D17 Auxiliary Member Training

D17 Member Training page

What is a C-School? Class C-Schools are Short Term Resident Training. These schools are usually one week or less and are paid for out of “training” funds. You donate your time and the Coast Guard pays for the travel costs! For more information click on the "Auxiliary C-School Portal" above to go to the C-School website. Most questions you might have can be answered on the "C-School FAQ" button at the above site. Descriptions of classes available are listed under the "C-School Matrix" button. Also listed are the classes scheduled and forms you need to fill out to go to one.

Member training opportunities 2008
D17 Conference training	February 14-18	Click here for more info
Land based crew/coxswain training	February 23 Anchorage	contact Rae De Ley
TCT	April 5 Anchorage	Mark Parmale
TCT	April 25 Homer	contact OTO
Coxswain Academy	April 25 to May4 Homer	contact OTO Registration form

Team Coordination Training - 8 Hour Class
April 5, 2008, 0800 to 1630
Morris Communication Building
(Behind Schlotsky's Deli off Dimond Blvd. or King Street.
301 Arctic Slope Avenue 1st Floor Conference Room
(enter through the west parking lot entrance)

Team Coordination Training, TCT, is one of the steps to
become crew/coxswain qualified with the Auxiliary. If you
wish to go out on the water in a crew capacity or your
current TCT session is about to expire after 5 years please
consider joining Mark Parmelee and Gary Taylor for this
spring session.

Through discussion, case studies, videos, and examples;
attendees will cover topics to reduce human errors leading
to boating accidents. All auxiliarists are invited to
attend. One does not need to have final status as an
auxiliarist nor be involved in the crew program. The
boating lessons learned have applications for all.

This particular session will be the first for the Whittier
Flotilla on the "Reduced Powerpoint" diet.
Powerpoint slides have been reduced to make time for more discussions. New videos have been added and the end result should be a more interesting program for everyone.

Please RSVP to Mark at potterview@gci.net. Those who sign
up with an email will get a chance to review case studies
ahead of time.

The 2008 Coxswain Academy is now open for enrollment. If you are interested in attending Click Here for Info and the registration form. For more information contact DSO-OP or OTO Bob Gross

Important Uniform Updates

1. ALCOAST message 056/08 of February 6, 2008 announced results of the

recent Coast Guard Uniform Board 42 (UB42). Past National Commodore Henry

G. Pratt, III served as the Auxiliary representative to UB42.

2. Since the ALCOAST was issued, several questions have been asked about

certain Auxiliary uniform matters. Having worked with the Coast Guard's

Uniform Systems Manager (CG-1221A) and Auxiliary National leadership, the

following guidance addresses these matters for Auxiliarists:

a. Prior Military Service Insignia. One of UB42's determinations

was that Coast Guard personnel are not authorized to wear prior military

service insignia if not earned while in the Coast Guard (i.e. - a prior

service Army officer who now serves in the Coast Guard cannot wear his/her

combat infantry badge on Coast Guard uniforms). This determination does not

apply to Auxiliarists, therefore provisions in the Auxiliary Manual

regarding Auxiliarists' wear of prior military service insignia other than

Coast Guard still apply.

b. ODUs.

(1) Active duty personnel are authorized to use Velcro to

fasten name tapes and "U.S. Coast Guard" tapes over their right and left

breast pockets, respectively. This authorization is granted because of the

likelihood and frequency of their involvement in direct law enforcement

operations. It does not apply to Auxiliarists.

(2) Active duty personnel are required to wear sew-on rank

insignia on their collars. Such a requirement could pose a considerable

personal funding impact on some Auxiliarists who frequently encounter

situations in which it is more appropriate to wear the Auxiliary membership

insignia rather than elected/appointed office insignia (i.e. - necessitating

multiple ODU tops that have Auxiliary office insignia and the Auxiliary

membership insignia sewn-on). This potential impact must be balanced

against the requirement to maintain a clean, professional uniform appearance

at all times. Accordingly, Auxiliarists who frequently encounter situations

in which it is more appropriate to wear the Auxiliary membership insignia

rather than elected/appointed office insignia are authorized to use Velcro

to fasten sew-on insignia to the collar as an option to actually sewing them

to the collar. This authorization remains in effect through January 2009.

A final determination of permanency or revocation of this authorization will

be made in February 2009.

(3) Metal collar insignia are still authorized for

Auxiliarists until sew-on standards are developed (this is not expected

until the summer season, 2008). When sew-on standards are developed and

stocks produced, then metal collar insignia will no longer be authorized for

wear on Auxiliary ODU tops.

(4) The sew-on Auxiliary coxswain insignia is still the

only qualification insignia authorized to be sewn on the ODU top (metal

qualification insignia are not authorized for wear). Sew-on standards for

other Auxiliary qualification insignia are being developed and will be

authorized for wear when stocks are produced. Sew-on insignia from prior

military service other than the Coast Guard are not authorized to be worn on

Auxiliary ODUs (or any other Auxiliary uniform).

Operational Dress Uniform (ODU) Availability
The Coast Guard-wide ODU roll-out is now complete in that ODU orders by Coast Guard Auxiliarists are being accepted and processed by the Coast GuardUniform Distribution Center (UDC) in Woodbine, NJ. The UDC phone number for placing uniform orders is 1-800-874-6841. The UDC web site is http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-w/g-wp/udc/index.htm. Auxiliarists are strongly encouraged to use the ODU sizing guide (available on the UDC web site under "ODU Uniform") because the ODU outfit is quite different from the working blue uniform. Additionally, working blue uniform items are still available through UDC at significantly reduced costs and they are authorized for Auxiliary wear until no longer serviceable.

Effective immediately, the Social Security Number (SS#) will no longer be used to ID members when they call for uniforms at the Uniform Distribution Center (UDC) in Woodbine, NJ. A member must have a EMPLID # or they WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ORDER A UNIFORM.

The Public Affairs Department Needs Your Stories

- and wants to help you to get your stories told to external media!!!

WEBMASTERS NOTE: If you have any ALASKA District 17 newsworthy items that you would like to share with all the other D17 Auxiliarist's on this NEWS site send in your item to The Webmaster or to the DSO-PA

One of the primary goals of the Public Affairs Department is to increase our visibility in the external media, (newspapers, magazines, radio, and of course, television). In order to accomplish this goal, the External Communications Division needs your stories. We need to hear about unique situations that relate to one of our core missions (recreational boating safety, operations and marine safety, etc), or anything else that would be of national interest.

-Some examples include: Had an interesting SAR case, let us know!
-Had a unique student in your PE class, let us know!
-Have a member who performs extraordinarily and gets noticed by the Gold side or even the community - you guessed it, let us know!
-If something newsworthy happens, let us know immediately, since one of the keys to getting our stories told is letting the media know about it in a timely fashion. The External Communications Division staff will work to determine whether we can turn it into a national story.

What makes a good local story that can become a national story? Visit http://www.auxpa.org/research/USCGAUX-PA.swf to view a Flash presentation for some ideas on how to turn a local story into a national story.

Members with an interesting story to tell that may be of interest to a national audience can go to http://www.auxpa.org/dept/story.php or send an email with the who, what, where, when, and why to stories@auxpa.org .

This tool is available to EVERYONE, not just Public Affairs Officers.

When using the form, please complete as much of the form as possible. While this service should not be used for purely local stories (such as Flotilla election results, individual awards, Change of Watch notices, meeting, class, VSC station notices, etc.), we certainly encourage the FSO-PA to approach their local media outlets with these types of stories.