Auxiliary University Programs’ national Branch Chief Jacob E. Thayer said he was "quite surprised and honored" to learn that he was recently named the 2014 Auxiliarist of the Year.

"There are so many people around the Auxiliary doing so many great things, it's moving to realize what you do is making such a reverberating impact," Thayer said in an email. "To work in an organization that has such a great mission, saving lives, and the leaders' willingness to recognize such a young member shows the emphasis on people, and it's our people that make us strong, as a nation and as the Coast Guard."

Thayer, who also serves as flotilla commander of Flotilla 75 in Austin, Texas, was commended for his “exemplary performance and spirit of service,” said RDML Paul F. Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, in a news release announcing his award on July 17.

From the flotilla level to the national, Thayer has been an inspired leader involved in many aspects of the Auxiliary.

According to the release, as flotilla commander "he established clear strategic and tactical plans that guided the unit to improved recruiting, retention, and member services. Under his enthusiastic leadership, the flotillas membership and qualifications increased 25 percent."

His experience working at the national level doesn't just include the great work he does for the AUP. 

 "From June to August 2014, Mr. Thayer worked full-time at Coast Guard Headquarters in its Strategic Management Directorate as part of Project Evergreen," the release states. "He participated in roundtable discussions with senior officers, and assisted with coordination of many interviews and meetings. He represented the Auxiliary in discussions with several research groups and foreign entities, including the First Sea Lord of the United Kingdom. He concurrently led a project to provide the 7th District with research regarding future Cuban socio-political scenarios, and how they could potentially affect Coast Guard missions."

"I've been fortunate because I've worked with great teams at all levels," Thayer said. "I've had fantastic mentors, such as (Director of Strategic Planning) Andrew Welch, who helped me understand how to think and act like a leader then motivate others to do the same. I've been able to work on long- and short term-projects, which provides the nearly instantaneous feedback and fulfillment, but also the greater satisfaction of seeing the results of conversations from years ago come to fruition."

So, what's next for Thayer? 

And then there's the ceremony. Thayer will be “formally recognized” as the nation’s top Auxiliarist at the Auxiliary National Convention in San Antonio, Texas, on Aug. 29.

Leaders Serving is a monthly glance into the lives of Auxiliary University Programs alumni. February’s spotlight was cast on The Citadel and AUP 2013 graduate William Singletary, who said his career in the Coast Guard got its start when he picked up an AUP flier in an academic building hallway.

Will you explain your current job title and give an explanation of your duties? 

I work for Carotrans, a non-vessel operating common carrier. We have so many slots per vessel, and we find customers to fill those spots. I manage all the rates for the company, so I’m technically part of the corporate team for that.

What do you do with the Coast Guard now?

I’m in the Coast Guard Reserves. I’m currently at Sector Charleston in the incident management position in response. … I’m up for rotation in September – and I have no idea where I’m going to end up there. I’m just getting my qualifications, but basically if there’s an oil spill, my main part of the job is incident management and learning how to control an incident. Hopefully I’m going to get a port security, but I’ll go wherever they tell me to go and do a good job wherever I go. 

I was commissioned in August, and was enlisted three years prior to that.

What were your major and minor in college?

My major was in business administration. No minor.

How old are you?

I’m 24.

What did AUP teach you about leadership?

Being at The Citadal, they call it a leadership laboratory, so all four years you’re supposed to be learning it all four years. … A lot of leadership is learning how to deal with people. You can’t have the same reaction with person A and person B. You see good and bad leaders, and learn to emulate the good. …

You get a lot of dedicated people, especially if they stay all four years. If we just one person that goes into the Coast Guard a year, who enlists or as an officer, that’s huge, and compared to how big the Coast Guard is, that’s a big number. You definitely learn how to manage your people, keep them interested in what they’re doing. You want to take them out on the boat and experience what the real Coast Guard is – it’s not just academic study. You have to keep the cadets interested and kind of get them hooked. In dealing with the Auxiliary, it’s a volunteer organization, so you have to be respectful in how you treat people, their time and do things.

Which flotilla are you in?

I recently transferred to 12-6 Charleston (South Carolina). 

How did AUP prepare you for your future?

Especially before I went into boot camp, I knew a lot of the things, and I did a lot more than the average AUP student. But I knew so much and I was more knowledgeable than the average person who went into boot camp. It just helped tremendously. I wasn’t really worried about that aspect of it at all. It helps you, as well gives you a really good inside look of the Coast Guard as well. As an aside, going to The Citadel, I wanted to be there because I wanted the structure and I liked the class size, but the reason I’m in the Coast Guard now is because of the AUP. … I knew I wanted to serve, I knew I wanted to do something in that capacity. And it was a good fit. That’s why I’m in the Coast Guard today.

What would you say to all the current and future AUP students out there?

I would say keep it up. It really gives you a leg up on the competition and, just like with anything, it is what you make of it. … If you’re in it, be in it. Do what you have to do to get qualified. If you want to be in the Coast Guard, this is a way to do it. Just keep up the hard work. It’s going to pay off. This program is still young and I think it can turn into something even greater than it is today.

Replies were edited for clarity and length. The Leaders Serving profile runs toward the end of the month. If wish to recommend an alumnus or alumnae to be featured, please email his or her contact information to AUP Branch Assistant Bethany Buchanan at bethany.buchanan@cgauxnet.us. 

Photos and story by Jacob Thayer

We were fortunate to be joined by Admiral Paul Zukunft, the commandant of the United States Coast Guard, as well as Captain F. Thomas Boross, the chief director the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. The commandant and National Commodore Thomas C. Mallison both discussed the importance of the Auxiliary. Admiral Zukunft noted how much the organization has accomplished just in the last five years, including saving over 1,000 lives. Admiral Zukunft quipped that he loves being at Auxiliary events, as he is no longer the oldest person in the room. However, there were many auxiliarists of all ages, though mostly from District 5 Southern Region because of its proximity to the building.

During the ceremony, Admiral Zukunft presented a Unit Citation to Commodore Mallison, who accepted it on behalf of the entire Auxiliary. A special streamer celebrating 75 years was also presented to the Auxiliary, and flotillas that were founded in 1939 (of which, there are four) are also permitted to fly the streamer on their flags. 

After the ceremony, we were able to mingle with the senior leadership of the Auxiliary, both active duty personnel as well as Commodore Mallison. A beautiful cake with the logo of the anniversary was presented. The Admiral made sure everyone in the Coast Guard recognized this monumental success because of the important mission the Auxiliary has, and the service the Auxiliary has provided. 

Here’s to another 75+!

By Bethany Buchanan

bethany.buchanan@cgauxnet.us

It was halfway through the 19-hour search for four missing boaters in April when Watchstander Sean Cahill came into Air Station Detroit.

“It was a full-blown incident,” said Cahill, who is an AUP student with Unit Detroit at Madonna University. “And I walked right into it. I was given a briefing of what was going on, but the rest of the day was going to be a question mark.”

Cahill said he was told the Coast Guard and local law enforcement were conducting an ongoing search for a fishing missing vessel and its four passengers, who were reported missing around 3 a.m. when they didn’t return home. Helicopters were sweeping the scene, he said, and his station brought in a four-man crew and helicopter from Air Station Traverse City in northern Michigan to aid in the extensive search. 

The senior criminal justice major said his job was to be the communications intermediary among the different organizations working in tandem to find the boaters. He was constantly calling crews, helping to refuel the planes, doing what was necessary to make sure the planes could still fly – anything to keep the search in progress. His job makes him the first responder from the command center, he said.

“This is what we trained for,” Cahill said. “This is what I want to do in the Coast Guard, and this is the training that we all go through in the hopes of not wanting to use it in a serious case, but it was a really humbling experience to be a part of a team.”

This was so much of a team effort, Cahill said, that a falcon six wing jet joined in the search. A commander took the jet to Michigan from Corpus Christi, Tx., for his retirement ceremony, and while the jet wasn’t fully prepared for a search mission, Cahill said they were able to get approval and aid in the endeavor.

“It was a fitting way to end his career,” he said. “It was such a unique situation.”

Cahill said his experiences at the station affirm his goal of transitioning into the Coast Guard, and he’s glad to be involved in the AUP because it allowed him the opportunity to learn important, real-world skills first-hand.

“I get a really good exposure of what life is like, a broad perspective of what life is like (in the Coast Guard). Just the fact that I’m around all of it is something I just find humbling,” Cahill said.

While, unfortunately, the crews were only to recover the vessel and two passengers, Cahill said: “If there was a better result it would have been more fulfilling. But it was a big day for us and I take a lot of pride in that.”

Written by Jonathan Roth

A number of Auxiliary University Programs Unit William and Mary students participated in formal internships and Coast Guard operational activities throughout the country this past summer. From the nearby waters of Hampton Roads to Chicago, Brazil, and even a planet 57 million miles away from Earth, their activities were as diverse as the locations in which they took place.

Robert “Seb” Meekins, Communication Services Officer for Flotilla 67 in Williamsburg, Va., went underway as a trainee on July 4th for safety zone support of a fireworks display in Portsmouth, Va. Just as the spectacle began, a report came in of a boat operating without navigation lights in heavily-trafficked area. Seb and the Flotilla 51 crew, based out of Virginia Beach, Va.,  found the vessel after a quick search, received word that the boat was disabled, and proceed to take it in side tow to another boat. Throughout the rest of the summer, Seb completed Vessel Safety Checks to receive his Vessel Examiner qualification and taught a boating safety course in Virginia Beach.

To the north, Ben Silliman completed an internship at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Owing to his concentration in chemistry, Ben was paired with the Office of Marine Environmental Response Policy to research and guide policy on responding to spilled oil sands products. The majority of these products entering the United States are Canadian bitumen from Alberta, Canada, which presents unprecedented challenges in case of an oil spill. Ben worked alongside Coast Guard officers and gave formal presentations to pertinent stakeholders on oil sands chemical characteristics and the environmental threats they hold. With his information, Coast Guardsmen responding to these types of spills will be more efficient and lessen the extent of environmental damage.  He even briefly met Adm. Papp, Commandant of the Coast Guard. This coming May, Silliman will present his findings to the 2014 International Oil Spill Conference in Savannah, Ga. Silliman received the Auxiliary Commandant’s Letter of Commendation for his work.

To the west, Jonathan Roth was a Coast Guard intern with Ninth District Public Affairs in Chicago. Working with a Chief Petty Officer, Roth assisted in the production, editing and distribution of a public safety announcement featuring an NFL athlete. The video was posted to the uscg.mil homepage during the summer. Additionally, Jonathan wrote a feature article for the Coast Guard Great Lakes blog about the modern-day Coast Guard’s first major rescue operation, the response to the capsizing of the SS Eastland in the Chicago River on July 24, 1915. Jonathan also participated in the “Week in the life of the Coast Guard” public affairs campaign and had his photos featured on the Coast Guard Compass blog, with additional photos of the Tall Ships Challenge Chicago event receiving coverage during a Coast Guard interview on The Weather Channel. Jonathan completed the Public Affairs Specialist I qualification and received the Coast Guard Auxiliary Achievement Medal for his work.

Daniel Sieh worked towards receiving his Coast Guard interpreter qualification in Portuguese this summer. Soon after receiving this qualification, he received a call in the middle of the night from Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, which had been contacted by the Brazilian Navy. The Brazilian Navy was monitoring a situation of lost communications aboard a commercial vessel and requested the Coast Guard’s assistance. Daniel served as a vital link between the two organizations and successfully executed the mission to a safe resolution.

On the outskirts of D.C., Ariel Deutsch worked as a NASA intern at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.  She worked in the MESSENGER Science Operations Center, which is responsible for the spacecraft currently orbiting Mercury. MESSENGER is retrieving the first data sets of full global coverage for the planet. Deutsch, a geology major at the College, examined evidence for water ice on Mercury using data from the Mercury Dual Imaging System - the camera gimbaled on the spacecraft.  Craters on Mercury's North Pole were investigated because of the presence of intriguing radar bright material that had the same spectral signature returned by water ice. Deutsch worked on finding relationships between regions with radar bright and reflectivity dark material and areas of permanent shadow.  She will continue to expand on this work while mapping Mercury's North Pole during this academic year for her senior Honors Thesis.