| TOP | Archives |
|
SUBSCRIBE: Atom RSS What’s This? |
| TOP | Archives |
|
SUBSCRIBE: Atom RSS What’s This? |
The annual Memorial Marker Service, honoring Auxiliarists who have crossed the bar during the last year, has been set for Saturday, May 4, 2013, at the Coast Guard base in San Pedro, CA. The one-hour ceremony begins at 1000 hours, followed by a barbeque at noon.
Auxiliarists are encouraged to invite family and friends of our departed members to the ceremony to speak for their loved ones, and hear them honored. The barbeque will be held at the athletic field, and costs $5.00 per person. Click to download or read the official flyer.
The Memorial Marker Ceremony is sponsored by the Past Commanders Association (PCA).
A variety of photos from the recent DTRAIN 2013 conference are available for viewing and download from the District's photo site at http://photos.d11s.org. DTRAIN photos may be found in the "Fellowship" section, or by clicking this direct link: http://d11s.smugmug.com/Fellowship/DTRAIN-2013C.
If you wish to download a photo, click on its thumbnail, and then hover your mouse over the selected photo until a choice of sizes appears. View any size up to the camera original. After choosing your size, right click over the image, and choose "Save Image As..." and save it to your desktop.
While visiting the photo site, you may watch a slideshow of any album of your choice.
WASHINGTON, D. C., May 16, 2012 -Total boating fatalities last year rose to 758, the highest number on record since 1998, according to the U.S. Coast Guard's official 2011 Recreational Boating Statistics released today.
User Services and Support Director Dale Crow announced today the immediate availability of the Auxiliary's first video "walkthrough" guide, covering the use of the Online 7029 Webform. The video shows members, in seven minutes, how to open and complete the 7029 form online, and tips for navigating the Webforms site. The video guide is the product of the recently-formed User Guides Division, headed by DVC Karen Rochon.
The 7029 Webform is used by members to report their administrative hours, which are of vital importance to the Auxiliary in obtaining funding. In addition, reporting hours gives each member a visible record of his or her contribution. The webform differs from all other Auxiliary reporting methods in that you may use any web browser, anywhere, anytime, to enter your personal data into a national database. And you can use the system each day, like a diary, or enter your data in bulk, at the end of each month or quarter.
The Video Walkthrough Guide provides a simple, step-by-step tutorial that should encourage all members to not let their important work go unreported. The 7029 Webform Video Walkthrough Guide may be viewed or downloaded from this website at cgaux.org/library/video/itgroup/7029-video-walkthrough.php. If you are not reporting your hours online, watch this guide and join 10,000+ of your shipmates who said goodbye to paper and PDF files.
Resources for diversity planning have been added to the Diversity Job Aid Kit on this site. In a new section captioned "Planning", an article entitled 2012 Local Diversity Events and Links give members links to nine (9) websites describing local festivals and events, such as Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth, Asian Festival, and others. Of particular interest is the 86 page booklet 2012 LA Festival Guide (pdf).
The Diversity Job Aid Kit may be found under "Staff Departments" to the left. Members knowing of other events with diversity components may contact DSO-DV Selwyn Keane with the appropriate information.
Once again, the District 11SR is soliciting Christmas toys from our members to be distributed to Coast Guard families. Age-appropriate donations are being sought for all age groups from toddler to teenager, and should consist of new toys or articles, in original, unopened packaging.
Members are urged to bring their donations to the Director's office during the months of November. Be aware that the cutoff date for distribution is not long thereafter, so please get your donations in by November 30th.
A copy of the flyer can be viewed/downloaded by clicking on the image to the left.
Online registration for the annual District conference, now called "DTRAIN", is now open at conference.d11s.org, although key information flyers normally available there are still being prepared.
The three-day event, which runs from January 6-8, 2012 in Costa Mesa, CA, features training, awards, fellowship, and district staff and board meetings. The conference usually attracts nearly a third of the membership of the entire district. New members who joined in 2011 will find it especially useful as a way of getting many questions answered, and seeing a perspective beyond just the flotilla. Don't miss this important event!
Register now, come back later for the flyers and conference details. And book your hotel early, right from the site!
In consideration of those members who use Facebook for Auxiliary-related activities, or just wish to be more security conscious, District 11SR Commodore Harry Jacobs has ask that this Facebook Privacy Settings guideline, prepared by the U.S. Navy, be made available to our membership.
The 32-page, step-by-step presentation explains the privacy and security versus social networking tradeoffs, and then provides specific instructions how you may set up your Facebook account with appropriate safeguards.
Facebook Privacy Settings Presentation (pdf;32p)
In 2001, the Coast Guard authorized the Auxiliary to train the general public "on the water" using Auxiliary operational facilities. The for-compensation program, described in a 44-page On Water Training (OWT) Manual , had several key objectives, the first of which was "to increase the realism and effectiveness of boating safety eduction...with actual on water experience."
Because the opportunities for mishap in an operational context far exceed those in a classroom setting, the OWT Manual is reasonably precise about the policies and procedures for conducting such training. Nevertheless, to forestall members from incurring substantial personal and financial liability, Auxiliary Chief Counsel, Commodore Sigurd Murphy, has today issued a strong warning about the consequences of deviating from the program as documented, particularly non-compliant vessels:
"If members, acting on behalf of the Auxiliary, do provide OTW training using paddle craft or other vessels not in compliance with the OTW Program Manual, the members involved may not do so under orders (orders can not be issued for activities not authorized), will not be "assigned to duty" as an Auxiliary member, will not be reimbursed for expenditures, may not wear an Auxiliary uniform or otherwise represent the Auxiliary during the instruction, and will not have claims "coverage" by the government for injuries or death, third party claims or other liability."
Although the public On Water Training program is not authorized in District 11SR, the District Commodore urges all members and leaders to be thoroughly familiar with the potential – and possibly dire – personal consequences to members who offer unauthorized and/or unsanctioned on water training.
Divisions 9 and 10 are once again sponsoring their popular Inland Rendezvous -- a three-day fellowship event in Flagstaff, AZ, from September 30th through October 2nd, 2011.
All Auxiliarists and their families are invited for a event-filled weekend that includes a hospitality night, sightseeing in Flagstaff, the land of the volcanoes, and an all-day scenic trip on the historic Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon National Park. A Saturday-night dinner and a raffle at Black Bart's Steakhouse cap the scheduled activities.
For additional details, costs, hotel accommodations, and a registration form, please download the 2-page flyer below. Note that all registration is via mail, and must be postmarked by September 15, 2011. The train excursion per person costs $70 if you register before August 20th, and $90 thereafter, so act quickly!
Don't miss the fun!
DIRAUX advises that volunteers are needed for the upcoming Coast Guard Family Day (see 2011 Coast Guard Day on August 4th is a Family Affair; Auxiliarists Invited, July 14, 2011, below). Specifically being requested are:
Also being solicited are the following people/items:
If you can volunteer for this fun event, please contact HS1 Juan Guevara at Juan.C.Guevara@uscg.mil.
Base Support Unit San Pedro has announced that the 2011 "Coast Guard Day" will be held on Thursday, August 4th, 2011 from 1000 until 1500. All Auxiliarists and their families are invited to the event, which has been billed as a "Year of the Family" celebration.
Fun and games are being offered for children and adults alike, such as a bounce house, a water slide, an obstacle course, a dunk tank, and more. The barbecue, available for $3.00 per person, or $6.00 per family of four, will include grilled carne or pollo asada, and smoked pig.
Complete details are available on this flyer.
The annual Memorial Marker ceremony, honoring our shipmates who have "crossed the bar" since last year's ceremony, was held at U.S. Coast Guard Base San Pedro today. The names of 69 of our fellow Auxiliarists were read out loud after the sounding of eight bells, and have been engraved in the memorial marker for posterity.
District Commodore Harry Jacobs, speaking from prepared remarks, said "Each of them had a dream...that his or her efforts might one day save a life or detour a boater from serious injury....Thank you for providing all of us an example to follow, a legacy to be cherished, and a tradition to be celebrated."
The ceremony was attended by members from all across the District. For a copy of Commodore Jacobs's complete remarks, please click here.
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Strategic Plan for 2011-2012 has been released by National Commodore Jim Vass. You may download your own copy of the plan from http://leadership.cgaux.org/documents/Strategic_Plan.pdf.
Elected and CS, PA, and PB officers of District 11SR flotillas without websites or webmasters will be gratified to find an entire new section on the topic in the Communications Services Job Aid Kit on this site. In the WOW section are six article of importance to the use of this major innovation, including documentation, the National WOW presentation, and best practices.
Several flotilla commanders in the district have already created websites for their units, and have abandoned their old, classically programmed sites. If your unit's site is old and/or neglected, then you should look into WOW now. The CS Job Aid Kit can be found int the Table of Contents under "Communications Services", to the left.