The Coast Guard Auxiliary

In 1939, Congress established "a United States Coast Guard Reserve" administered by the Commandant and composed of unpaid, volunteer U.S. citizens who owned motorboats or yachts.

In 1941, Congress created a military reserve and renamed the original volunteer reserve as the "Coast Guard Auxiliary".

At that time, Title 14 of the United States Code read:

"The purpose of the Auxiliary is to assist the Coast Guard:

1. To promote safety and to effect rescues on and over the high seas and on navigable waters;
2. To promote efficiency in the operation of motorboats and yachts;
3. To foster a wider knowledge of, and better compliance with, the laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation of motorboats and yachts;
4. To facilitate other operations of the Coast Guard."

On 19 October 1996, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996 was signed into law. It expanded the purpose of the Auxiliary to read:

"The purpose of the Auxiliary is to assist the Coast Guard as authorized by the Commandant in performing any Coast Guard function, power, duty, role, mission, or operation authorized by law."

It also expanded the Commandant's authority to use the Auxiliary to assist other Federal agencies, State authorities, and local governments in areas in addition to recreational boating safety.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is a component of Coast Guard Forces like the active duty, Reserve, and civilian components. Thus, the Auxiliary may be referred to and considered to be included under the general organizational umbrella of the Coast Guard. Auxiliarist are not contractually bound, enlisted, or commissioned officers, however, they are volunteers pledged to serve in the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Historically, the Auxiliary's primary missions have been vessel safety checks, public education, and operations. These three missions together with fellowship, were known as the four cornerstones.

Today the FOUR CORNERSTONES are defined as follows:

1) Member Services

Member services include the activities of running the local flotilla such as member training, public affairs, information systems, and finance.

2) Recreational Boating Safety

Auxiliarists promote safe boating by providing free Vessel Safety Checks to the boating public, distributing information on safe boating to marine dealers, and by offering public education boating classes to both adults and children.

3) Operations and Marine Safety

Through their involvement with safety patrols and the inspection of aids to navigation, auxiliarists provide on the water assistance to the Coast Guard and local agencies. Auxiliarists are also involved in communications support, aviation patrols and involvement with marine safety activities.

4) Fellowship

Fellowship is an essential ingredient in making any volunteer organization successful. The Coast Guard recognizes the importance of this aspect of volunteer participation and encourages a close relationship between Auxiliary members and other Coast Guard personnel.

As a component of Coast Guard Forces, Auxiliarists are organized into the following four unit levels of administrative and supervisory responsibility:

1. Flotilla
2. Division
3. District/Region
4. National

Auxiliary leaders responsible for unit administra-tion and supervision are elected at each unit level. These elected Auxiliary leaders in turn appoint staff officers to carry out the various Auxiliary missions and programs.

Flotilla 11 (Bellingham) is part of the Northwest District, Division 1 of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Information on how to join can be found on the membership page.