Unit Interaction at its Best
By Auxiliarist Frank Muraglia, Seabrook, TX
Photo credits as indicated.
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| Auxiliary members enjoy the static helo display. (Photo by Debbie Morales) |
Want to see Team Coast Guard in action?
Check this out. It’s a Saturday morning at the Coast Guard small boat station in Freeport, TX. Auxiliary team leaders Harry Trainer, Flotilla 61 Commander and Janet Lachman, Flotilla 63 Commander are setting up for the Division 6 training day. This will be their third session this year.
Trevor Jones, Flotilla 64 Commander, the local Flotilla, and BM1 Gerald Martin, USCG, of Station Freeport are serving as hosts today. The station is their meeting location; CWO-4, Charles Perry, Commanding Officer of the station, has provided the venue and full support for the participants. The station’s dedication plaque says “Multi-Mission Station” and it is about to live up to its description.
Trevor’s members are directing traffic as we enter the base. Others are assigning parking spaces and directions. Everyone – including the puppy “Captain”, the station mascot, is assembling in the training room after getting coffee and doughnuts in the galley. Thirty-six members from six different flotillas are signed in. Many have driven more than 60 miles to get here. One vessel has already dropped an “Oscar” (rescue dummy) off shore to be part of the day’s exercises.
The training starts with a one-hour Team Coordination Training refresher session on risk management presented by an Auxiliarist. The session was attended by Auxiliarists and several active duty members. A lecture on aircraft procedures and signals between surface and air facilities followed. This session was led by the Air Flotilla members.
An open planning meeting with the surface and air crews was held, explaining the joint SAR exercise. This exercise will include both air and surface facilities.
We broke for the lunch the station personnel prepared in their galley -- a big job considering their limited space and staff. “Compliments to the active duty galley volunteers,” said one of the Auxiliarists.
After lunch the surface vessels got underway and the air crews set out for the air field. An active duty Coast Guardsman, who is considering a career as an airman, accompanied the Auxiliary air crew to the plane.
For tracking purposes, three new Auxiliary members, who are also members of a local ham radio club, connected their equipment to the surface and air facilities. They connected their laptops to the projector in the station’s training room so we could all see the facilities locations during the exercise. Coast Guard Station Freeport maintained the radio guard for all participants.
Auxiliarist Trevor Jones and BM1 Gerald Martin announced that the 87’ patrol boat, the Cutter “Manta,” would be open for tours. Sixteen Auxiliarists took advantage of that opportunity. Two Petty Officers on board give us a first class tour from bridge to engine room.
At mid-afternoon a Coast Guard H-65 helicopter landed on the large grassy field at the station. Auxiliarists Rick Cunningham and Brad Houghton invited the helicopter’s participation by the Coast Guard Air Station at Ellington Field, Houston, Texas. BM1 Martin consulted with LT Justo Rivera at Ellington Field to make it happen.
The craft’s air crew arranged a static display followed by some helicopter operation exercises. For the next two hours the H-65 crew conducted operations over on land for 18 smiling, windblown Auxiliarists.
The surface-air search and rescue exercises were a success. Air crews found the “missing” boats, and guided surface vessels to “Oscar” and a “distressed” vessel. They used radio communications and various signals without divulging their geographical locations. Using their rigged equipment, the ham radio crew showed us the image of a track of one of the vessels. “Wow!” was heard many times during the exhibition.
By late afternoon all of the surface facilities have returned and were loaded on trailers. The aircraft safely returned to their home field.
“Thank you to BM1 Martin and Auxiliarist Trevor Martin for their outstanding hospitality. What a day!” said Harry Trainer. “Risk management, aircraft and boat signals, search and rescue planning and exercises, surface and air facilities interacting, Cutter tours, new electronic tracking technologies, helicopter tours and operations mixed with great food and camaraderie between flotillas, air crews, surface folks and active duty members,” he said.
“Truly, TEAM COAST GUARD in action,” said Harry.
--SK