UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY UNOFFICIAL NEWSLETTER

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UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY UNOFFICIAL NEWSLETTER

Press Release Date: August 25, 2004 Contact: Aux. Wayne Spivak 516-353-9155
WSpivak@sbanetweb.com

United States Coast Guard Auxiliary to
Support Coast Guard Security efforts
during the Republican National Convention in New York City

The 2004 Republican National Convention will be held in New York City at Madison Square Garden from August 30 through September 2.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, the civilian volunteer uniformed component of the United States Coast Guard, will be part of the contingent of governmental agencies maintaining security at the upcoming Republican National Convention.

Scheduled to participate in this event are well over 100 Auxiliarists who will maintain a 24-hour presence on over 60 Coast Guard Auxiliary boats, called facilities. These boats are all privately owned by Auxiliarists who freely loan them to the U.S. Government for use in missions that support the Coast Guard and Homeland Security.

While these boats serve the Coast Guard and the U.S., the owners are reimbursed for fuel and damage should it occur. The Auxiliarists receive meal stipends but are required to pay for their uniforms and equipment, out of their own funds.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary currently has over 36,000 members with 3,900 or about 11 percent of the membership located in the First Coast Guard District, Southern Region, which encompasses the New York City Metropolitan area, from Southern New Jersey to parts of Connecticut and Vermont.

According to CDR John Felker, the region's Director of Auxiliary, and the Coast Guard Officer who is the Auxiliary Program Manager in the First Coast Guard District, Southern Region, “The men and women who are part of the Auxiliary set the bar that all volunteers should seek to emulate. Their unselfish devotion, from their donation of their most precious resource – time, to braving all weather conditions on the water and in the air, to assist the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security in protecting our great country is to be commended.” In addition to security and safety patrols around New York Harbor, Auxiliarists will be manning Coast Guard public relations booths, assisting with Coast Guard communications and providing a vast assortment of direct and indirect support jobs in the New York City area.

In addition, a contingent of Auxiliarists, who have completed the First District, Southern Region Auxiliary Chef School, will be trading their boats for aprons as they man the ovens, cooking for Team Coast Guard at locations like Station New York, Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne and Station King's Point in support of the 24-hour security operations.

Auxiliary assistance to the Coast Guard is not limited to event. The Auxiliary will beef up their status at all the Coast Guard stations in the region during the RNC in order to meet the unique security demands of this event. Auxiliary facilities will provide increased Search and Rescue platforms and crews, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and a wide assortment of other missions that members of the Auxiliary perform on a daily basis.

Auxiliarist Frank M. Ferraiuolo, the Auxiliary First District (Southern Region) Staff Officer for Operations, and the Auxiliary’s liaison with the Coast Guard for this event, can’t begin to convey both his enthusiasm, about those who are participating in this event as well as the rest of the Auxiliary.

“I think the RNC will involve thousands of Auxiliary volunteer hours,” said Ferraiuolo. “Many people have given up their vacations and days off to help. We have had a great response from our members in support of this mission.”

“The Auxiliary is the pre-eminent volunteer organization in the Department of Homeland Security and their response to this surge operation is only one example of why these volunteer lifesavers hold this honor,” Felker said.

We Need You -- The Coast Guard Auxiliary is called upon to provide essential services to the Coast Guard as they focus more heavily on their military missions. We need all the help we can get. You needn't own a boat or be an experienced boater, since our missions are wide-ranging. For information about Auxiliary missions and the Auxiliary in general, go to our Join the Auxiliary web page. You will find there a form through which you can ask that a local Auxiliarist make contact with you to explore the ways in which you can assist Team Coast Guard.

Click JOIN US for more information.

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