NAVIGATORNAVIGATOR THE U.S. COAst GUARD AuXILIARY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2009 Coming NEXt ISSUE … HAPPY 70TH ANNIVERSARY, AIM students carrying their luggage, begin the week COAST GUARD AUXILIARY! by running to cadet Chase Hall dormitories. Story on page 10. Photo by Tom Nunes, Flotilla 10-8, East Valley, Arizona 2 | NAVIGATOR DEADLINES SUMMER: July 1 FALL: October 1 NAVIGATOR WINTER: January 15 CONTENTS 13 SPRING: April 1 | 4 COMO Kerigan Guidelines for | submissions of 6 Celebrate editorial and | photographic con- 8 International Boating tent are online at www.auxpa.org/ & Water Safety Summit navigator. Please send editorial | 10 AIM Is On-Target and photographic | submissions to: 11 Teamwork navigator@ auxpa.org 12 | New Auxiliarist of the Year 13 | Walter Cronkite 13 | Heartland Initiative 15 | Where Did They Go? 20 | National Safe Boating Week 26 | Texas Hold ‘em 28 | SAR Competition ON THE COVER: 30 | Fleet Week and the Auxiliary Division 15, hosted 32 | Two In the Water 15 Eighth District, Western Rivers’, annual 34 | Educating a New Generation SAR competition on of Leaders Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Arkansas. | 36 Evergreen Teams competed in 38 | Happy Birthday Coast Guard a variety of events with the winners taking home awards and bragging rights. Competing in the fire drill is the team of (left) Dirk Homan, Flotilla 81, East Peoria, Illinois; (right) Bill Slusser, Flotilla 85 Peoria, Illinois; and on the hose at the far end of the dock is Chad Wiehe, Flotilla 83, Hannibal, Missouri. Read more on page 28. Telephone numbers and address- es of members are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. As a matter of policy, rosters of names, addresses and telephone num- bers shall not be made available to the general public or any out- side organization. Privacy of all rosters shall be safeguarded and the page clearly labeled. The pub- lication of these rosters, addresses and telephone numbers on any computer on-line service includ- ing the Internet is prohibited by 28 the Privacy Act of 1974. SUMMER 2009 | 3 Defining Performance e need to eliminate boring jobs in the activity doesn’t achieve much, we the Auxiliary and consider the fol- shouldn’t be surprised. Wlowing: Instead, ask, “What is the desired out- COMMODORE • Ownership come of the Visitation Program?” The NICHOLAS • The Authority to Think answer defines the result: “To see a KERIGAN • Responsibility for the Outcome growth in the number of new members • Measuring Results and people who say they took an Auxiliary National public education course after picking up Commodore OWNERSHIP a brochure at a marina.” By defining the Ownership means having a sense of desired result, we offer a challenging and personal responsibility for something. worthwhile performance goal. Each volunteer should be able to say of Defining tasks in terms of performance his assignment, “This is my responsibil- helps meet the need for a sense of accom- ity.” Today’s volunteers are less interested plishment. It helps people feel their activ- in making long-term commitments than ity is valuable. It also helps the Auxiliary before, so short-term, specific projects are operate more effectively. When people important in attracting volunteers. know what they are supposed to accom- plish, they are more likely to achieve it. AUTHORITY TO THINK It makes sense that we should let people An individual should not only do a job, know their goals, and then hold them but should play a part in deciding how to accountable for achieving those goals. do it. Leaders sometimes resist letting new members think, believing it’s easier MEasURING RESULTS to plan for him or her. But, as each learns Decide how to measure performance or his/her role, doing only what someone it will be impossible to know how well an else assigns dilutes their feeling of pride individual or group is doing. Many leaders and saps motivation. They lose interest fail to measure performance, thinking that and the likelihood of their leaving the doing so will discourage volunteers, but if Auxiliary increases. people can’t tell whether they are succeed- Leaders don’t abdicate responsibil- ing or failing, they lose interest. There ity for ensuring good results, however. is also little incentive to try a different Volunteers can’t be without guidance, course of action if you don’t know whether doing whatever they think is best. All need the present one is working. to be working toward a set of coordinated It’s easy to measure whether people ON THE WEB and agreed-upon goals. Involving mem- meet their commitments or are on time. You can go to the bers in the planning and deciding process We keep track of hours and contacts made, National Commodore’s promotes a sense of collaboration. but, these tend to lack any real meaning page at www.auxnaco.org because they do not tell us whether the and i-naco.blogspot.com/ RESPONsiBiliTY FOR RESULTS hours and contacts accomplished any- for more information on the People need to know the desired goal thing. They do not indicate a result. U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary of a project or mission, and be respon- People need to be involved in deciding sible for the results of their work. Most what information is needed to tell them Auxiliary tasks are not defined in terms of whether they are succeeding, and how results. Instead, they merely list a series of this information can be collected. Set tar- activities. Results are hardly mentioned. gets, then encourage members to exceed Fragmented responsibility causes indi- them; even set records. viduals to lose sight of the goal, frequently Some members may devote a hundred leaving it poorly and ineffectively achieved. hours a month to the Auxiliary; others Consequently, members become bored. only a few hours. All service is important. It may be difficult to define a task in Whatever the contribution, their time and terms of performance. For example, a energy should produce measurable per- member may be told that a task of the formance. Recreational Boating Safety Visitation And, while we are at it, let’s strike a bal- Program is to spend three hours per ance between what we do for the Auxiliary month visiting marinas and filling racks and the needs of our family, friends and with Auxiliary literature. This states communities. an activity. No result is specified, and if Semper Paratus. 4 | NAVIGATOR NAVIGATOR The official magazine of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary www.cgaux.org EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE National Commodore Nicholas Kerigan, NACO National Vice Commodore James Vass, NAVCO National Area Commodore - Atlantic East Thomas Venezio, ARCO-A(E) National Area Commodore - Atlantic West Thomas Mallison, ARCO-A(W) Where National Area Commodore – Pacific Victor Connell, ARCO-P Immediate Past National Commodore Stephen Budar, NIPCO DiD Your Chief Director of the Auxiliary Captain Mark Rizzo, USCG National Chief of Staff Commodore Stephen H. McElroy, NACOS CopY Go? DIRECTORATE COMMODORES hat did you do with your old copy of National Directorate Commodore for Operations NAVIGATOR? Did it become landfill in Mark Simoni, NADCO-O some municipality? We hope not. Each National Directorate Commodore for Member Services W Edward E. Sweeney, NADCO-MS issue is packed with interesting stories, inspiring per- National Directorate Commodore for Recreational Boating Safety Robin L. Freeman, NADCO-RBS sonalities and exciting photographs of Auxiliarists involved in real-life missions across the globe. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS How about placing your old NAVIGATOR in a doc- Department Chief Robert E. Nelson II, DC-A tor’s office, auto repair center, tire store, salon, spa, or Deputy Department Chief Tom Nunes, DC-Ad any location where people sit and wait? If a young per- Chief, Publications Division son thinking about serving his country picks it up, he’ll Robert T. Westcott, DVC-AP learn how a few years as a volunteer in the Auxiliary Navigator Magazine, Editor Judy M. Darby, BC-APN can prepare him for OCS, the Academy, or the job Navigator Magazine, Assistant Editor Karen L. Miller, BA-APN market. If someone looking for a new career reads it he’ll learn how Auxiliary training and volunteer service can give his résumé a big bang. Someone just retired Copyright 2009 Coast Guard Auxiliary Association, Inc. and looking for a second career or a way to share a life- All rights are reserved. No portion of this publication can be copied or otherwise be used without written permission of the editor.Navigator is an official time of experience might read it and find out that the informational and educational tool for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and is intended to keep the membership and the U.S. Coast Guard apprised of the activities of the Coast Guard has a need for that experience. Auxiliary. Accordingly, all articles published in Navigator must be consistent with the stated policies of the U.S. So, please don’t throw away your old NAVIGATOR Coast Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. All articles and pictures submitted to Navigator become the property of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Association, Inc. magazines. You never know who’ll read it next. SUMMER 2009 | 5 Celebrate Maryland Governor Honors Auxiliary n April 20, 2009, Auxiliarists in “There are 1,271 members of the service in the Chesapeake Bay and navi- ODivisions 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary in gable rivers on the Atlantic Coast. They Baltimore/Potomac, were honored by Baltimore’s sector, covering Maryland, are involved in boater education and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s District of Columbia and Northern safety, search and rescue, emergency Office on Service and Volunteerism. Virginia. They contribute thousands of towing, air flights, radio watch-standing, The group was chosen from 311 nomina- hours of volunteer service to the State pollution investigation, and most activi- tions as winner in the National Service of Maryland.