Above: Joseph White and Gilbert Lugo.
Left: James Chin 12-1.
Auxiliarist John Kiernan, the communications officer for the Upper Manhattan Flotilla and a 14-year veteran of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, served as the point of contact and instructed other Auxiliarists on proper radio usage. Auxiliarist Kiernan originally joined the Auxiliary soon after 9/11, when the Coast Guard approached him in need of good radio operators. As a HAM radio operator, Auxiliarist Kiernan has made contact with radio operators in some of the most remote regions of the planet, including scientific research teams in Antarctica.