U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY District 7 Lake Murray Flotilla 12-3 Chartered 1947

Columbia, South Carolina Meetings: Last Monday of each month on Flotilla Island at 1900. Next meeting: 31 August 2009

Information contained in this newsletter is for official US Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary use only, under the Privacy Act of 1974. The Auxiliary is guided by the current equal opportunity policies of the Commandant of the Coast Guard. No person shall be subject to

discrimination in the Auxiliary or its programs because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, or disability. Editor: COMO Jay Dahlgren, 803-536-6538

Flotilla Meritorious Achievement Medal 1997

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals

built the Titanic.”

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I hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather and getting out on the water. It is important that we continue to make our presence known by doing patrols, marine dealer visits and of

course vessel inspections. If you have not completed the number of vessel inspections required to keep your qualification now is the time to do them, as the summer goes on there will be fewer opportunities. National Marina Day is 8 August and Lighthouse Marina has asked that we join with them in this event what an oppor-tunity to get those VSCs you need. We had a successful drill on 14 July with the paratrooper group in preparation for the 12 September para-chute water jump. My thanks to everyone who worked to make this drill such a success. We now have a core group of coxswains and crew who are qualified to retrieve jumpers from the water. However, we are going to need everyone’s support both on land and water on 12 September to make this event a success, so keep this date in mind. We also had three coxswains and two crew members recertify on 25 August. Congratulations to Don Davis, Ken Uschelbec, and Kent McCoin who recertified as coxswain and Dale McCoin and Richard Lesni-eski as crew. We must be sure to stay in communication with the Watchstander during all our patrols. Radio contact must be established with the Watchstander before you leave the dock to start a patrol and maintained during the entire patrol, by making your operation reports. Any change in the patrol’s mission must be communi-cated to the Watchstander in a timely manner. If you should come upon a vessel in distress, or situation re-quiring your action, this information must be communicated to the Watchstander along with what action(s) you are taking. As the situation changes you must advise the Watchstander. The annually dues notices will be sent out in this week, please be sure to return your payment to Aaron Small be-fore the end of the month. Enjoy the rest of your summer and hope to see you at our 31 August meeting. Ω

Units patrolling in blue.

National Marina Day

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August 2009

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ONE TWO — THREE ICS 210 or ICS 300 is now required for both the MS Training Ribbon and Trident Device. This is in compliance with ALAUX 08/18 which required ICS 210 or ICS

300 for those ‘qualifying in the Trident program.” The on-line form will be updated to reflect this change. A new decal (page 7) for America’s Waterway Watch is now available and in stock at the Auxiliary National Supply Center. In addition to ordering for your local flotilla, please take advantage of this opportunity and con-tact your nearby U.S. Power Squadrons group. As partners in this effort, we need to make sure they are sup-plied with materials as well. Ω

From the Pacific to the Atlantic, we find that boaters are unaware of the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) radio fea-

tures – how it works and how to connect the radio to your GPS. We also found that VHF/DSC radio and MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) knowledge was very limited at the point of purchase – the dealers and stores. The Coast Guard and BoatUs Foundation produced a comprehensive, informative CD “Can You Hear Me?” that explains it all, including how it works with Rescue 21. The CD breaks it down into simple, easy to understand chapters. At the July flotilla meeting, the CD was made available to members, so it you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it. If you don’t have one, ask FC for one or go to www.BoatUs.com/. As RBS Program Visitors, we help educate the marine dealers and our program partners so they can pass the information along to boaters. Everybody wins. Ω

Let's spread the word. The Fall ABC class will be presented on the

two Saturdays of 19 and 26 September. Tell everybody you see, and invite them to sign up ASAP. We hope to have a sizeable group this time around. Ω

The Auxiliary Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) device is meant to recog-nize extraordinary effort of Auxiliarists who consistently provide strong sup-

port to RBS programs. Consequently, its eligibility criteria require significant RBS program activity over a minimum pe-riod of two years. An eligibility criterion includes a compilation of 120 points per year for two consecutive years for a total of 240 points. Hours for prescribed mission codes are reported on the Mission Activity Report (ANSC-7030) form. Vessel Safety Checks (VSC) and vessel facility inspections are reported on the Vessel Examinations Activity Report (ANSC-7038). RBS Program Visits are reported on the RBS Visitation Report (ANSC-7046). Qualification for the RBS Program Specialist encompasses any/or a combination of these categories: Public Education; Public Affairs; Vessel Safety Checks and Vessel Facility Inspections; RBS Program Visitation; Legislative Outreach; and State RBS Outreach. In the AUXDATA data base, District 7 has made a total of 34,155 awards of all kinds, to date. Of all these awards, 127 were for the RBS device. That's about 4/10ths of one percent. In Division 12 there are only 8 such awards: FL 12-2 Dorothy Schoch; FL 12-3 Bill Riley and COMO Jay Dahlgren; FL 12-6 Maggie McCarty and Bob Weskerna, DCDR 12; FL 12-10 Karin Hollar, Reggie Hollar, DCAPT-N, and Eric Hurlin. If you are interested in vying for this award, please contact me.. Ω

Billy Lindsay, Marine Safety

Jerry Ruschkofski, Member Training

Al McCallister, Public Education

Festus Burchfield, Program Visitor

PREVENTION

We are seeking additional venues to hold VSC events so if you be-long to a group or marina in the area which can benefit from such

an event, or know of one, let me know. Are you interested in becoming a Vessel Examiner (VE)? The flotilla is always looking for more members to join the VE ranks. Let our Member Training officer, Jerry Ruschkofski, know and he can provide you with the materials to get you started. You can also study on your own, take the exam online, and then successfully execute five VSCs under the supervision of a qualified VE to become a VE yourself. Go to: http://www.safetyseal.net/training.asp for details. Ω

BOATED TOO LONG

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And THIS is why we teach boating safety!

Burnette Sheffield, Vessel Examiner

From the Personnel Services perspective, we have the District Membership Growth Award

and Membership Growth Awards for individuals, flotillas and divisions. The Coast Guard recognizes Auxiliary recruiting with the Auxiliary Re-cruiting Service Award. These are all great ways to recognize the efforts of individuals in the area of recruitment – critical to the continued survival of the Auxiliary. Are our members applying for these awards? Are our leaders promoting these awards? Don’t miss out on this opportunity to say thank you to our hard working members in the area of recruitment.

Find the award applications on the “P” department website, www.auxpdpt.org. I am sure that districts, division and flotillas recognize their members but, how often, once a year? It would be nice to recognize people for a job well done on a more frequent basis. It would be nice to acknowledge several people, rather than just one. Ω

Speed up searches. When it comes to scouring the Web, most folks use the search field that’s built into their browser. Built-in search

is the best thing to happen to browsers since tabs, but you can make it even better: Inquisitor ( http://www.inquisitorx.com/ie/index_en.php) is a free plug-in that displays fast, polished results as you type. A favorite among Safari users, Inquisitor (which Yahoo acquired last year) recently came to Firefox and Internet Explorer. You simply install the plug-in, restart your browser, and then start typing in the search field as you normally do. Now, however, each keystroke brings search results, suggestions, and shortcuts to other search engines. Inquisitor makes Yahoo your browser’s default search engine - not surprising, but rather annoying. Fortunately, if you prefer, you can switch to Google (or whatever search engine you like): Just click Search Options at the bottom of an Inquisitor results list. Of course, Google Toolbar users have long enjoyed similar search-as-you-type goodness, though without the same flair. The bottom line: Inquisitor brings faster, simpler searches to your favorite browser. Ω

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I learned awhile ago that there are three fundamental rules in communicating.

1. Reduce written content by 50 percent. Users read content slower from a computer screen so a typical paper based document and the overall content should be as brief as possible;

2. Do not use large chunks of text. Users do not like to scroll through documents or see large chunks of text so the average paragraph should not exceed 50 words;

3. Use hypertext, headings, highlights, bulleted lists. Users tend to scan written material and do not read electronic content word for word so material should be developed in chunks of information with easy to find headings, highlights, bulleted list and hyperlinks.

Of the these three rules, the third one is unfortunately the one that is overlooked the most. A recent study of on-line public relations documents posted for electronic distribution on Web sites found that less and half used headings or subheads in the text; Only 14 percent contained bold highlights; and hypertext was used in 34 percent of on-line documents. Ω

Festus and I finally got to see the US Coast Guard Tall Ship Eagle while it was docked in Charleston for the 2009 Harbor

fest. It was a sweltering 100⁰F but we braved the heat to get the private tour for Auxiliary mem-bers. Festus met a young Coast Guard academy cadet assigned to the Eagle and they hit it off right away. Their conversation naturally centered on boats and planes. I put five pages of pictures on a website so you don’t have to download. You can see my site here: http://home.earthlink.net/~bdburchfield/ Ω (Ed. Note: Please see additional pages 6 & 7 by Barbara)

We are now in the eighth month of the year. Following is the status of those needing to re-qualify:

Coxswain – Joe Richbourg – needs 12 hours u/w Crew – George Mendenhall; Bill Riley; Aaron Small – need 12 hours u/w RBS VISITOR – G. Mendenhall; Richard Miner; Aaron Small need 4 visits each to get off REYR VESSEL EXAMINER - Don Davis needs 4; Kenny Uschelbec & Festus Burchfield needs 5 each Dahlgren, McCallister, Dale McCoin, Kent McCoin, G. Mendenhall, Richard Miner, and Aaron Small all are REYR INSTRUCTOR - G. Mendenhall, J. Mendenhall, S. Pstrak, A. Small, B. Burchfield, F. Burchfield need the required hours. Ω

Ladd Harrelson, Communications Services

LOGISTICS

Don Davis, Information Systems

Barbara Burchfield, Public Affairs

COMO Jay Dahlgren, PuBlications

Russ Jernigan, Personnel Services

Mike Mikutaitis rejoins Flotilla 12-3 at the June meeting. Shown are Bob Weskerna,

DCDR 12, and FC Miner.

HELMSMAN SNOOZING

Old Farmer’s Advice: Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

Two-Way Broadcast Communications. There are several types of two-way radio communications available to the recreational boater. These

include: VHF marine radio; SSB MF/HF marine radio; CB radio; FRS (Family Radio System) radio; Ham short-wave radio. Of these, the VHF radio is the most relevant to the average recreational boater. The SSB (Single Sideband) marine radio is of importance to those cruising offshore. The CB and FRS, although not designed for marine use, can also be handy to have. Ham radio is not an option for marine usage since an onboard ham ra-dio station is not likely to be of interest to anyone but an already licensed ham radio operator. Ω

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Compare Four-Cycle and Two-Cycle Gas engines continued. So… Continuing from last month’s article

wherein we covered the pros/cons of the two-stroke engine ending with the downside of the exhaust contributing to air pollution. As a result, much government legislation is being enacted regarding the permitted uses and operating locations of two-cycle engines. California has banned these engines from some lakes. Four-cycle engines are just the opposite. They are more complex, more expensive to build, heavier, and have a lower power to weight ratio. But, they are in-herently cleaner burning. Although the power to weight ratio of a four-stroke is less, the fuel efficiency is better so you get more miles to the gallon. Also, two-stroke oil is not cheap so this will also add to your cruising cost. Last but not least, oil distribution in the four-stroke is far better resulting in a longer lasting en-gine, although this is somewhat offset by the greater complexity which increases the odds of something breaking. Ω Special: Unit 1 is ready for the upcoming September 12 USA parachute jump operation. Still need coxswains and

crew to use the boat for patrols, especially weekends.

CGA UNIT 4 CGA UNIT 3 CGA UNIT 5

CGA UNIT 1 CGA UNIT 2

CGA UNIT 6 CGA UNIT 8 CGA UNIT 9

12-3 COAST GUARD AUXILIARY

12-3 Coxswains

CoMmunications

OPERATIONS (RESPONSE)

Kenny Uschelbec, OPerations

Festus Burchfield COMO George Jeandheur Joe Richbourg

George Crouch Al McCallister Jerry Ruschkofski

COMO Jay Dahlgren Dale McCoin Kenny Uschelbec

Don Davis Kent McCoin

Roger Deaton Richard Miner WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

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INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: " Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?”

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Bob Weskerna, DCDR 12, addresses the flotilla at the June meeting.

Lt. Col. Stevens, US Army presents the operational preparedness plans for the scheduled 12 September planned parachute jump into

Lake Murray.

Attending the June meeting in preparation for the planned parachute jump in September: Clark Rowe, Lex. Sheriff’s Dept; Lt. Col. Stevens, USA; Sheriff’s Deputy Troy Williamson; Lt. Col. David Schimsa, USA

When you click, the outline of the United States will appear and frame all of the pictures slowly in a slide type presenta-tion. Make sure your sound is on. http://oldbluewebdesigns.com/mybeautifulamerica.htm Thanks to Tom Callan

Two new members (at least new to 12-3, but veteran Auxiliarists) have agreed to take staff officer positions effective 1 July. Festus Burchfield is our new FSO-PV, and Barbara Burchfield is our new FSO-PA. Both held these positions previously in their old flotilla and division. Their experience and knowledge of these jobs will greatly benefit 12-3 and our community. Their desire to step up and take on extra duties has already made us a better flotilla! Remember – many hands make light work. When you see or talk to the Burchfields, or with any serving staff officer, please take the time to thank them for their extra service. We cannot effectively have a flotilla without the efforts of those who are willing to do a little bit more. The little colored ribbons are nice, but the real pay we get is the heartfelt thanks from one of our own or from the public. That point was further driven home for me this past Saturday, 11 July, as I attended the chartering ceremony for Flo-tilla 12-1. Certainly the Coast Guard was present, but so were elected officials, the press, and the general public. The members at Lake Marion saw a need, and they made a concerted effort to put a flotilla on their lake. As we know all too well, they had to sacrifice time and money to make 12-1 a reality. It was not an easy, nor a seamless, journey. Their ef-forts were acknowledged by the community they sacrifice to serve. I am proud of their accomplishment. 12-3 was lucky to have them, even for a brief time, as part of the family. The extra work and travel put in by our own members was recognized as well. 12-1 would not exist had our flotilla not processed in, educated, and trained the new members. Bravo Zulu to each of you for your efforts. Ω

Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy." – Sir Isaac Newton

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Marinas across the country are gearing up for the eighth annual National Marina Day, to be held August 8, 2009. The Association of Marina Indus-tries organizes this public affairs event to spotlight the important role that marinas play in the recreational boating community. National Marina Day is a great opportunity for Auxiliary flotillas to engage in outreach of their own. See http://www.auxbdept.org/

RIVER WINDS LANDING BLACK’S BRIDGE AREA

GETTING TO KNOW YOU… LAKE MURRAY

Lighthouse Uniform Company has a uniform package for the Tropical Blue Uniform. There seems to be an almost $30.00 savings. You can contact them at: lighthhouseuniform.com or 800-426-5225.

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VISUAL IMPACT By Barbara Burchfield, FSO-PA

A single image is worth a thousand words, and can provide significant, lasting visual impact on the viewer. Visual impact is not limited to photographs, but also relates to any visual experience. The impact part of what you see is the memory and impression you retain from the image.

Here’s an example: Recently Festus and I met Jay, Marty and Don at Spinners Resort while they were out on safety patrol on a beau-tiful Saturday afternoon. Spinners is a membership resort on the southern shore of Lake Murray. Jay, Marty and Don docked the “Master Chief” and joined us in the restaurant for lunch. They all looked great in standard sum-mer working Auxiliary uniforms, which obviously caught the attention of many guests and staff members. I won-dered what kind of perception each person had…. so later I snooped around a little and found out!

The young lady screening memberships and the young man working the docks had seen the “Master Chief” ar-rive, but were completely unaware of the USCG Auxiliary. That gave us the opportunity to talk about it, and we did. The Store Manager had also seen us having lunch with those uniformed guys, so we know that visual impact was clearly made again. I would have liked to talk to some of the folks having lunch, but the opportunity didn’t present itself….. this time.

Fact is, visual impact plays an important role in how you are perceived and what kind of image you will have with the public. Wearing a uniform shows who you are, and wearing it well gives an even better observation. Every time you put on the uniform, someone you don’t know will look at you. Every time you do anything or have a verbal exchange while you are in uniform, somebody will be watching you - and they will come away with a visual image and some kind of perception of you.

I clearly see this as an opportunity for the Auxiliary, particularly to promote public education, community out-reach, and awareness of the Auxiliary and its mission. Jay, Marty, and Don gave a positive visual image and therefore, positive visual impact, to the boating community and staff at Spinners Resort. Looking good out there, guys! Ω

Dr. William Glasser, an internationally recognized psychiatrist, says “We learn… 10 percent of what we read, 20 percent of what we hear, 30 percent of what we see, 50 percent of what we see and hear, 70 percent of what we discuss with others, 80 percent of what we experience, and 95 percent of what we teach to some-one.”

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Operation “Back in Black” By Barbara Burchfield/FSO-PA The term “Back in Black” is used to honor the U.S. Army 360th Civil Affairs Brigade and its history as an Airborne Unit. Newly authorized paratrooper BDU black fatigues are reminiscent of the earlier vin-tage paratrooper uniform. Prior to assuming non-airborne status, the 360th soldiers will conduct a final group jump on 12SEP09. Some of the paratroopers will participate in a land jump at North Auxiliary Airfield but the majority, as many as 80 soldiers, will take part in the water jump at Lake Murray. It will take several C-17 aircraft passes over the lake at about 10 minute intervals to drop up to 16 soldiers at a time from 1250 feet into Lake Murray. Auxiliary vessels will pick up the soldiers and their equipment, with the help of an Army rescue swimmer onboard. Soldiers and their equipment will be relayed from the Drop Zone to pontoon boats stationed nearby, which will ultimately ferry them to Pine Island for an afternoon of food, festivities and ceremonies. Auxiliarists and their families are invited to the event which is expected to attract about 400. A multi-agency meeting was held on Tuesday, 14JUL09, at Flotilla Island, followed by a water training exercise in the actual Drop Zone near Pine Island. Lt. Col. Mark Stevens, U.S. Army, conducted the briefing with auxiliarists from Flotilla 12-3, U.S. Coast Guard Station Charleston, and Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Department of Natural Resources will also be participating on 12SEP09. Auxiliary Units 1, 2, 4, and 5 joined in the combined water exercise to physically retrieve a soldier and parachute in the water at the Drop Zone. A debriefing was held at Flotilla Island; the training proved beneficial and good practice for the upcoming Operation “Back in Black”. Ω

Unit 1 retrieved the parachute and jumper in less than 2 minutes!