Graduation Celebrated at Nation’s First Detachment at The College of William and Mary

The Coast Guard Auxiliary Detachment—the first such program in the nation—at The College of William and Mary marked the graduation of its first student at a ceremony and reception held in conjunction with the school’s weekend-long commencement activities. Emily Johnson, the year’s only graduate from a program that includes nine students, described the event as one that, "celebrates all that the students and staff have worked to accomplish, and all that is yet to come for a new generation of leaders that will work to make the Coast Guard Auxiliary one of the world’s truly great volunteer and humanitarian services."

Other awards were given in addition to the conferring of graduated status on Ms. Johnson, who served as the unit’s student leader during her senior year. New members from the spring semester were recognized for having completed new member training. Other students received qualifications as Communications Specialist (AUXCOM) and Instructor Specialist (IT), and the two original students and one staff member were recognized as the program’s Plank Owners. A Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation was awarded to the team responsible for initially standing up the program. Speakers at the event included Johnson, Andrew Welch (FSO-DL, program director), James Clark (FC), Heidi Derby (DCAPT), Chaplain Donald Troast from the Navy’s Commander, Submarine Force, and Taylor Reveley, President of The College. Commodore Albert DeJean (DCO-5SR), The Honorable Michael Powell, Rector of The College’s Board of Visitors and former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and a number of other representatives from the Auxiliary and local active duty commands joined family and friends in attendance.

The program began in 2007 as the brainchild of Welch and Clark. Johnson was initially attracted to the Auxiliary because of the opportunity for rigorous leadership training the Detachment promised to provide. With a stated mission to “prepare Detachment Members to serve effectively as officers in the United States Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary,” the program works at the cross-purposes of preparing approximately one third of its members for application to and success at Coast Guard Officer Candidate School, and the two-thirds majority of its members to serve as a new generation of young leaders within the Auxiliary. While Johnson, who aspires to a career in international refugee work, will continue to work in the Auxiliary, her shipmate from the William and Mary program, Michael Piantedosi, has just been accepted as a transfer into the Coast Guard Academy’s class of 2013.

The program is open to all students who meet the basic requirements for Auxiliary membership and who are willing to take on the added challenge of training and education as Detachment Members. During the first semester of membership, students complete "Basic Auxiliary Requirements" (BAR) training, a program developed in-house and field tested for the Detachment and future programs nationwide by instructors from Flotilla 67 in Williamsburg, VA. Most of BAR is taught by more senior students, and includes a heavy focus on Coast Guard Core Values and the concepts of "teamwork" and "shipmates", as well as Coast Guard and Auxiliary history, organizational structure, correspondence and writing, ranks, rates, offices, insignia, and uniforms. Detachment Members must also complete the ICS-100 training, pass a NASBLA-approved safe boating course, fulfill a collateral duty within the Detachment, participate in the weekly "Leadership Lab", and complete a 72-item Personal Qualification System in order to complete BAR training and earn "Senior Status" within the program. Students then spend the remainder of their time in the program working within a chosen "Area of Concentration"—Surface Operations, Marine Safety and Environmental Protection, Public Outreach, or Organizational Management—which are structured training programs that utilize the range of operational training that the Coast Guard Auxiliary offers. In order to graduate, students must complete BAR and one Area of Concentration, participate in the weekly all-hands Leadership Lab for the duration of their membership, average 60 hours logged in AUXDATA for each semester of membership, and average a score of 4 (on a 1-7 scale) on their leadership evaluations during their final semester in school. Each student is also assigned to one or more collateral duties, mirroring FSO staff functions, or leadership positions (Detachment Commander, Detachment Executive Officer, or a Squad Leader).

Students benefit from a two-pronged approach to their training and professional development. Areas of Concentration provide structured operational training that supports mission execution, while the rigorous leadership components—both theoretical and experiential—prepare them to serve as future Coast Guard and Auxiliary leaders, and to succeed in whatever civilian career field they choose. Program staff, which include non-student Flotilla members assigned to oversee the program and serve as instructors, stress the importance of a truly student-run unit. Most say that their job is to teach, to coach, and to provide guidance and leadership where necessary. Though the FSO-DL (Detachment Leader) is ultimately "in charge", the real burden of leadership is on the student Detachment Commander, who reports to the FSO-DL. "It’s designed to simulate leadership of a Flotilla, or a Coxswain on a boat, or a business, but in a safe environment where mistakes can be made, lessons learned, and bold initiative rewarded," said one instructor.

The approach, which stresses accountability for self and shipmates, has already begun to pay off. Detachment Members have progressed to the point in their training where they are now getting out on the water, performing vessel inspections, and, in one case, even serving as an FSO when the Flotilla was short an experienced Auxiliarist to perform the Communications Service duties. "Though I have no interest in a military career," said Johnson, "the structure and expectations of this program have taught me an unbelievable amount. I don’t think I would have been interested in the Auxiliary without it."

Though education and training are the program’s primary objectives, students also enjoy an element of fun and camaraderie. Detachment Dining Out has become a semester tradition of members in their dress blues, with guests, out for a night of dinner, toasting, and laughter. Students clad in “USCG” tee shirts have also fielded teams for a campus-wide paintball tournament (where the Auxiliarists held their own against a team of Army ROTC cadets), and a three-on-three charity basketball tournament sponsored by one of The College’s sororities (where, unfortunately, the Auxiliarists did not fare quite as well). Late night’s studying for sign-offs, writing papers for classes, or meeting active duty counterparts at the local pub have preserved the Auxiliary tradition of fellowship and made the Detachment a place as much for friends and shipmates as it is for training and operations.

Approximately fifty Auxiliarists, active duty personnel, family, and friends came together to celebrate at what is expected to be an annual fixture on The College’s commencement calendar. The William and Mary tradition of public service was apparent throughout the weekend, perhaps most notably in the words of President Reveley, who in front of thousands assembled for the main graduation ceremony on Sunday recognized the new Army and Marine Corps Second Lieutenants, school teachers, and Coast Guard Auxiliary Detachment graduate from the class of 2009, saying "And, yesterday, we celebrated the first graduate of our new Coast Guard Auxiliary detachment, the first such Coast Guard unit in the country. Would you all please stand?"

In this graduation and the imminent selection of national staff to develop, manage, and grow the Detachment Program nation-wide, the Auxiliary has much reason to celebrate as, what Welch described in his closing remarks, “a service of business people, doctors, construction workers, teachers: Americans from all walks of life, who, when the workday is done, put on their country’s uniform,” and serve as America’s Volunteer Guardians, who, through the devoted leadership of these students and those that will follow, will be an ever-evolving service that grows and thrives, meeting tomorrow’s unknown challenges with the devotion to duty for which it has so long been known.

First Photo: Detachment Members, Leader, and President of The College are, L to R, Andrew Welch (FSO-DL), Alex Wright (’10), Michael Piantedosi (’12), Nicholas Zaremba (’12), Austin Bayer (’11), Emily Johnson (’09), Laura Visochek (’11), Taylor Reveley (President of The College); Not pictured are Devin Hernandez (’12), Caitlin Kirkpatrick (’10), and David Kraemer (’10). Photo credit Stephen Salpukas, Office of University Relations, The College of William and Mary.

Second Photo: Carl Pearson (FSO-MT), center, works with Michael Piantedosi (’12), left, and Nicholas Zaremba (’12), right during one of many Boat Crew classes on campus.

Third Photo: Andrew Welch (FSO-DL) presents Plank Owner certificate to Emily Johnson (’09); Welch and Johnson, along with David Kraemer (’10), were recognized as members of the original crew that stood up the new program in 2008. Photo credit Stephen Salpukas, Office of University Relations, The College of William and Mary.

Fourth Photo: The Detachment’s team at a campus-wide charity basketball tournament included, L to R, Michael Piantedosi (’12), Christian Fitzsimmons (’10), Nicholas Zaremba (’12), and “coach” Emily Johnson (’09). Fitzsimmons has since left school at William and Mary, opting instead for an enlistment in the Marine Corps.

This article was originally posted on the Detachment's website at www.wm.edu/coastguard, and submitted for publication in The Navigator, the Coast Guard Auxiliary's national magazine.

My closing remarks from Graduation

I had the honor of serving as Master of Ceremonies at the Detachment's graduation ceremony on May 16, which gave me the opportunity to offer some closing remarks that I wanted to share with you. Enjoy!

"When the Revenue Cutter Service, from which the modern Coast Guard later grew, was established in 1790, Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, wrote of the service’s first officers that:

"'They shall endeavor to overcome difficulties, if any are experienced, by a cool and temperate perseverance in their duty – by address and moderation, rather than by vehemence of violence.'

"He wrote of the Coast Guard, the world’s greatest humanitarian service, and he foreshadowed the Coast Guard Auxiliary. For though we wear a uniform, our mission is not one of guns and bullets, but rather one of saving those among us, protecting the environment around us, and ensuring the future for those that will follow us; about the devotion to duty needed to carry the spirit of American humanity from shore to shore, and to shores around the world.

"In a world filled with so many challenges—hurricanes, floods, wars, stumbling economies—so many reasons not to believe in a bright future, I am comforted to know that there are heroes in our midst, Guardians among us.

"Guardians like those that dropped onto rooftops in New Orleans, saving all they could after Hurricane Katrina;

"Like the Auxiliarists assigned to patrol the area around the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at midnight the night of September 11, 2001;

"Like the active duty and Auxiliary crew aboard the Cutter Dallas, delivering humanitarian aid to Georgia on the Black sea last year;

"And like the doctors and crew aboard the Naval Hospital Ship Comfort, currently plying the waters of Latin America, extending the hand of healing and friendship to those in need.

"They—you—are my heroes, and that is the true value of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. As natural disasters and threats to the homeland, engagement abroad—the notion that preventing war is as important as winning war—continue to grow, so too will the need grow for Americans to answer that humanitarian call, to be citizen guardians, to be Auxiliarists serving in new missions, in so many ways. We are a service of business people, doctors, construction workers, teachers: Americans from all walks of life, who, when the workday is done, put on their country’s uniform and serve one another. We are America’s Volunteer Guardians, and under the devoted leadership of these students and those that will follow, ours will be an ever-evolving service that grows and thrives, meeting tomorrow’s unknown challenges with the cool and temperate perseverance in our duty for which our forebears have so long been known."

Moment of Remembrance

Several of the Detachment Members and I attended the "Moment of Remembrance" event that was sponsored by the W&M Veterans Society on Thursday afternoon. Erin Zagursky over at WM News (and also a Coast Guard Auxiliarist) wrote a really nice article for www.wm.edu. WAVY 10 news also did an article and provided television coverage. (Photo credit to Stephen Salpukas of WM News.)

Though the Coast Guard Auxiliary's mission, and, by extension, the mission of our students in the Detachment is humanitarian--Auxiliarists don't "go to war"--I think that it is so important that we support and honor our shipmates, and members of all other services, who have sacrificed much over the years. We are tied together outwardly by the uniforms we wear, and in spirit through the camaraderie and fellowship we enjoy on-campus with the Veterans Society and Army ROTC, and off-campus in support of active duty Coast Guard (and other sea services) missions at home and around the world.

We heard from our friends, Lance Zaal, President of the Veterans Society, and Deadre Henderson, who lost her brother several years ago in Iraq. Both, along with Joshua Lawton-Belous, offered moving words and fond memories. Also in attendance were Professor John Miller (Department of English), a Coast Guard Reservist who spoke at the event, and Professor Harvey Langholtz (Department of Psychology), a retired Coast Guard Commander. The event on Thursday proved to be both an uplifting coming-together and a somber remembrance of those that are no longer with us. I truly appreciated the support that our Detachment Members showed with their presence.

Featured Up Front: "WM forms 1st collegiate Coast Guard Auxiliary detachment"

The Detachment was the subject of a great article that William & Mary News featured on the front page of www.wm.edu on Monday (Photo credit to Stephen Salpukas of WM News). The article, "W&M forms 1st collegiate Coast Guard Auxiliary detachment", focused heavily on the opportunity for students and The College presented by the Coast Guard Auxiliary's first such Detachment program being established here. To quote author Alexandra Bracken ('09):

"The College of William and Mary is home to many firsts: first royal charter, first honor code, first Law School, but now it can add another one.

"Last year, William & Mary became the first university in the United States to have a detachment of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The detachment is part of the Coast Guard Auxiliary's Flotilla 67 in Williamsburg."

The full article is available here, but I want to offer many thanks to Alex Bracken for writing, Stephen Salpukas for the photograph shown here (dreary day as it was), and to Erin Zagursky for her help facilitating this.

My quote at the article's end is true... nothing like it. It's been a great ride.

"'There is nothing like seeing a group of students that you helped teach make it through something,' Welch said. 'Nothing like seeing them go from knowing practically nothing about the Coast Guard and our missions, to later seeing them in uniform, teaching students that are even newer to program, or getting the students to the point where they are running their own unit. It's awesome.'"

Dining Out

Yesterday evening, the Detachment had its Dining Out event, which we do once a semester. For this event, all detachment members wear our dress uniforms, or the civilian equivalent suit and tie or cocktail dress and go out to dinner. We invite leadership from the Auxiliary to participate with us by sharing in a night that celebrates our hard work during the semester in a less formal atmosphere than our graduation ceremony.

The dinner was delicious, but more importantly, it was a wonderful opportunity for detachment members to sit and eat with each other. One particular event that happened at our table was that one member ordered an appetizer that he found unappealing. Another detachment member switched appetizers with him, making the end result that both members had enjoyable appetizers. Teamwork is not something that stays within the confines of a classroom or teaching environment. Instead, teamwork is a principle that we must each live in our daily lives with each other.

At my table, we were privileged to have our Flotilla Commander, Jim Clark, and our esteemed incoming Flotilla Staff Officer in charge of the Detachment, Todd Egnor. They both have extensively traveled, and some of the new detachment members were able to learn about experiences with the Coast Guard outside of the continental United States from these knowledgeable men. In particular, Mr. Egnor told us about his first experience working on the Barque Eagle. He was meeting the Eagle in a South American country to join the cruise, and he described his first view of the Eagle was from a top-floor outdoors restuarant overlooking the ocean. He said it was the coolest experience, knowing that the beautiful ship sailing into the harbor was his ride.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening. I love that this is a tradition of the Detachment!

Detachment Videos Showcased at First District Southern Region Conference

I learned yesterday Mark Dunmire and others from the First District Southern Region presented a workshop at their District Conference this past weekend that highlighted the use of Social Media use in the Coast Guard. Specifically, the "Public Affairs update at the D1SR Conference includes the use of social networking technologies to accomplish and promote our missions." This was a great vote of confidence from outside of our own District (D1SR is up in the New York-New England area).

We were happy to hear that some of the Detachment's YouTube work was showcased, specifically the video of David Kraemer, '10, discussing his experience and the opportunities available to William and Mary students that join the program. The video has been out for several months now, but I thought I would repost it for you to have a look at below.

Thanks for the publicity and the good words from D1SR!

Preparing for on-water; Todd Egnor aboard Eagle!

This weekend has brought to light a couple neat operational items. For those of you that do not know, "operations" refer to work the Coast Guard does actually delivering service and performing missions on the water, in the air, or on shore (as opposed to "support" work).

I am currently sitting in on a bit of our shore side Boat Crew training here on campus. Detachment Members Mike Piantedosi and Nick Zaremba are taking this class, and hope to be out on the water for the first time sometime in April. Tonight they are working on charts and coastal navigation, and making really good progress. I will be excited to see them out on the water next month.

One of the two instructors for this program, Todd Egnor, is out tonight as he is currently sailing with the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, the 295-foot sailing ship on which Coast Guard Academy cadets and active duty Officer Candidates train. He is aboard to work with Officer Candidates, and has been sending us updates as they sail home to New London, CT. We hope that he will be safely home and working with our W&M Detachment Members again soon!

Pictured: Mike Piantedosi ('12) and Carl Pearson (instructor) discuss navigation techniques during tonight's class in Tucker Hall.

First specialty qualification completed by a Detachment Member!

This weekend was a big milestone for the William & Mary Detachment, and I am very proud of Nick Zaremba for being the person to achieve it. On Saturday, at Advanced Skills Weekend at Training Center Yorktown, Mr. Zaremba became the first W&M Detachment Member to successfully complete a specialty qualification.

His passing score on the Seamanship (AUXSEA) exam puts him on the way to achieving the Auxiliary Operational certification. This semester he is also working hard in the Boat Crew and Vessel Examination programs, all of which make him not only the first W&M Detachment Member to complete a specialty qualification, but the first student to every do so in a Coast Guard Auxiliary College Detachment. I am looking forward to seeing Mr. Zaremba, as well as Mike Piantedosi and Myles Busching, training for the first time out on the water now that the weather is warming up.

It was a very productive weekend all around, with good lectures and discussions on a number of topics. I was happy to complete my personal qualification in Marine Safety Administration and Management within the Marine Safety and Environmental Protection program. Check out the video on the whole event below.

Lunch with President Reveley

Shipmates,

This past Friday I was honored to be invited to a lunch hosted by W&M College President Reveley with the W&M Veteran's Society and Capt. Kemps from the Army ROTC program. The Detachment is unique among those organizations due to its non-military status, but it was nonetheless great to be included in the work that these uniformed (and former uniformed) organizations share.

We hit on a number of topics such as the availability of the W&M education and experience to military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the challenges for students once they arrive. These folks, and the work they do to be successful students, are a real inspiration.

We also discussed the Coast Guard Auxiliary Detachment program. I explained to the President all of the good work that you Detachment Members have done to make this the first such program anywhere in the country, and was very encouraged by his response. We will build a more robust partnership between the Detachment and The College in the coming months and years. Your wonderful effots and involvement as "citizens of the campus community" are key to this goal, and I am eager and hopeful for what is to come. You are all, both junior and senior members, very highly regarded, and you should be proud of your hard work thus far.

ADW

Spring 2009 Detachment Recruitment Coming to a Close...

Contacting organizations, talking to classmates and hallmates, Facebook pages, interest meetings, YouTube videos... this just a small sampling of what the Detachment Members have been doing in these last few weeks to bring in another class. We have seen lots of interest in our potential new members that helped us confirm our view that this program truly is a great opportunity and will be a great launching point for similar programs elsewhere around the country! I think I speak for all my shipmates when I say that we are all excited about the prospects in the new class!

I also wanted to commend my shipmates for all the time and effort put in by everyone in this recruitment process. You have all done a wonderful job and should be recognized for such an achievement.

Valentine's Day - Coast Guard Style

On February 14th, Valentine’s Day, the Fifth District – Southern Region of the Coast Guard Auxiliary held its Winter District Conference. It was long but exhilarating day. I hadn’t quite gotten a full night’s sleep the night before so I had to drink a little coffee to get pumped up for the big day. The first part of my day consisted of taking the Team Coordination Training (TCT) class for my boat crew qualification taught by Mr. Ted Potter. Everybody had taken the class before except me. They made it out to seem like it was a boring class, but it wasn’t really that bad. I learned a lot about what it takes to be a good team member. In evening, there was a really nice dinner. When I first arrived in the dining area, I met Vice Admiral Robert Papp. Shortly after, he delivered the key note address, and gave Andrew Welch a rare medal for his exemplary work in establishing and up keeping with the WM Detachment. I also met District Commodore Al DeJean (who got me a Coast Guard sweater for Christmas) and outgoing Commodore Stephan McElroy who also spoke at the ceremony. The food was great, the people were nice, the music was pumpin’, and a great time was had by all.

Great speakers coming to campus

All Detachment Members take part in a Leadership and Management (LAM) training program each week. Class is coupled with an "all hands" meeting. We often tackle new leadership challenges and special interest topics within the Coast Guard and the surrounding world. I am pleased to note that, at least twice this semester, we will benefit from excellent guests to campus.

The first is Rear Admiral Robert Reilly, from the Navy's Military Sealift Command, who will visit to speak on "National Maritime Strategy and the role of our maritime industry, the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard".

The second is Captain Christopher Calhoun, from the Innovation Team at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC, who will lead our newest members in a discussion about the Coast Guard's Core Values and Guardian Ethos, and will then present on innovation within the Coast Guard.

Our hope is to work with a number of guest presenters moving forward. This is an exciting start to a semester that looks promising on many fronts.

Recruitment

I wanted to update everyone on the progress of the detachment members with our recruiting efforts. We have spent several hours each day recruiting in our student center, meeting students and introducing them to everything the Auxiliary has to offer. We have had several students express strong interest in joining, including a number of young students who would have 3-4 years to be involved at the collegiate level.

In addition, we have been contacting student organizations on campus to ask for the opportunity to present at their meetings. We have met with success as many student leaders on campus are now becoming aware of our existence and would like to learn more about us.

I am extremely excited about the prospects for new membership! We have our first interest meeting tomorrow evening. Hopefully we will have a very good showing. I am very proud of all of the detachment members and their hard work thus far, and I know we're going to have a very successful recruitment season this spring.

Cool Facts about the Coast Guard

I decided to look up some cool facts about the Coast Guard. The following facts were taken from www.uscgboating.org.

On an average day, the Coast Guard:
Conducts 109 Search and Rescue Cases.
Saves 10 lives
Assists 192 people in distress.
Protects $2,791,841 in property.
Seizes 169 pounds of marijuana and 306 pounds of cocaine worth $9,589,000.00.
Processes 238 Seaman licenses and documents.
Investigates 6 vessel casualties involving collisions, allisions, or groundings.

Zaremba does good work

Nick Zaremba, W&M class of 2012, has been serving as the Incident Commander in our Spring 2009 Incident Command System exercise. He joined the Detachment last August, balancing it with football through his entire first semester on campus, and has excelled in his month-long role since the new semester began. He will begin the Boat Crew Academy program next week, and hopes to be out finishing his training on the water as soon as the weather warms. You can read from his recent interview, and watch the video, on the Detachment's website at http://wm.5srdivision6.us/news/articles/zarembainterview.

Over a Few Pints...

I want to share a story from earlier this week. On Wednesday, after the detachment meeting, Andrew, Steph, and I went over to the Green Leafe to get a few drinks. When there, we ran into a whole bunch of both active and reserve Coasties who were in town for a conference on the Incident Command System. They were so interested to learn about what we were doing with the detachment program, discussed what they were do with the Coast Guard, and offered us help with the detachment. The lieutenant commander even sat down and bought us a pitcher!

This was not the only time that I have come across such caring among the Coast Guard. A few months ago during the district conference (Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland), I was able to see the interaction between active duty and auxiliary Coasties. Everyone took an interest in the Detachment program, which they all believed was a great opportunity and wanted to know about exporting it beyond the College to other universities around the United States.

These two instances, along with the genuine sincerity among my fellow detachment and flotilla members, illustrate the bonds that are present in the Coast Guard family.

Enjoy the Super Bowl and/or the Men's Australian Open Finals!!!