topside
Volume 115, Issue 1
Page 3
From the Desk of the Commodore
Good Mentoring = Success
Indoctrination into the Auxiliary was vastly different from what it is today when I
joined about sixteen years ago. Becoming a member required reading a pamphlet
type manual and then taking a ten-question quiz. If you passed the quiz, you took
the membership oath and you were in. The Flotilla Commander at the time even
helped with the answers a bit to insure that everyone passed and became a member.
One of the other positive activities that he did was to introduce new people to all
of the other members in the Flotilla. Being the new kid on the block, one of the
those current members spent a good bit of time talking to me, getting to know me
and also talking to me about opportunities that were available to members. He took
me under his wing and became my de fac to mentor.
Commodore Barry Kyper
District Commodore
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
Carl was also the Vice Flotilla Commander at the time and was shortly elected to
the Commander’s office. His Vice Flotilla Commander was a young friend of his
and both men worked together as mentors to other new members in the Flotilla as well. As luck would have it,
after the first term, the VFC moved to a Flotilla closer to his home which left the VFC position open. I was asked
to take on the responsibility and considered it a high honor to be a rookie entrusted with this position of
responsibility. I then followed Carl through several stages of leadership up to the Division Commander slot. I
know Carl would have liked to go further, but he had a family with teen age children and his mantra was “family
first” and rightly so. He remained active in the Auxiliary, but his priority was definitely with his family.
I am grateful for all of the advice and guidance that he provided to me. Carl was definitely a “by the book person”
and he taught me volumes about the policies and practices of the Auxiliary. Through his steadfast reliance on the
AUXMAN (which was a hard copy in those days and still in the 600- 700 page format), he taught me the value of
using this resource as a problem solving guide throughout my Auxiliary experience. This served the purpose of
providing instruction for completing tasks and for maintaining consistency and standardization of practice. He
taught me how to be a good leader and encouraged me to follow this practice with other members that I interacted
with as well.
Besides leading me through the challenges of becoming a good Auxiliary leader, Carl also got me involved in the
operations program. He guided me through the Boat Crew training and qualification process and later through the
Coxswain program. I entered the Auxiliary in the Air Operations program and getting involved in the boating
program opened new vistas for me. I no longer am able to fly but am the proud owner of my second boat. I
hesitate to say that none of this would have occurred had it not been for the outstanding mentorship provided by
this past Auxiliarist of the Year for our Division. I am truly grateful for all that he has done for me as I moved
through different aspects of the AUX. I would not have reached this level as District Commodore without the
help and encouragement that was provided to me by my friend and mentor.
Continued on the next page…