2023-2026 Watchwords

Watchwords

PEOPLE ~ PROFICIENCY ~ PREPAREDNESS

People – While not a typical watchword itself, it sits atop of any priority list I would ever create, and it certainly gives me great flexibility in defining its meaning as a watchword and its appropriate application going forward.  Every one of you is my top priority.  Without each of us as members, the Auxiliary as we know it would not exist.  From my perspective, we haven’t done enough to value each member who calls the Western Rivers home.  I feel we must do a better job in understanding how a member wishes to contribute and match that with the mission areas, or in some cases, think outside the box to create new opportunities for engagement.  We must endeavor to recognize better the contributions that are selflessly being given by everyone.  Recognizing these efforts comes in many different forms, but the keyword remains “recognizing.”  I implore you to join me to ensure that each of your shipmates is valued and appreciated for all they do.  Much more on this watchword to come.

Proficiency – We must strive to be proficient in all we do in service to the Coast Guard and the boating public.  As each of us knows, we are a direct extension of the Coast Guard while in the public eye.  We represent the Coast Guard in every mission we undertake.  As such, must remember that any of our actions directly reflect upon the men and women who serve professionally day in and day out.  We must adhere to the high standards of being well trained, as our active duty and reserve counterparts are, to undertake any mission.  Our failure to train, be proficient in all that we do, or failure to ensure that we operate with safety as a paramount concern can have cascading negative consequences on the mission and our ability to serve.  You will see a more robust and comprehensive training program offered by the district in partnership with the divisions and flotillas in the coming months to ensure that we remain focused on being a well-trained, safe, and highly skilled Auxiliary force.

Preparedness – So far, we have people who are proficient, so what’s next?  Being prepared, of course.  Being Semper Paratus.  We must maintain a state of readiness at all times to answer the calls for assistance.  We must have a resilient volunteer force that is well-trained to execute any mission we are assigned, often with little notice.  We must always be prepared to fulfill our service commitment to the Coast Guard and the recreational boating public across a broad spectrum of mission areas, from operations and emergency management to backfilling positions at the sectors should the need arise.  We must remain prepared daily to save a life without risking our own by not being prepared through proper training.  As crews and teams, we must be prepared to watch over each other as we execute our missions and foster a culture of safety first in all that we do.

Semper Paratus