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DIVISION 12
BOARD MEETINGS
Executive
Inn
1755
Embarcadero, Oakland, CA
7:30 PM
The Fourth
Thursday of Every Month Unless Otherwise Posted
Snapshots from Boats ’n
Kids on board USCG Cutter Morgenthau
Saturday 20 May 2006
A BRIEF
HISTORY
The Coast
Guard Auxiliary's precursor was the United States Coast
Guard Reserve, established by an act of Congress on 23
June 1939. It was composed of unpaid civilian volunteers
-- U. S. citizens who owned motorboats or yachts.
In 1941
Congress created a military Reserve and renamed the
original reserve the Coast Guard Auxiliary: “The purpose
of the Auxiliary is to assist the Coast Guard, to
promote safety, to effect rescue, to promote efficiency
in the operation of motor boats and yachts, to foster a
wider knowledge of and better compliance of laws and
regulations governing the operation of motor boats, and
to facilitate other operations of the Coast Guard.”
That
simple charge has expanded since 1939. As the educational arm
of the Coast Guard, the Auxiliary taught boating
education to recreational boaters. This was accomplished
through classes in Boating Operation and Safety open to
the public, Courtesy Marine Examinations, and Marine
Dealer Visits.
In 1996
the first official change was made in the duties of the
Auxiliary. Congress clarified the Auxiliary’s role to: “assist
the C G as authorized by the Commandant in performing
any CG
function, power, duty, role, mission or operation
authorized by law.” In addition, the Auxiliary was allowed to
assist other Federal agencies, state authorities and
local governments in other areas than boating safety.
The Coast
Guard is a military unit; but the Auxiliary, by law, is
non military. This means that Auxiliarists can participate in all CG activities except law
enforcement and actual combat.
Before
the official expansion of responsibilities in 1996 our primary
concern was with education related to
recreational boaters. After the change in law the
Auxiliary became more involved with other aspects of Coast Guard
missions. We took a more active role in search and
rescue through the use of our own facilities and
resources by water, land, and air. We became involved
with in watch standing at Coast Guard stations, expanded our Courtesy
Marine Examinations (now called Vessel Safety Checks) to include commercial fishing boats,
patrols for port security, air reconnaissance,
administration and a wide variety of other duties as requested.
The
9/11/01 tragedy brought new challenges to Coast Guard Auxiliarists,
and new opportunities to apply their training
and their dedication. And the role of the Coast Guard itself
was given new emphasis when the service became the lead agency in
the newly established Department of Homeland Security.
Coast Guard duties did
not expand, per se, but were intensified to address the
increased threat of additional acts of terrorism. When a
senior Coast Guard official was asked if they could do
the job with their present manpower he replied, simply,
“We have the Auxiliary”.
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