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By John Saran, Auxiliary Public Affairs Specialist 1, District Captain — Area East,
Ninth Coast Guard District Auxiliary (District 9WR)
What does an icebreaking tug do on the Great Lakes during the summer after six months of icebreaking operations? Sailing races, festivals, cadet training, and visiting world class cities, of course (in addition to supporting the Coast Guard’s law enforcement and search and rescue missions).
It is no wonder that over the summer, the decks of the Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay (WTGB-101) are filled with visiting Sentinels from across the country. How could they pass up the chance to experience Chicago in July, with the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac or the fanfare and festivities of the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival and Sturgeon Bay Maritime Week?
On July 16, the Katmai Bay arrived at Chicago’s Navy Pier for nearly a week of liberty and events supporting the 2023 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.
Prior to the race weekend, the cutter’s commanding officer, Lt. Michael Overstreet, and crewmembers attended the Warning Gun Party at the Chicago Yacht Club. Overstreet received a race pennant signed by this year’s racing captains as a show of appreciation from the Mackinac Committee and the Chicago maritime community for the Coast Guard’s support of the event.
The following day, Overstreet took part in the skippers’ meetings to augment the planning for the event, reinforce emergency procedures and answer any questions from the sailors.
As the cutter prepared to cast off on race day, July 22, “Go Cubs Go” by Steve Goodman blared over the loudspeaker. One of the crew manning a cleat for cast off was Aidan Wiecki, an auxiliarist in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary University Program at Maine Maritime Academy. Wiecki, joined the Auxiliary in late 2022, is a rising senior from the Virginia-D.C. area who aspires to attend Officer Candidate School. Wiecki expertly handled the lines and made casting off a 140' tugboat look seamless.
“Our cadets and auxiliarists have spent part of their summer living and working onboard the Katmai Bay, earning in port and underway watch qualifications that they will be able to use anywhere in the cutter fleet,” said Overstreet.
The cutter steamed out of Navy Pier, and the crew stowed lines and human-sized fenders and raised a pennant from the U.S. Life-Saving Service to judge the wind.
On the bridge were familiar faces including Executive Officer Lt. j.g. Bryant Giorgi (who supported the 2022 Chicago Air and Water Show) as well as Lt. j.g. Kylie Vaverek, Ensign Lauren Hatfield and Petty Officer 3rd Class Marcos Madrid (who all assisted with the Chicago Christmas Tree Ship Event in December 2022). Three Coast Guard Academy cadets were also aboard, including Myles Gustavo DeCoste, a member of the Class of 2024.
The cutter was soon close to its anchorage location right outside the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse. The crew conducted a briefing and risk assessment before they dropped anchor, and then settled at the center point of a safety zone to protect racing participants and waterside bystanders. Coast Guard and Auxiliary vessels supported by local agencies manned the safety zone and actively kept boaters from encroaching on the race.
Once enough vessels departed, the cutter raised the anchor and made course for Mackinac Island. The cutter followed the sailing vessels for the duration of the journey, and provided a close SAR response unit and reassurance to the 2,069 sailors.
After crossing the finish line with flags flying, the crew of the Katmai Bay was invited to attend the post-race festivities on Mackinac Island.
The cutter’s summer break did not end at Mackinac Island, and the crew began preparations immediately to take part in the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival and Sturgeon Bay Maritime Week.
Sturgeon Bay Maritime Week lasts through Aug. 12, with Katmai Bay open for free tours through the afternoon of Aug. 11. Check Door County Maritime Museum’s Facebook page for tour times.
If you would like to join the Katmai Bay or any other cutter on the Great Lakes next summer, reach out to your chain of command. Auxiliarists, contact your flotilla commander or another member of the Auxiliary chain of leadership.
On July 6, 2022, Auxiliarist Michael Barth was commissioned as an ensign in the United States Coast Guard Reserve. Ensign Barth made this transition after more than five impactful years of service in the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Highlights of his service include being named the Auxiliarist of the Year in 2019 and being featured as a special guest of the Commandant at the 2021 Coast Guard Festival. Throughout his Auxiliary career, Ensign Barth used his professional training and time management skills to navigate both a Wall Street career and his Auxiliary service, which in 2019 resulted in over 2,000 hours in public outreach and recreational boating safety activities in the New York City area. He also used his time in the Auxiliary to build a vast network of active duty, Reserve and Auxiliary contacts that prepared him for his journey to the Reserve. The Auxiliary Public Affairs Directorate caught up with Ensign Barth for an interview (that will be covered in future publications) prior to his initial reporting to Coast Guard Sector New York.
Auxiliarists with special skills and backgrounds can take the leap to help the Coast Guard fill critical Reserve personnel needs. This transition aligns with the Commandant’s intent for 2022 of transforming the Coast Guard workforce by leveraging talent and resources already within the organization. Seasoned Auxiliarists like Ensign Barth can more quickly adjust to a Reserve role given they already embody the core values, have existing institutional knowledge, and likely have served in augmentation roles with local units. Moreover, reservists can remain members of the Auxiliary which provides a bridge for Auxiliary units to better integrate within Team Coast Guard.
Interview of Ensign Michael Barth by John Saran, AUXPA1
Photo credit: Daniel Henry, US Coast Guard Public Affairs; United States Coast Guard Leadership Development Center; courtesy photos by Ensign Michael Barth
NEW YORK CITY — Ensign Michael Barth conducts his enlistment oath with Captain Zeita Merchant, Commander of Sector New York, in front of friends and family on May 3, 2022,at the Battery Park World War II Memorial. (Coast Guard Photo by Daniel Henry)
NEW YORK CITY – Ensign Michael Barth is joined by friends and active duty and Auxiliary members of Sector New York and the New York Recruiting Office for his enlistment oath ceremony. (Coast Guard Photo by Daniel Henry, US Coast Guard Public Affairs)
COAST GUARD ACADEMY – Ensign Michael Barth and other recruits engage in physical fitness training to correct deficiencies during Reserve Officer Candidate Indoctrination at the Coast Guard Academy. (Coast Guard Photo, Leadership Development Center)
COAST GUARD ACADEMY –Ensign Michael Barth returns the salutes of SN Michael O’Brien and AUX Alexander Rico after commissioning as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve on July 6, 2022. (Courtesy photo by Ensign Barth)
COAST GUARD ACADEMY – Lt. j.g. Benjamin Stern shakes the hand of Ensign Michael Barth on July 6, 2022. Lt. j.g. Stern served as Ensign Barth’s Assistant Platoon Officer throughout Reserve Officer Candidate Indoctrination. (Courtesy photo by Ensign Barth)
COAST GUARD ACADEMY – Ensign Barth shines brass on the Coast Guard Cutter Cuyahoga Memorial while serving as an officer candidate. The Cuyahoga was an officer candidate training vessel that sunk after a collision in which 11 officer candidates were lost. (Coast Guard Photo, Leadership Development Center)
The first wave of Auxiliarists deployed to the U.S. Southwest Border (SWB) are now returning home with the gratitude of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP), the U.S. Coast Guard, the Auxiliary, and the nation. In the spring of 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard received a request for assistance to provide non-law enforcement support to CBP (another component of DHS). The Auxiliary was the first component of Team Coast Guard to respond starting in late May. Deployments will continue through September 2022 and take place in several locations around the SWB including California, Texas and Arizona.
To date, 17 Auxiliarists have deployed to the SWB, while 39 received orders to deploy. A total of 222 members have expressed interest in deploying, and the Emergency Management & Disaster Response Directorate of the Auxiliary is working tirelessly to process and vet those applications. This is the first mission in recent history where a certain code or PQS was not needed – rather, Auxiliarists have assisted with general administrative support; and warehouse logistical support. Culinary assistance may also be requested in the future.
The first wave of Auxiliarists deployed to Eagle Pass Station South in Texas under the team leadership of COMO Tracy DeLaughter, IPDCO of District 8WR. With his direction, the team was able to quickly adapt to the operation and lay the foundation for future deployments. In fact, roughly twenty percent of the group either committed to a deployment extension or a return to the SWB later in the summer.
The A-Directorate, Publications Division interviewed three members who deployed with the first wave to Eagle Pass Station South: AUX Caryn Byerson, AUX David Soderholm, and AUX Terri Fraser. Common themes emerged – the gratitude, respect and fellowship showed by DHS, CBP and FEMA representatives to Auxiliarists at the SWB were overwhelming. Members genuinely felt part of the CBP team (after a short orientation) and that they made a difference in helping the vital mission at the SWB. The first-hand experience of the humanitarian operations at the SWB erased any prior understandings about immigrant treatment. The facilities were clean, air-conditioned and the immediate needs of non-citizens were taken care of (food, water, shelter, and showers).
Upon arrival, Auxiliarists were divided into three, 8-hour shifts and provided an orientation, in one case, by Captain Ronzelle Green, the Coast Guard Reservist who is the Coast Guard SWB liaison. All Auxiliarists worked under the supervision of the CBP agents and supervisors who were helpful in answering questions. Duties of Auxiliarists included assisting CBP agents while non-citizens were initially processed, data entry, stocking supplies in the temporary non-citizens living quarters, unloading pallets in warehouses, inventorying personal property of the non- citizens (to be returned later), and handing out food, water, and mylar blankets. “Each day was different and depended on the need – some days there were 20-30 people being processed and in a blink of an eye, there would be hundreds. I am an adventurous kind of guy, and I will say it was physically demanding at times,” said AUX Soderholm.
Captain Troy Glendye, CHDIRAUX, recently toured the Eagle Pass stations and visited with Auxiliarists of the second wave who hit the ground running. “The Auxiliary is the pointed end of the spear for the Coast Guard at the Southwest Border. This historic deployment is a continuation of our work with the Auxiliary bridge to seek out new opportunities for using Auxiliarists as a force multiplier,” said CAPT Glendye. During off-hours, some members went to the Rio Grande River and were witnesses to non-citizens fighting the strong currents seeking a better life in America. “It touches you a lot differently,” said AUX Fraser. Members also engaged in fellowship during the off-shift hours by visiting the local town, sharing meals, and attending pool parties, many times with CBP and other contacts made during business hours. Most notably, multiple Auxiliarists led by AUX Ed Dickson used their off-shift time and in some cases culinary specialist skills to conduct a full-day, outdoor BBQ cook-out on 02 JUN. “We made five briskets, three racks of ribs, pork butt, and jalapeno poppers, all in uniform in the hot Texas sun,” said AUX Byerson. Auxiliarists fed all three shifts that day, which included CBP, Auxiliary, and other federal workers.
If these members’ services interested or inspired you, consider volunteering at the SWB. “If you have ever wanted to be deployed in support of a Coast Guard mission, but did not think you were qualified, now is your chance. We need anyone and everyone who desires to support the Coast Guard and the Auxiliary with this mission,” said COMO Rick Saunders, Assistant National Commodore, Response-Prevention Group.
If you are an Auxiliarist interested in joining the mission, please send an email to: auximacc@cgauxnet.us to start the process. If you are interested in joining the Auxiliary to start or continue your service or to join in this humanitarian mission, please click here to find a flotilla near you!
By: John Saran, AUXPA1, Division Chief – Publications, A-Directorate
Interviews of: CAPT Troy Glendye, CHDIRAUX, AUX Caryn Byerson, AUX David Soderholm and AUX Terri Fraser.
Contributions by: COMO Rick Saunders, ANACO Response-Prevention Group and COMO Tracy DeLaughter, IPDCO District 8WR.
EAGLE PASS, Texas — CAPT Glendye, CHDIRAUX, and the second wave of Auxiliarists stand outside of Eagle Pass Station. (Coast Guard Auxiliary Photo by COMO Tracy DeLaughter)
EAGLE PASS, Texas — AUX Fred Black, AUX Wes Morosco, and CBP Watch Commander Anthony Cabarillo conduct an introduction meeting for the second wave of Auxiliary volunteers. (Coast Guard Auxiliary Photo by COMO Tracy DeLaughter)
EAGLE PASS, Texas — AUX Ed Dickson works the smoker and showcases his famous, BBQ sundae during the Auxiliary BBQ for the CBP at Eagle Pass Station. (Coast Guard Auxiliary Photo by COMO Tracy DeLaughter)
EAGLE PASS, Texas — Culinary specialists and volunteers from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary cooked a large BBQ spread for three shifts of CBP and other federal workers at the Eagle Pass Station. (Coast Guard Auxiliary Photos by COMO Tracy DeLaughter)
EAGLE PASS, Texas — AUX Fred Black works the pallet hack in the warehouse at Eagle Pass Station. (Coast Guard Auxiliary Photo by COMO Tracy DeLaughter)