Coast Guard Auxiliary to be honored for 70 years service Tuesday

PORTLAND, Ore. – Coast Guard Sector Portland will honor the Coast Guard Auxiliary for 70 years of service Tuesday, June 23.

The Auxiliary is a civil organization that Congress authorized to support all Coast Guard missions except engagement in law enforcement or military activity.

The lineage of the Auxiliary in Coast Guard history can be traced back several decades with this organization being vital members of Team Coast Guard since before World War II. Without doubt, had it not been for the unwavering commitment of the Auxiliary during the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s, the Coast Guard could not have achieved all of its responsibilities. The Auxiliary continues to be the leading factor in the success of many Coast Guard led programs such as Recreational Safe Boating.  

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As of December 2008 there were approximately 30,000 active Auxiliary members nationwide, with over 1,000 serving in the  Sector Portland area of responsibility that is bound by southern Washington in the north, the Oregon/California border in the south, and the Idaho-Utah-Wyoming junction in the east. As the Coast Guard has continued to evolve and has taken on additional responsibility following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, we have asked this critical force multiplier to expand their level of support and capability. As always, they have met the challenge. During 2008, the Auxiliary in this region of the Northwest alone completed 4,372 vessel safety checks, performed over 2,278 hours of public instruction, and logged more than 118, 574 hours of operational support and patrol missions; no small task for any organization and even more outstanding as these are volunteers.