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(GARIBALDI, Oregon) – The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will celebrate its 85th birthday on June 23rd, 2024 with celebrations held nationwide. The history of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary stretches back to 1939 when it was established by Congress as a civilian volunteer group named the Coast Guard Reserve, then in 1941 the name was changed to the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. During its 85 years, the Auxiliary has expanded its locations from Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific to New York City. At present the Auxiliary is approximately 20,000 individuals strong, each bringing their own unique and vital talents and services to the organization.
Through the years the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary has been an active participant in multiple mission areas from environmental and marine protection, saving lives on the water and backfilling the U.S. Coast Guard in their mission areas. This includes various roles during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina recovery and response in support and security patrols on 9/11. At present the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary works under the guidance of the U.S. Coast Guard with the main missions of supporting U.S. maritime safety and our nation’s recreational boating safety. These contributing mission areas are driven by our members’ training, skills, and talents cultivating needed leadership skills.
What makes the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary distinctive is carrying out peacetime missions such as search and rescue, natural resources and environmental protection, public affairs, and culinary services. Coast Guard Auxiliary personnel undergo training in various fields that are applied and put to the test each day and are often never routine. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary offers many options for members to serve using skills they have developed from schools and careers. In today’s U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary opportunities range from culinary specialists who can serve in galleys on cutters and stations, public education instructors working to educate on recreational boating safety on a national scale, and coxswains who help to coordinate responses to search and rescue missions. Working in these various opportunities allows for free training possibilities and can help to improve existing skills. New skills are also engrained from day one with developing and broadening leadership skills.
The opportunities offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary gives members tools to be successful in their communities. The members are prepared to serve and contribute to the protection of our nation, is a professional all volunteer group working to confront boating safety challenges, and is skillful in mission accomplishment. The women and men of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary find that leadership and utilization of skills create a path to success which is measured not by themselves but measured by the community they serve. If you are interested in further information on the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or would like to join, please visit www.cgaux.org to get started.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component of the U.S. Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939. For more information, please visit www.cgaux.org
