NAV EX 3rd QTR Spec. Ed. 2018 NavEx 3rd Qtr - Spec Ed 2018 - FINAL | Page 5
once the site of one maritime incident, had become the base of
operations for another.
The three of us soon began calling Auxiliarists from the closest flotillas
– Flotilla 53 in nearby Kimberling City, and Flotilla 56 two hours away in
Northwest Arkansas. Flotilla 56’s Commander, Jonathan Verhoeven,
was out of town, so his efforts to identify available flotilla members
and facilities were done from three hours away, in conjunction with
David Waldrup, the Flotilla Human Resources Officer. A QE session
scheduled by Flotilla 53 for the next day was cancelled, and the boat
crews shifted their focus to the task at hand.
Meanwhile, Captain Stoermer asked for our assistance identifying
possible local sites for the National Transportation Safety Board’s
investigation team, and throughout the weekend we compiled
information about everything from places to stay for the incoming
boat crews to email lists for area marinas for Coast Guard Public
Affairs personnel who had flown up from district headquarters in
New Orleans to distribute flyers about a safety zone around the
Branson Belle.
By late Friday afternoon, a preliminary patrol schedule and crew
rotation had been put in place, and an auxiliary vessel was on patrol,
while Kerr, Stephens and I set up a temporary office in the crew’s
OR express
With our active duty and reserve
Coast Guard counterparts, being a
Public Affairs officer is frequently
known as “collateral duty”. A Coastie
might attend Public Affairs “A”
School, or even our AUX-12 C-School,
but Public Affairs is a secondary duty
to their primary one, be it aviation,
marine safety or boat forces. I got
a brief taste of that on the Branson
duck boat incident.
My Facebook messenger lit up on
Friday, July 20 with friends asking,
“Will you be helping with the recovery
in Branson today?” I couldn’t answer,
as OPSEC was in plac e, with an
active investigation being conducted
into the tragedy. Normally, as a PA,
I “find the good and praise it”, to
quote the motto of the Cutter Alex
Haley. But until our division’s mission
augmenting Coast Guard personnel
working the incident was over, that
would have to wait.
My personal mission changed during
the course of the weekend. Besides
being a PA, I assisted Marine Safety
investigators, helped establish a
safety zone around the accident site,
and helped mobilized our division’s
facilities and boat crews. When I was
able to use my PA training yesterday,
I was struck by the awesome (and
sobering) responsibility those of us
in PA have when I witnessed Stretch
Duck 07 raised from the lakebed --
with finding the good in the story
of the Branson duck incident comes
a great responsibility to honor and
respect those who lost their lives.
USCG Aux Photo by Todd Wilkinson
I hope my hurried attempt to
chronicle the experiences of Division
5 Auxiliarists in this historical event
will serve as a tribute of sorts to the
17 who lost their lives.
-- Todd Wilkinson
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