U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary looking for volunteers to join efforts in local area

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the all-volunteer uniformed civilian component of the United States Coast Guard. Established by Congress in 1939, the Auxiliary assists the Coast Guard in all activities except military and law enforcement duties.

In the Upper Mississippi River area these duties mainly include boater safety training, assisting boaters in distress, search and rescue operations and vessel safety exams, but many more opportunities exist.

There are some 22,000 volunteer auxiliarists nationwide. The operative word is “volunteer”. The Auxiliary cannot provide these lifesaving duties without ample volunteers. Volunteers require training and certification to perform their duties and meet U.S. Coast Guard standards.

In addition to the above-mentioned duties, the auxiliary supplements the Coast Guard with medical personnel, computer science experts, religious leaders, food service, radio communications and many more areas of responsibility that the Coast Guard needs. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary provides an opportunity to volunteer time to help the local community and gain experience, training and pride in providing life saving services to the boating public.

For more information, go to the Auxiliary’s website at https://www.cgaux.org/ or contact Art Sullivan, sullivan@acegroup.cc or any member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.