ABOUT THE
AUXILIARY
PRELUDE
Tens-of-thousands of men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
(the Auxiliary) have spent millions of volunteer hours helping the
U.S. Coast Guard (the Coast Guard) carry out its mission. They have
saved countless lives through their work and are probably best known
for their boating safety classes and Vessel Safety Checks.
Here we
present a broad knowledge of the Auxiliary, as we become an
increasingly important member of "Team Coast Guard" - the combined
Active, Reserve, Auxiliary and Civilian components of the Coast
Guard.
HISTORY
When the Coast Guard "Reserve" was authorized by act
of Congress on June 23, 1939, the Coast Guard was given a
legislative mandate to use civilian volunteers to promote safety on
and over the high seas and the nation's navigable waters. The Coast
Guard Reserve was then a non-military service comprised of unpaid,
volunteer U.S. citizens who owned motorboats or yachts.
Two years later, on Feb. 19, Congress amended the
1939 act with passage of the Auxiliary and Reserve Act of 1941.
Passage of this act designated the Reserve as a military branch of
the active service, while the civilian volunteers, formerly referred
to as the Coast Guard Reserve, became the Auxiliary. So, February 19
is formally recognized as the birth of the Coast Guard Reserve while
June 23 is recognized as birthday of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
When America entered World War II, 50,000 Auxiliary
members joined the war effort. They guarded waterfronts, carried out
coastal picket patrols, rescued survivors from scuttled ships and
did anything else they were asked to do. Many of their private
vessels were placed into service.
After the war, Auxiliarists resumed their
recreational boating safety duties. The Auxiliary's four
cornerstones - Vessel Examination, Education, Operations and
Fellowship - were established and remained the Auxiliary's pillars
into the 1990s.
The well-known
Vessel Safety Check, a free
examination available to any recreational boater, helps boaters
ensure their craft complies with Federal boating regulations.
As for
Education, the Auxiliary teaches boating safety to
recreational boaters of all ages.
The Auxiliary operates safety and regatta patrols
and is an integral part of the Coast Guard Search and Rescue team.
Auxiliarists also stand communication watches, assist during
mobilization exercises, perform harbor and pollution patrols,
provide platforms for unarmed boarding parties and recruit new
people for the Service.
Following passage of the Coast Guard Authorization
Act of 1996. The Auxiliary assists the Coast Guard, as authorized by
the Commandant, in performance of any Coast Guard function, duty,
role, mission or operation authorized by law.
ORGANIZATION
The Auxiliary has members in all 50 states, Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. Membership is
open to men and women, 17 years or older, U.S. citizens of all
states and territories, civilians or active duty or former members
of any of the uniformed services and their Reserve components,
including the Coast Guard. Facility (radio station, boat or
aircraft) ownership is desirable but not mandatory.
Although under the authority of the Commandant of the U.S. Coast
Guard, the Auxiliary is internally autonomous, operating on four
organizational levels: Flotilla, Division, District Regions and
National.
