMO
Walter Jaskiewicz, District 7
Commodore looks on as Angela
Pomaro, District Staff Officer-
Human Resources, presents
the first Human Resources
challenge coin awarded for
less than 3% dis-enrollment to
Nevin Lantry, Immediate Past
Division Commander 17, on
Sept. 23, 2011, at the District 7
Conference. John Tyson,
District 7 Chief of Staff, is in the
background. Photo by Vickie
Aponte




Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 17
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.— Seven members of the Miami Dolphins cheerleading squad visited the
USCGC Dolphin on Oct. 14, 2011. Not only was the visit a morale boost for the Dolphin’s crew,
but the visit also served to increase awareness about Recreational Boating Safety and life jacket
wear in the wake of a recent incident A capsized vessel in the Florida Keys that left eight persons
stranded in the water for over 20 hours. Seven were rescued, including a three year old. Photo
by Christopher Todd, Deputy Director /Government & Public Affairs, member of Flotilla 6-11
Seven beautiful reasons for a cutter to bear the
same name as a football team...


18 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

Response Directorate
Richard Leys, DDC-R D7
The Response Depart-
ment consists of four
District Staff Positions:
Aviation: Cecil Christo-
pher, DSO-AV; Opera-
tions: J anee Henderson,
DSO-OP; Communica-
tions: J oseph Colee, J r.,
DSO-CM; Navigation
Services: David Cawton,
DSO-NS.
Each branch is proactive
in their support to the Coast Guard and ready to re-
spond when needed in such diverse areas as search
and rescue, migrant interdiction support, weather relat-
ed emergencies, watchstanding or a public event, in-
cluding providing Auxiliary facilities on a stand-by sta-
tus.
Aviation
The aviation program continues to field new personal
protective equipment, consisting of survival vests and
single person life rafts. In addition, we will be issuing EF
J ohnson encrypt-able radios this fall. We should be ful-
ly operational by J an. 1, 2012. In addition, we are in the
process of instituting a training guide to assist in the
training of aviation personnel and standardizing search
and rescue (SAR) procedures across the district.
Communication
District 7 Communications supports the Coast Guard
with 298 radio facilities. These numbers include fixed
land and mobile facilities that are capable of operating
on either VHF, HF or both.
We provided communications backup on a number of
occasions when Rescue 21 failed. Our members provid-
ed over 1,200 hours of support year-to-date to Commu-
nications Area Master Station Atlantic by monitoring
Navigational Telex and other broadcasts, when asked
to do so. This, with only five Auxiliary Monitoring Sta-
tions!
In August, J oseph Colee, J r., District Staff Officer –
Communications, was tasked with activating the hurri-
cane net and acting as Net Control for Hurricane Irene.
This net includes stations from District 7 as well as Dis-
tricts 5N, 5S, 8, and 1.
Navigation Services
District 7 leads many of the districts in the Navigation
Systems data, including Bridge, aids to navigation
(ATON) and private aids to navigation (PATON) mission
statistics and mission hours.
In the Federal ATON mission count, (30) there were 145
missions, with 1,278 aids verified, and 176 aids reported
as discrepant.
In the PATON mission count, (31) there were 161 mis-
sions with 1524 aids verified, and 508 aids reported as
discrepant.
Bridge Administration, (32) 73.90 hours
Aton/Chart Updating, (30) 405.34 hours
Paton, (31) 333.56 hours
Aton /Chart Updating Patrol, (03) 1213.10

Operations
Standardized Auxiliary Boat Operations Training, SAB-
OT as it is referred to, could be coming to District 7.
SABOT is not mandated by the Commandant, however,
the program seeks to promote readiness and profes-
sionalism in operations and to improve Auxiliary boat
crew safety and proficiency through standardized train-
ing.
SABOT is designed to enhance overall Auxiliary opera-
tional proficiency by providing Auxiliary boat crews, boat
crew mentors and qualification examiners an easy to
follow step-by-step guide for the execution of all tasks
contained in the Coxswain-Currency Maintenance
Check Ride, Enclosure (2), of the Auxiliary Boat Crew
Training Manual (ABCTM), COMDTINST M16794.51
(series).
The District Staff Officers are dedicated professionals in
their respective fields and invite you to log on to their
websites for additional information.Ω



Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 19


TAMPA BAY, Fla. - First Class Machinery Technician
David Shoemaker boards the cargo ship " Onego Ponza"
under the watchful eye of Joe Lamb, coxswain. Lamb’s
vessel, Catalina, served as a boarding platform on Apr.
7, 2011, for Shoemaker, SA Catherine Selon, and LT
Christian Barger, USCG. Auxiliary Crewmembers
included George Papabeis, John Lowe, Flotilla 74, and
Ted Cohen, Flotilla 75 Photo by George Papabeis FL74
CHARLESTON, S.C.— Members of Division 12 who
attended the “ Crew Training Academy,” held March
through April 2011 at Coast Guard Station Charleston,
passed by these buoys frequently. Verifying aids to
navigation, private aids and lights is important in keeping
channels safe. Photo by Barbara Burchfield, FL 12-6
PORT EVERGLADES, Fla.—Gary J oseph from
Flotilla 38 and Don Banas from Flotilla 34
welcome AST Clayton aboard the Heartbeat on
Aug. 16 , 2011. Clayton, a Coast Guard rescue
swimmer, was lowered from a J ayhawk helicopter
during a training mission. Photo by Brian
Lichtenstein, FL 38


20 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

Today’s news included a
boating accident in the
Atlantic, off the coast of
Florida. You probably
heard about it. A 22-foot
boat with eight persons
on board capsized and
sank in rough waters.
One person drowned
and the other seven
spent 20 hours treading
water or clinging to a
cooler, until found by a
passing vessel. The 22-
foot boat was overloaded, they did not have enough life
jackets onboard for everyone, and non-swimmers in
eight-foot seas did not wear life jackets.
It is news every time, primarily if there are survivors, but
the story is often the same. What a difference being
properly equipped and prepared would have made! If
life jackets, a VHF/DSC (digital selective calling) marine
radio, waterproof handheld backup radio, personal
emergency position-indicating radio beacons (PEPIRB),
marine weather forecast had been supplemented with
an understanding of conditions, perhaps only the boat
and the skipper’s pride would have been lost. Instead
the boaters spent nearly a day in the water and were
found only by chance. Proper equipment for safety
could have taken the ”search” out of ”search and res-
cue.” Option B: with a bad weather forecast, why were
they there at all? So, how are we affecting Recreational
Boating and Marine Safety?
We have an opportunity to impact boating safety, ma-
rine safety and homeland security by meeting boaters at
launch ramps and marinas, dealers, boat shows and
through public affairs activities. This is not news, but,
while our numbers of qualified Vessel Examiners and
Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) Program Visitors is
up, the number of Vessel Safety Checks and Program
Partner Visits completed is down. The season is winding
down, but it isn’t over. Whether face-to-face or in public
education classes, all of the above activities support our
and the Coast Guard’s missions.
Meeting the boating public is considered so important
that the Coast Guard has authorized several awards for
our work in these fields. One of the most significant is
Prevention Directorate
Bruce Lindsey, DDC-P D7
the Recreational Boating Safety Device, awarded for a
combination of Public Affairs, Public Education, RBS-
Program Visits and Vessel Examination activities by
achieving a minimum of 120 points in each of two suc-
cessive years. The award is intended to encourage an
increase in RBS activity and support, plus perhaps to
help members develop discipline and enjoy continuing
support.
Eligibility for the RBS Device is based on public educa-
tion hours (1 point for each hour teaching and ½ point
for each hour assisting), Vessel Examinations and Pro-
gram Visits, and prescribed Public Affairs mission
codes. Public Education and Public Affairs hours are
reported on the Mission Activity Report, form 7030. Pro-
gram Visits are reported on RBS Visitation Report form
7046, and Vessel Safety Checks (including facility in-
spections) are reported on Vessel Examinations Activity
Report form 7038. The Public Affairs hours that count
for the RBS Award are Public Lectures, mission code 10
B, Participation in Radio / TV programs mission code
10 C and Information / VSC Booths, mission code 10 F
(Federal or State Legislative Outreach codes 65A, B or
C count for authorized personnel.) Separately, the Na-
tional Commodore’s Award for Vessel Examinations is
also given for completion of 40 or more vessel examina-
tions in a year.
We give special recognition to the three new conditional
Trident awardees in District 7: Lyle Letteer of Division 2,
and Rod Thistlewaite and Bob Mathewes of Division 10.
Completion of the full Trident award requires completion
of the personal qualification standards and five years
service, so each will receive the full award on comple-
tion of this service. The Marine Safety Trident Training
Ribbon is also awarded for marine safety training before



Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 21
completion of the Trident Award. The criteria is at:
http://www.cgaux.org/training/Ribbons/
MarineSafetyTridenTrainingRibbon.html.

The bottom line: Recreational Boating Safety activities
are our tools for fulfilling the Coast Guard’s goals of re-
ducing boating accidents, injuries and fatalities. If you’re
not already qualified as a Program Visitor, this is a great
time of year to add that qualification and start making
visits. Set your sights on one or more of the above
awards and enjoy your opportunities to represent the
Coast Guard Auxiliary and to meet the boating public. I
look forward to seeing you at a marine dealer, a boat
ramp or in the classroom. Ω
Boating Safety Education Gets an Early Start
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— (Right) Flotilla 78
has earned a reputation for introducing boat-
ing safety to children at Pinellas County
schools. Members Mike Berkowitz and Karen
Cohen teach boating safety at Campbell Park
Elementary School on May 17, 2011. Below,
member Eric Davis introduces his service dog
to students with Bradley Marchant, Flotilla
Commander, standing at the front of the class
by the day boards. Photos by Valerie Fer-
nandes.
Right: CAROLINA, P.R.— Coastie and mem-
bers of Flotilla 1-10 San Juan carry the boating safety message to children attending Santa Bernardita's Catholic Church
Summer Camp . Photo provided by Lourdes R. Oliveras, Staff Officer-Public Affairs 1


22 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
—Air Station Miami, like all
other Coast Guard air sta-
tions, keeps a busy training
regimen. They train every
day, and almost every day
they put that training to use.
Providing that training has
its challenges—at least a
couple times a week, Coast
Guard small boat stations
train with Dolphin or
J ayhawk helicopter crews.
Each quarter, their pilots,
flight mechanics (hoist oper-
ators), and rescue swim-
mers practice a minimum
number of hoists and
"rescues".
Since search and rescue,
law enforcement, and other
missions have a priority
claim on the assets of
small boat stations, the
Coast Guard contracts with
private boats for training
sessions. Some of these
contract boats are Auxiliary vessels. Not only are we, the
Auxiliary, more cost effective than private contractors,
but we provide a variety of small boats that more realisti-
cally simulates the typical civilian boats with which Coast
Guard aircraft and ASTs (Aviation Survival Technicians)
interact with daily. Utilizing Auxiliary vessels lets Coast
Guard crews practice smaller rescue operations, which
translates into more realistic crew training.
Division 3 currently has three boats that routinely accept
“helo ops” (air-sea rescue operations training missions).
These vessels have been inspected and approved by
both Air Station Miami and Station Fort Lauderdale as
suitable for helo ops. Auxiliary crews have readied them
to accept swimmers, rescue baskets, rescue strops,
Stokes Litters, pumps and other gear lowered onto their
decks from helicopters.
Similarly, all Auxiliary crew and coxswains involved in
helo ops have returned to "ground school", becoming
trainees again, until signed off by Coast Guard safety
officers. This training includes basic hand signals—
including thumbs up, thumbs down, wave off, cut and
hold.
Winging It
In addition to helicopters, air-sea rescue operations
training includes working with fixed wing aircraft. The
Coast Guard has replaced its HU 25 FALCON small jet
aircraft with the larger HC 144A Ocean Sentry (or
“CASA”) aircraft. CASA crews also need regular training
missions, which involve dropping portable water pumps
and life rafts. On CASA training missions, Auxiliary
boats report on the accuracy of their drops and retrieve
all the gear and return it to Station Fort Lauderdale or
Air Station Miami.
(Continued on page 23)
Helo Ops: Auxiliary Training Support to the Coast
Guard. Photos and article by Brian Lichtenstein
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—George Kozel and Scott Cleary from Flotilla 37 and
crewmembers aboard the Heartbeat , stand by as the HH-60 Jayhawk approaches to
lower a portable pump. Due to the calm seas and very light wind, both crafts had to
operate at faster speeds, resulting in the crew on the Heartbeat getting soaked.




Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 23
Typically, Air Station Miami schedules missions quarter-
ly, listing a primary and secondary vessel for each train-
ing mission. Most training missions take place in the
morning, but some are scheduled for midday or sun-
down.
A few days before Division 3 is scheduled, we confirm
our mission. The day before, we learn which aircraft are
scheduled.
On the morning of the mission, we check in with the Of-
ficer of the Day at Station Miami to confirm that sea con-
ditions are within our safety guidelines,
which includes seas running no more than
three feet.
After conferring with Air Station Opera-
tions to confirm call signs, radio frequen-
cies, on scene time, etc., each boat heads
out, with its four to five person crew.
Once Auxiliary crews reach the scene,
mission pilots provide a briefing of what
they expect to drop. Each crewmember
taking part in helo hoisting has a grounding
stick and personal protective equipment
gear, including helmet, goggles, and
gloves. The receiving vessel lowers all an-
tennae and flags, and crew members cov-
er all loose gear, secure it, or move it be-
low.
Throughout the training, safety takes num-
ber one priority. Captain Rick Kenin, Com-
mander, Air Station Miami, stresses that
we take no unnecessary risks during train-
ing. If conditions deteriorate either in the
air or on the water, instructors call off the
exercise.
Whole Team Approach
The success of any training exercise—or
rescue mission—requires teamwork on
deck. When the noise of the helo rotors
whips up a heavy water spray, the deck
crew can`t hear anything else. Crew mem-
bers need to stay alert, watch each other,
and communicate using the hand signals
they’ve learned.
Our Most Rewarding Missions
(Continued from page 22) Although helo missions can be hard work, they are also
one of the most rewarding missions Auxiliarists perform.
Those of us who do them regularly can`t wait for the
next exercise. For their part, Coast Guard personnel at
Air Station Miami and Station Fort Lauderdale appreci-
ate the realistic training we provide for them.
If you are crew qualified and interested in a mission that
is critical to Coast Guard preparedness, check with your
Staff Officer-Operations to see if your division performs
helo or fixed wing operations training with your local Air
Station. Ω
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—George Kozel watches as the HH-60
Jayhawk prepares to lower the pump. Delivering pumps to small
vessels in distress with speed and accuracy saves lives and property
and is routinely practiced to improve the performance of Coast Guard
rescue crews.



24 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
Draw more people to your Public Affairs booth
Everyone loves to play games, and this game at your
next Public Affairs event is a fun and educational way to
bring home the point that trash pollutes the environment.
The game created by Tom Loughlin, District Staff Officer
-Public Affairs D7, is unfortunately, not available through
the materials center. You have to build it yourself, and
here is how.
Complete instructions including images and text labels
can be downloaded from the District 7 web page at
http://cgaux7.org/index7.htm?page=members, Direc-
torates (tab on left), Logistics Staff Officers (near bot-
tom of page) Thomas Loughlin, DSO-PA Site, Re-
sources (tab on box on that page).
With the Officer Snook Trash Pollution Game
Officer Snook Trash Pollution Game
Tom Loughlin, District Staff Officer-Public Affairs D7

Items Needed:
Plywood, good quality, 30 ½ inch by 12 inch by 1/2 inch
10 wood drawer pulls, 1 inch
10 wood screws, #10-1 flat head
10 hinges, 1 inch
10 wood “trap doors”, 2 inch by 2 inch by ½ inch
10 movable wooden platforms, 8 inch by 2 ¾ inch by ½
inch
1 wood strip, ¼ inch by ¼ inch by 30 ½ inch
1 set of trash labels
1 set of Office Snook biodegradable info pictures
1 set of time line labels
1 Talk Trash challenge card
Clean Trash:
1 plastic water/soft drink bottle
1 infant disposable diaper
1 paper towel
1 newspaper page (recommend comics)
1 glass jar (baby food works
best)
1 six-pack ring
1 Styrofoam cup
1 plastic bag
1 bunch of monofilament line
1 waxed milk carton

Construction:
Paint the “trap doors” and ply-
wood a high gloss gray and
the “trap doors” a selection of
high gloss red, white and
blue.
Attach the “trap doors” along the long side to the ply-
wood using the hinges. The leading edges of the
trapdoors should be flush with the edge of the plywood.
Attach the ¼ strip about ½ inch forward of the hinge to
allow the “trap door” to be opened. Use either exterior
glue or small brads.
Attach the wooden drawer pulls ½ inch from the front of
the movable wooden platforms. Recess the flathead
screws by counter-sinking. The platform with drawer pull
should be painted the same color as the plywood after
this assembly.
Attach the time line labels to the top of the “trap doors”
using spray adhesive. The time line is from the least
amount of decay time on the left-most “trap door” gradu-
ating to the far right being “Unknown”
Attach the trash labels to the top forward part of the
moveable platforms using spray adhesive.
Attach the Officer Snook pictures under the appropriate
“trap door” using spray adhesive. These may also be
ordered from the Officer
Snook Water Pollution Pro-
gram at offic-
[email protected] .
Attach the challenge card
to a 8 ½ inch by 11 inch by
¼ piece of plywood using
spray adhesive.
It is recommended that the
labels, challenge card and
pictures be laminated to
protect them from wear,
tear and the weather. Ω


Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 25
HOMESTEAD, Fla.—
Handsome, charming,
friendly, and very eager to
help is how I would de-
scribe Billy Chong. I met
Billy at a Flotilla 61 meet-
ing in J uly 2011 where he
joins his dad, Auxiliarist
Eric Chong, whenever he
can. At the last meeting,
Billy made a big hit with
everyone. He brought
three large zip-lock bags
of pull-tabs that he has
been collecting for over
ten years. The weight was
8 pounds, for approxi-
mately 12,000 tabs.
Years ago, his grand-
mother showed him some
Hawaiian leis that she
had made, and Billy de-
cided he wanted to help
make something. Later
his Aunt mentioned that
McDonald House was col-
lecting pull-tabs to help
finance their operation of
providing housing and
basic needs to families of
children who had to travel
to a distant hospital to re-
ceive surgery and other
badly needed medical
care. Billy decided that
this was what he wanted
to do – help make McDon-
ald House better prepared
to serve more families.
According to his dad, Billy takes every opportunity to
collect the pull-tabs, no matter where he is, be it parking
lots, recreational parks, social gatherings, sidewalks,
etc. He removes the tabs and then disposes of the cans
properly – in recycle containers, if available. He collect-
ed tabs from everyone at the 2010 Division 6 picnic. As
the family does not drink canned sodas at home, Billy
collected almost all of the
12,000 tabs from other
places.
Born in December, 1974,
at the Camp Kuwai Army
Hospital in Okinawa, J a-
pan, while Eric Chong
was stationed at the
Kadena Air Base, Billy
was born mentally disa-
bled. He is now 36 years
old and attends the Sun-
rise Old Dixie Workshop
for the Handicapped,
where he is considered
‘high functioning’ despite
his low IQ scores. His
Dad attributes this to the
way Billy was raised. His
family has never treated
him as handicapped or
disabled and has always
given him chores and re-
sponsibilities. Billy helps
his Dad with the cleaning
and maintaining of the
family’s rental units. “I
would never trade him for
a hired hand,” his father
says.
Billy never complains
about his work and asks
very little in return – may-
be a beer and a ham-
burger when his work is
done. He strives to
please, and loved the
recognition given to him
by Flotilla 61 when he presented the pull-tabs to them.
So everyone wins – Billy, Flotilla 61 and the families
who need and use McDonald House. Billy has made
many people happy by his worthwhile and long-term
endeavor. Ω
A Win-Win for Everyone
By Judith Hudson, DCDR 6, District Captain-E (e)
HOMESTEAD, Fla.— Billy Chong, son of
Auxiliary member Eric Chong, poses with
some of the thousands of pull-tabs he has
collected over the years . Billy presented the
pull-tabs to Flotilla 61 in Homestead to
benefit the McDonald House Foundation.
Photo by Eric Chong


26 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Hundreds of Auxiliarists visited
the District 7 Material Center during the District Confer-
ence. It takes a nearly Herculean effort to bring the en-
tire D7 Material Center to the District Con-
ference (DCON). Members eager to browse
through the aisles and buy, may all too of-
ten take for granted what is involved in
opening the center at DCON. For this rea-
son, we offer you a “behind the scenes”
look at the store and its staff.
The 7
th
District Material Center is staffed by
volunteers every Monday and Thursday
(except holidays) and is open from 10:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. Staff members include
Tom and Bernice Brickey, Brenda Burger,
Ralph McCullough, J acob McCullough, Bob
Mathes, J ohn Curtis, and Linda Barnard.
Tom Brickey manages the center. Burger
and Ralph McCullough run the center on
Mondays and Thursdays and order stock
items. The other staff members pull the or-
ders, package them for mailing, label new
items, and restock the shelves. This small
band of dedicated volunteers keeps the D7
Material Center running smoothly.
Most of the center’s orders come from the
website, http://d7materials.org. On average,
the center mails out 90 –100 packages a
week, everything from small padded enve-
lopes to large boxes. Last year, the store
mailed out 1,850 orders. The heaviest box
weighed in at 47 pounds. The center has
mailed orders to every state in the Union
and to several territories. Puerto Rico and
the American Virgin Islands are common
because they are part of the District 7, but
mailing addresses also include Guam and
American Samoa.
Along with the e-commerce, the center
does a fair amount of “walk-in” business.
The center had about 200 walk-in custom-
ers last year. This does not include the
yearly District 7 Conference, which averages 215-250
customers.
The center, located in Clearwater, Fla., moves its entire
stock to the yearly District 7 Conference. This year, the
conference was held in J acksonville, Fla., and required
three weeks of preparation and planning. The staff
(Continued on page 27)
Behind the Scenes: District 7 Material Center
By Linda Barnard, FL 73
Top: JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—After a successful three days at DCON,
Bernice Brickey and Jacob McCullough load the truck on Sunday, Sept.
25, to return the stock to their Clearwater location.
Bottom: The countless totes and boxes line the sidewalk next to the
entrance of the hotel in Jacksonville. More containers wait off-camera
to be loaded. Photos by Kirk Altman, Staff Officer-Publications 14




Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 27
packed countless tote boxes, piled them on pallets, and
then loaded everything on a 24-foot rental truck. Ralph
McCullough drove the truck the 225 miles to J ackson-
ville. It took over five hours because, he said, “Its max
speed was 60 mph going downhill with a tail wind.”
Early Wednesday, the staff unloaded the truck and
hauled everything to the second floor conference room.
(Continued from page 26)
There, Burger directed where to place and unpack the
containers. It took the rest of Wednesday to set up the
temporary center. Elaine Cornell joined the staff for the
conference, and her help was greatly appreciated!
The District 7 Material Center was up and running on
Thursday to a slow but steady stream of customers and
friends. By Friday morning, people were waiting in the
hallway for the center to open. Saturday start-
ed out the same and just got busier. The only
little glitch happened on Friday when the
computers slowed down for awhile, but all in
all, it was a very successful weekend, with
221 sales in 2 ½ days of operation.
On Sunday morning, everyone started to
pack everything up again. Then the truck was
loaded for the return trip to Clearwater. By
Wednesday, the pallets were unpacked and
the stock was back on the shelves and ready
to go. Early Thursday morning, the center
was back to business as usual, and the staff
pulled over 50 orders, then packed them, and
mailed them out.
A lot of time, sweat, and sore muscles go into
moving the entire center, but the staff feels it
is worth it. At DCON, the staff has an oppor-
tunity to meet their customers face to face
and introduce themselves to new ones. They
also understand that this may be the only op-
portunity that some District 7 members have
to walk thru the center. The rewards far out-
weigh the preparation and hard work.
The center is located in the Clearwater Air
Station Annex building at 15300 Fairchild Dr.
Clearwater, FL 33762. The front yard of the
building has an unusual “lawn ornament”- a
USCG Seaplane, a good landmark to look for
when visiting the center. The staff looks for-
ward to seeing everyone in St. Petersburg in
Sept 2012, but you don’t have to wait until
then. If you are in the Clearwater area on a
Monday or Thursday, please stop in and say
hi! If you are planning on coming to the cen-
ter, please call ahead. The phone number is
(727) 535-2593. Ω
Top: JACKSONVILLE, Fla.,— Bob Mathes moves a stack of plastic-
wrapped totes to be loaded onto the truck for the return trip to
Clearwater. Photo by Kirk Altman
Bottom: Bernice Brickey and Brenda Burger check out customers at
the D7 Material Center at DCON on Sept. 24, 2011. Photo by D. Riley


28 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—On Febru-
ary 26, 2011, the United States
Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 98,
Charlotte Harbor, Fla., conducted a
“Vessel Safety Day” demonstration
and clinic. Demonstrations included
the proper use and maintenance of
visual distress signals, fire extin-
guishers, and life jackets. Flotilla 98
members who assisted in the clinic
and demonstrations included Rich-
ard J . Sikorski and Michael Kinsman
(Radio Van Watchstanders), Ken-
neth H. J ohnson, Herbert C. Han-
son, Chuck Thomas, Mitchell Schlitt,
and Frank Wondolkowski.
Since they were firing the visual dis-
tress signals over water, the Coast
Guard required the flotilla to issue
"Securite" messages every 15
minutes, to advise boaters and oth-
ers about the testing and to provide
their location during both clinics, one
in the morning and the other in the
afternoon. In addition, two Auxiliary
vessels were positioned offshore,
just outside the firing range to pre-
vent curious boaters from entering
the exclusion zone set up for the
tests.
The Punta Gorda Fire Department
conducted the fire suppressant sys-
tems demonstration, while a repre-
sentative of West Marine offered the
life jacket demonstration.
In addition to the clinic, Flotilla 98
set up a Public Affairs information
booth for Vessel Safety Checks,
Program Visitors and Public Educa-
tion staffed by Ronald Dressler and
J udy Sikorski.
For the “clinic” portion of the day,
participants were encouraged to
bring their own expired visual dis-
tress signaling devices, which they
fired under the supervision of an
Auxiliary Instructor. In addition, the
Punta Gorda Fire Department
brought expired fire extinguishers,
which they used to mentor partici-
pants in the proper way to extin-
guish a fire, using a controlled-burn
fire in a fire pan.
Everyone who attended the demon-
stration and clinic, including mem-
bers of the Auxiliary, received an
eye-opening lesson on the reliability-
or lack thereof- of out-of-date
(expired) visual signaling devices.
By law, visual signaling devices
have an expiration date of 42
months after manufacture. After that
date, they no longer meet the legal
requirements for signaling devices,
although they may be carried on
board a vessel as additional items.
Similarly, out-of-date extinguishers
may be kept on board, but do not
meet the legal requirements to carry
extinguishers.
For the record, all visual signaling
(Continued on page 29)
The Efficacy of Out-of-Date (Expired) Visual Distress
Signals By M.D. Schlitt, Flotilla 98
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. Jennifer Molnar, Punta Gorda Fire Department Fire Marshall, di-
rects an attendee in firefighting at the Visual Distress Demo at Laishley Park on Feb 26,
2011. Photo by Dick Carl
Henry Hoenk, manager of the Punta Gor-
da West Marine store, uses the manual
pull cord to activate his vest’s CO2 inflat-
or. Photo by Dick Carl


Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 29

devices used were manufactured by
“Orion”, the major manufacturer of
USCG-approved visual distress sig-
naling devices in the United States.
Information collected that day con-
firms that out-of-date visual signal-
ing devices, and fire extinguishers
whose gauges read in the “red,”
cannot be relied upon to perform as
expected. These conclusions were
confirmed during the demonstration
portion of the program, as Auxiliar-
ists tested devices brought by clinic
participants.
Auxiliary Instructors also demon-
strated Orange Smoke/Day-Use
hand-held signaling devices. Alt-
hough out-of-date, they performed
well after igniting. Boaters should
carry this type of visual signaling
device for daytime use, as they are
much more effective than hand-held
flares in sunlight.
Since, by definition, “visual” signal-
ing devices need to be seen to be
effective, each attendee was also
reminded of the need to carry a Ma-
rine VHF-FM radio on board and to
use it to use to call for help before
setting off any visual signaling de-
vices.
Because the water was cold, we
had no volunteers for an in-water
life jacket demonstration. However,
the West Marine representative did
have a varied supply of Type V
(CO2 activated) life jackets on
hand, and manually inflated one.
Finally, since even the best safety
devices only work when boaters
know how to work them, flotilla
members reminded attendees that
when their vessel is taking on wa-
ter, there is a fire, or someone has
fallen overboard or is seriously in-
jured, is not the time to stop and try
to read directions. Periodic reviews
(Continued from page 28)
in the use of all safety devices
should be performed by all boaters
and their crews.
Conclusion: Flotilla 98’s demon-
stration and clinic visually confirmed
that out-of-date visual signaling de-
vices and fire extinguishing devices
are just that -- EXPIRED! Boaters
should not depend on them on to
work when needed. Any boater,
recreational or otherwise, who does
not replace their safety equipment
as it reaches its expiration date not
only violates both Federal and local
laws, but also endangers both
themselves and all who climb
aboard their vessel.Ω
Mitchell Schlitt, Auxiliary instructor (back to camera), and Kenneth Johnson demon-
strate the preparation of a large flare.

Below: A demonstration attendee holds a Day/Smoke signal under the tutelage of
Mitchell Schlitt, Auxiliary instructor. Photos by Dick Carl


30 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7
1. Hand-Held Flares: A hand-held flare is activated by removing the cap, and “striking” the top of the flare until it ig-
nites. Over half the time, expired flares had insufficient striker material to ignite the flare.
When they did ignite, it often took multiple attempts, although once ignited, they did burn
for the prescribed time. The age and the conditions under which boaters store this type of
visual signaling device can significantly affect its reliability. On the other hand, when the
Auxiliary Instructor lit in-date flares, they ignited on the first attempt and lasted the ex-
pected time. Hand-held flares are the most economical visual signaling devices, costing
approximately $30 for a four-pack.

2. Hand-Held Meteor: These visual signaling devices are activated by extending their
cylinder and unscrewing the bottom cap, releasing a “pull” chain. Upon pulling the chain, the visual signaling device is
activated, sending a “meteor” approximately 450’ vertically. When instructors tested the majority of expired Hand-Held
Meteors (2006 and older), the chain detached from the device without activating the flare. Even after multiple attempts,
only one worked, and that one did not reach the prescribed height before self-extinguishing. On the other hand, both
demonstrations of “in-date” visual signaling devices worked and launched to the expected height and burned for the prop-
er time (approximate). The cost of these visual signaling devices is approximately $50 for a four-pack.

3. 12 Gauge Meteor Flare Gun: This visual signaling device is by far the most popular. The boater places a “shell” into
the breech of the “gun”, closes the breech, cocks the hammer, and fires the gun slightly angled from overhead in order to
optimize its vertical range (advertised as 500’). The demonstration showed that,
although all the tested shells fired properly, the newer shells – those manufactured
after 2000 – had a higher non-ignition rate, launching the projectile up, but failing to
ignite. Surprisingly, the older, shotgun-type shells proved more reliable. Predictably,
however, less than 25% of the out-of-date visual signaling devices ignited after dis-
charge from the gun. Even when the shell ignited, it did not meet the manufactur-
er’s altitude/duration standards. On both occasions that in-date shells were used,
both fired, ignited, went sufficiently high in the air, and lasted the required duration.
This type of visual signaling device has an initial cost of $60 (gun with four flares),
and a replacement cost of under $30 for four shells.

4. 25mm Meteor Flare Gun: Due to the high cost (approximately $130 for the gun and $60 for four shells), we were
unable to obtain in-date samples of this visual signaling device, but did obtain two that had expired in 2005. The loading/
firing procedure is similar to those with the 12 gauge; however, hearing protection is recommended, as the “’report” from
this “gun” is rather loud. In order to accommodate the larger, more powerful shell, the gun is cast aluminum versus the
plastic used for the 12 gauge. (The manufacturer, Orion does sell an aluminum sleeve that will convert this gun to fire the
less expensive 12 gauge.) In both instances, the 25mm meteor successfully fired and the flare ignited, travelling much
higher than either the hand-held aerial or the 12 gauge meteor. Although the flares tested were six years old, they worked
as advertised and exceed USCG requirements.

5. Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Parachute Signal Rocket: This is both the most expensive and most complicated
visual signaling device to use. One slides the signaling rocket from a tube, removes two end caps and a safety tab, and
then bends an aluminum tab outward. We found the manufacturer’s illustration less clear than we would have wished.
Parachute signal rockets are quite expensive, at over $50 each, so we only had expired ones (2005) to demonstrate.
They both worked flawlessly, however, each sending a parachute flare over 1000’ vertical. Their bright red flares wafted
gently down under their parachutes, taking about 60 seconds to hit the water, and staying lit the entire time. This device
brought “oohs and ahs” reactions from the attendees, and one boater stated that, regardless of cost, he would purchase
these.Ω
The Efficacy of Out-of-Date (Expired) Visual Distress Signals:
Summary of Devices and their Effectiveness
By M. D. Schlitt
(complete kit)


Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 31

2011 District 7 Conference

Unless you are a division or district officer, there is
no reason to attend the District 7 Conference
(DCON) - right? If you are under this impression
then you are wrong!
In addition to the three days of training in a broad
range of topics, members attending the 2011 Dis-
trict 7 Conference, held Sept. 22-25 in J acksonville,
Fla., shared other experiences. These include shop-
ping in the D7 Material Center, the Commodore’s
Reception aboard the USCGC Maria Bray (free to
all members), the Commodore’s Banquet, and final-
ly, the Tropical themed “Fun Night” dinner.
From thousands of photographs taken, on the fol-
lowing pages we publish but a few. What these pho-
tographs cannot adequately convey is the sense of
camaraderie and pride shared by members of Dis-
trict 7, from South Carolina to the Virgin Islands. If
you missed this year’s conference, be sure to attend
next year in St. Petersburg!



32 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7


Training opportunities abounded
at the District 7 Conference held
September 22-25, 2011, in Jack-
sonville, Fla. Courses offered
ranged from CPR/First Aid, to an
Aids Verifying Workshop, Public
Affairs and Publications (which
even included a segment about
social media) and many other
topics. Training was scheduled
all three days of the conference.


Above: The CPR program is al-
ways popular and well attended.
Photo by Gary Barth



Top right: Gary Barth, one of the
CPR instructors, spends some
one-on-one instructional time
with Pauline Roan. Photo by
Terry Barth


Bottom right: “ Boys and their
toys.” Chuck Kelemen takes a
turn at the flight simulator. The
simulator is likely the most popu-
lar table-top presentation at the
annual conference. While as
much fun as an arcade game, the
flight simulator is a valuable
training tool. Photo by D. Riley



Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 33
The Division 14 Honor Guard prepares to
present the colors at the Opening Cere-
mony on Sept. 23, 2011, in Jacksonville.
The members are, from front, David
Green, Bill Sekeres, David Hensel, Rich
Craven, and Paul Davis. Photo by D. Ri-
ley
Below: The chairs fill up quickly as the Opening Ceremony
and District Board Business Meeting is scheduled to
begin. In the front row are all of the Division Commanders
and Division Vice Commanders set to participate in the
vote for District Captains. This meeting is open to all
members of District 7. Photo by Kirk Altman
Above: COMO Walter Jaskiewicz and John Ciampa fasten
the new shoulder boards on Judith Hudson, newly-elected
District Captain–East at the Commodore’s Banquet on Sept.
23, 2011. Photo by Zach Lessin

Left: COMO Walter Jaskiewicz poses under the banner that
served as the backdrop to all official events. Photo by Vick-
ie Aponte


34 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

Commodore’s Reception was held aboard the CGC Maria Bray, Jacksonville, Fla., September 22, 2011
Background photo: CGC Maria Bray, Coast Guard Photo Archi ves
COMO Don Frasch, Deputy National Com-
modore-Recreational Boating Safety (in red
shirt), is seated with William Tejeiro, Auxilia-
ry Sector Coordinator Miami, and Gary
Barth, Division Commander 5, aboard the
CGC Maria Bray. Photo by Vickie Aponte
Top right: COMO Walter Jaskiewicz (far
rear) prepares to enjoy his meal after a tour
of the CGC Maria Bray. Photo by D. Riley

Mid page left: One of the CGC Maria Bray
food service staff seated behind an array of fresh fruits and vegetables in the galley. Photo by D. Riley

Bottom right: CDR José Quinones, Director of Auxiliary D7, and CWO2 Ursula Walther, Operations
Training Officer D7, arri ve at the CGC Maria Bray for the Commodore’s reception.
Photo by Vickie Aponte



Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 35
A Star is born! A Star is born! A Star is born!
Pat Feighery croons a tune during the conference fun
night, Sept. 24, 2011. Photo: D. Riley
Left: Whimsical table
settings and delectable
food delighted the party-
goers.

Right: Sammie the Sea
Otter and Stacey Wright
lead a train dance. Pho-
tos by Kirk Altman
Right: COMO Jay
Dahlgren is hav-
ing a blast fudg-
ing the moves to
Y-M-C-A. Also
visible are Terry
Barth, Wilson
Riggan and Wil-
liam Tejeiro.
Photo by Vickie
Aponte


Far right: Heleyde Aponte joins in a line dance. To the right are
Stacey Wright and David Cawton. Photo by Vickie Aponte
Right: Robert Waters
is dressed to party
tropical style.

Below: David Cawton
and Angela Pomaro
Photos by V. Aponte
District 7 Conference in Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. 24, 2011


36 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

The District 7 Virtual Library is an effort to archive
and make available the vast amount of historical docu-
ments and pictures that exist within both the USCG Auxiliary
District 7 and the Coast Guard District 7.

Of course, this library will not build itself. We need your help! If you have
any documents (old manuals, publications, current and past newsletters, copies
of charters and other historical documents or photographs) that you would like to add
to this historical collection, please submit them to the library.
How to send your materials:
Only digital documents are accepted. Scan hard copies of documents and save them either in
J PG or PDF file formats. When scanning documents, please set the resolution to 300 dpi. Send
your digital documents to [email protected]
Publications officers: Please add this email address to your distribution list!
http://d7virtuallibrary.org/
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.—
“ Oscar” rests after several
man overboard drills aboard
the Heartbeat on Oct. 10, 2011.
Behind Oscar, Ron Albert,
coxswain, and crewmembers
Brian Lichtenstein, Pam
Charles, (Flotilla 38), George
Kozel (Flotilla 37), Habib Ullah
and Gary Krantz, (Flotilla 31)
conduct side-by-side towing
evolutions. Photo by Brian
Lichtenstein
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.— Miami Dolphins cheerleaders help promote Recreational
Boating Safety by demonstrating proper life jacket wear while aboard the Coast
Guard Cutter Dolphin at Station Miami Beach, Fla., on Oct. 14, 2011. The photo
carried the message across the east coast when it appeared in the New York
Post on Oct. 17, 2011. Photo by Christopher Todd, Deputy Director/Government
& Public Affairs, member of Flotilla 6-11


38 United States Coast Guard Auxiliary District 7

Auxiliary Air Assists Coast Guard Air Station
Borinquen. Articles and photos by Lee Bertman
Sometimes, Auxiliarists can spend hours on the water or
in the air and nothing of significance happens. Other
times, we know that we “earned our keep” when we put
in at dock, or in the case of Auxiliary Air (AUXAIR),
when the plane touches down on the tarmac.
AUXAIR is an operational program, but organized at dis-
trict rather than at flotilla or division levels. AUXAIR avia-
tors volunteer their aircraft for use as facilities, just as
surface operators volunteer their boats. The following is
the story of one recent AUXAIR mission.
____________________________________________
On Oct. 23, 2011 at 2:45 p.m., a CG facility flown by
Auxiliarist Chuck Fischer, Air Station Borinquen, Auxilia-
ry Aviation Coordinator, departed Borinquen with Auxil-
iarists Lee Bertman and Duane Minton serving as air-
crew.
Shortly after takeoff, they heard a report of persons in
the water along the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. This
resulted in considerable radio traffic between Sector
San J uan and the helo, which was bound for the report-
ed location of the persons in the water. The Auxiliary
aircraft called Sector to offer their services, if needed.
Simultaneously with this activity, at 3:20 p.m., Auxiliarist
Fischer observed a vessel at his 10 o’clock, about three
miles in the distance making a visible wake. Upon see-
ing the aircraft, the vessel, by now a target of interest
(TOI), stopped and deployed multiple blue tarps to cover
the vessel stem to stern.
The Auxiliary aircraft reported the TOI to Sector and cir-
cled it. They took photos and observed the boat through
stabilized binoculars. In the report to Sector, they gave
a full description of the boat, now covered with tarps,
including the GPS coordinates and the suspicious be-
havior of the vessel. Communications took additional
time due to the radio traffic being passed between the
rescue helo on the northeast
coast of Puerto Rico and Sec-
tor. They advised Sector that
the TOI was most likely carry-
ing migrants.
(Continued on page 39)

Above: CARRIBEAN SEA
southwest of Puerto Rico,
Oct. 23, 2011— Blue tarps
over the suspicious vessel
made it difficult for the Auxil-
iary Air crew to see from the
air– difficult, but not impossi-
ble to their well trained eyes.
Photo by Lee Bertman


Left: Map of the area. ©2011
Google maps
Cuba Cuba



Breeze, Volume LVII Fall/Winter 2011 39
The Auxiliary aircraft continued circling the suspicious
vessel taking photos and looking for changes in its sta-
tus. The blue tarp made it difficult to track against the
blue sea. They called Sector to ask when surface and
air assets could be deployed.
Sector requested the “splash time,” or their availability
to remain on scene. While Auxiliary aircraft had in ex-
cess of four hours before they needed to depart due to
fuel requirements, they were limited by loss of daylight
and advised Sector that they expected to lose sight of
the TOI between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m. due to low light
conditions.
At 5:27 p.m., Auxiliarists Bertman, Fischer, and Minton
heard communications between a Coast Guard Ocean
Sentry and Borinquen tower. They immediately called
the other Coast Guard asset to advise them of the sta-
(Continued from page 38)
tus of the TOI and their concerns over losing sight of the
vessel at sunset. The Coast Guard Ocean Sentry in-
creased their airspeed and gave them a new estimated
arrival time of 6:07 p.m. After providing additional up-
dates to Sector, they ‘de-conflicted’ their altitudes to pro-
vide a safe separation between the two aircraft.
At about 6:00 p.m., the Auxiliary Air crew observed a
boat approaching the area at a
high rate of speed. The boat
changed heading numerous
times, apparently going to the
initial coordinates provided to
Sector, but by then, the TOI had
drifted 2.5 nautical miles to the
northwest. After five minutes, the
patrol boat crew saw the aircraft
and headed straight towards the
TOI that they were circling.
As the patrol boat approached
the suspicious vessel, the mi-
grants and crew removed the
tarps revealing there were 30
migrants on board. The Coast
Guard Ocean Sentry relieved the
Auxiliary aircraft.
Suffice it to say, this Auxiliary Air
crew received several expres-
sions of “Bravo-Zulu” from the
Coast Guard. Ω


Auxiliary Air Assists Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen.
Continued
CARRIBEAN SEA southwest of Puerto Rico, Oct. 23, 2011—Just before sunset, a
patrol vessel, later identified as a vessel of the Dominican Republic Navy, inter-
cepts the “ target of interest,” filled with over 30 migrants who were safely re-
turned to the Dominican Republic. The haziness of the image is due to the loss of
light. Photo by Lee Bertman


Past District 7 Commodores
2009-10………………….Donald L. Frasch
2007-08……………….……....Allen Brown
2005-06………………….Peter Fernandez
2003-04 ………..…………... J ay Dahlgren
2001-02…….…...………...….. Mary Larsen
1999-00……...…...…...…... Helmut Hertle
1997-98…………..……..... E.W. Edgerton
1995-96……....….... George E. J eandheur
1993-94……..........…. J oseph E. Norman
1991-92…………......…… Walter W. Bock
1989-90…………...…. Guy R. Markley, J r.
1987-88……………….…. Rene E. Dubois
1985-86…………..... Robert B. Waggoner
1983-84………….……… J ohn C. King, J r.
1981-82………….…. William J . Callerame
1979-80……………….… Bolling Douglas
1977-78………………………. J ames Titus
1975-76………….……….... Newton Baker
1973-74………... Lawrence G. Danneman
1971-72…………….… Dr. Elbert C. Prince
1969-70…………..….. George B.M. Loden
1967-68…………….….. Ernest A. Baldine
1965-66……………...….. Roland Birnn
1963-64……..……Miguel A. Colorado
1961-62…………… E. E. Vanderveer
1959-60…………….. Richard L. Smith
1957-58………………. Herbert L. Lutz
1956…………..… A. Harlow Merryday
1954-55…….…….... Stanley W. Hand
1952-53……….…….... N.J .M. McLean
1951-52……….... Fred T. Youngs, J r.
1950…………..... Guersey Curran, J r.
1948-49………...…Charley E. Sanford
1946-47……....……... W. N. Mansfield
1939-45...no DCOs yet, DCPs gov-
erned
Auxiliary Sector Coordinators

Reginald B. Hollar
ASC Sector Charleston

Donald C. Hoge
ASC Sector St. Petersburg

J esse L. Stevens
ASC Sector J acksonville

R. Dewey J ackson
ASC Sector Key West

Osvaldo M. Catinchi
ASC Sector San J uan

William V. Tejeiro
ASC Sector Miami
Division Commanders 2011
Division 1………………………Angel Benero
Division 2….……....….……....... David Fuller
Division 3….……...……….. Samuel E. Duda
Division 4…………William J . Sorrentino, Sr.
Division 5……….….....…….... Gary P. Barth
Division 6……...……….……. J udith Hudson
Division 7…....……...…...….. Amos J ohnson
Division 8…….....……….…..... Braxton Ezell
Division 9………..…………...….. Louis Conti
Division 10…………....…..Warren M. Wilson
Division 11……..………….. J immy R. Ryder
Division 12………………….Vito W. Giardina
Division 13……………... J effery A. Bronsing
Division 14…….……...……Henry T. Hayden
Division 15……………………….. Craig Elliot
Division 16………...…... J ames “CC” Kreglo
Division 17……...………..... George S. Peek
District Staff Officers
Prevention Department
Bruce Lindsey………………….…...DDC-P
J ohn Sprague-Williams ……..........DSO-MS
Frank R. Lann ….………………DSO-MT
William B. Riley...…………………..DSO-PV
J ohn L. Vanosdol……..……………DSO-PE
William S. Griswold……..…………DSO-SL
Chuck Kelemen ……......……….…DSO-VE

Response Department
Richard Leys…………………...…...DDC-R
David Cawton …………………...…DSO-NS
Cecil Christopher..…………..……..DSO-AV
J oseph Colee, J r……..…...………DSO-CM
J anee Henderson………………….DSO-OP
J erry Henderson.……..……QE Coordinator

Logistics Department
James Dennen………………..……..DDC-L
Nestor Tacoronte…...……...……...DSO-CS
Susan Z. Hastings……...……...…...DSO-IS
Thomas A. Loughlin ……………..DSO-PA
Dorothy J . Riley…. ……………..….DSO-PB
Angela Pomaro .…..…...…….….…DSO-HR
Terry Barth ……………...…………DSO-MA
Bruce L. Perri……………………....DSO-DV
Nestor Tacoronte ……….…….. Webmaster


Lillian G. GaNun …….…………….DSO-SR
Douglas Hanson..…...….…..………...DSSO
Douglas Hanson..………….………….DFSO
Andrew Anderson…………….…….DSO-LP
Antoinette Borman………….….……....D-LL
J ames Mayer.......………….………DSO-FN
Richard Leys………..….………….PPDCPA
Peter Fernandez…….....Plan Coordinator
Thomas Brickey …District Materials Center

District Administrative Assistant &
Aide
Carolyn R. Hooley ……...…................D-AD
Elaine J . Cornell ……………………...D-AA
COMO Mary T. Larsen ...………...Advocate


Give generously to
the Coast Guard
Mutual Assistance
Program.



http://d7materials.org/index.php
The center is now open
Monday & Thursday 1000-1600
You can reach the center by phone
during these hours at:
(727) 535-2593
http://www.cgmahq.org/index.htm
“Guard Your Own” “Guard Your Own” “Guard Your Own”




http://www.teamcoastguard.org/

District 7 2012 Fall Conference

Sept. 10-13, 2012
Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront
333 First Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727.894.5000 -direct
Ask for IN HOUSE RESERVATION
$98.00 room rate