U.S.Coast Guard Auxiliary
IKE O'CONNOR 07-01 Port Chester NY stands watch
aboard the Flotilla's Facility the Nathan Bruckenthal,
a 41-foot UTB recently obtained from the Coast Guard.
The vessel's namesake was the first Coast Guardsman to lose his life in combat service since Vietnam. Killed in a suicide attack in the Persian Gulf in 2004, Bruckenthal is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Since June 23, 1939, when congress established the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in an effort to build upon the boating experiences of civilians, Auxiliarists have reached out to their communities and supported the men and women of the Coast Guard.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s all-volunteer service, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, celebrates 77 years of service to the United States this year.
“For the last 77 years, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary has answered the call to support our Coast Guard and our great nation on the water, in the air and ashore,” said Mark Simoni, the Auxiliary's national commodore.
77
Photo by Jason Farrow
M
th
Anniversary