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The Work of
Remembering
The Auxiliary
History
Division
Story by Darin D. Lenz
When Congress established the U.S. Coast Guard
Reserve in 1939 they unwittingly launched a new
experiment in American civilian-military relations.
The original form of the Reserve was as an all-
volunteer, civilian organization comprised of yacht
and motorboat owners who promoted boating
safety and assisted in rescue operations—what today
is called the Auxiliary. As war loomed on the horizon,
Congress passed the Coast Guard Auxiliary and
Reserve Act of 1940. The Act kept the civilian Reserve,
which was renamed the Auxiliary, and a traditional
military reserve component was established for
the Coast Guard. After America’s entry into World
War II, the Auxiliary was tasked with a variety
of national security duties from beach patrols to
small boat patrols along the nation’s seacoast. The
accomplishments of the Auxiliary during World
War II became a model for what uniformed civilian
volunteers could achieve for the maritime security
needs of the nation. The Coast Guard was grateful
and included the accomplishments of the Auxiliary in
the official Coast Guard histories of the war years. In
the post-World War II years, the Auxiliary returned to
being primarily an organization that encouraged safe
recreational boating.
As the 50th anniversary of the Auxiliary approached
in 1989, thoughts about how to celebrate the
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USCG Aux Photo
Auxiliarists on patrol in WWII
Auxiliary’s remarkable history of service to the nation
was contemplated. When the challenges for writing
an illustrated history in honor of the 50th anniversary
became insurmountable, the national leadership of
the Auxiliary recognized that something had to be
done to remedy the situation. The driving force behind
the development of Auxiliary History program was
O.W. “Sonny” Martin, Jr., a highly-decorated Army
colonel who had fought in Europe during World War
II and taken up a subsequent career at the Wisconsin
Historical Society after he retired from the military
USCG Aux Photo
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, 4th District, Flotilla 25, Communications
truck and generator trailer at the Naval Militia Armory.
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