quote:

The Auxiliary leadership needs a top-down overhaul. A giant enema. Most of the leadership works in an environment of fear. CYA is the way to the top if that's your goal.

I was re-reading my post and wanted to correct a statement that might have given the wrong impression.

I should have said "The Auxiliary Leadership System needs a top-down overhaul." Emphasis on the word system.

The men and women who put in enormous hours and invest their creative energy into the many various areas of Auxiliary leadership are, in most cases, great people.

But the system under which they strive, is a shambles.

Wow!

This whole thing about the type of patrol at what time and whether or not it was legal seems to be a pretty big sticking point.

I agree that the blue lights had to go - but it sounds as far as the patrols went that it seems that schisms in that flotilla were fighting one another for whatever reason. It even went so far as to someone falsifying paperwork and others being affected adversly.

In my flotilla we just do not seem to care as much about what the other members are doing or they are not. My attitude eould be go ahead and have your illegal patrol, if you cause a problem or get caught then it's YOUR problem and not the flotillas. The guys knew the policy but then proceeded anyway. Am I wrong in thinking that other flotilla members turned them in to the gold side for the violation or did the gold side find out on their own?

Am I wrong in thinking that other flotilla members turned them in to the gold side for the violation or did the gold side find out on their own?

The members, once of whom was the IPFC at the time, turned them in. The reason the members made it formal was that this wasn't the first time the coxswain had openly violated the rules & regs in the OpsPolMan. When he was caught in the prior instances and everything was kept informal - he fought doing the right thing tooth and nail. It took involving the Gold Side to get the Blue Lights off his boat - just as an example.

Further, on the illegal covert night ops, he was involving crew trainees from the boat crew training program he was running. He was spreading the infection of rule-breaking. Even after the reported incident he really didn't change his ways.

It was reported to several people but none officially that he would take up station near the beginning of slow speed and no wake zones and try to haul over boaters with a bullhorn who he thought were violating the zone. As an Auxie you can request a boater to slow down, an Auxie has no authority to order a boat to stop and then approach that boat to give them a lecture about safe operation (which is what he was trying to do).

On at least one occaison and probably more, he violated speed zones on the ICW in order to get to a SAR case. He didn't want to run off-shore where it would be legal. An Auxie, even on a SAR case, has no authority to violate any speed zone. During that same incident he sped thru a bridge and severly waked a boat, who in turn took his picture.

You may think the incidents are trivial but you should read Darker Shades of Blue: A Case Study of Failed Leadership Major Tony Kern, United States Air Force. That case study heavily influenced the decision of the MembersB to proceed and continue to press the case - no matter the consequences and the continuing cover-up by the Gold and Silver Side. The Rogue Coxswain was dangerous - if left unchecked he was going to get someone killed or severly injured. That person may have been a crew member, many of whom were also the MembersB friends (who do you think told them what was happening) or a member of the public.

Here are the author's Preface statements about the case study:

quote:

When leadership fails and a command climate breaks down, tragic things can happen. This is the story of failed leadership and a command climate which had degenerated into an unhealthy state of apathy and non-compliance--a state which contributed to the tragic crash of a B-52 at Fairchild Air Force Base, on the 24th of June, 1994, killing all aboard.

quote:

Finally, I wish to show the positive side of this episode, for there were many who did the right thing, and acted in a timely and proactive manner. Their actions might well have averted the disaster in a more rational command climate. Their story should be told.

Further the February 1, 2001 Aux Air Crash in D7 had sensitized the MembersB to the same break-down in 'command climate' leading to tolerated violations of the rules & regs. The crash really hit home for the MembersB since the crash happened in the Air AOR they were part of.

Well,

I guess the guy was a menace. It seems odd that the Gold Side has not booted them out for these infractions.

Is it possible that they tacitly condone his actions by their silence? It seems that the only members that got into trouble were those that brought attention to the Gold side in reference to ther infraction.

Well, I'm new here and I'm new to the Auxiliary but for some reason the 'problems' aired here, with some exceptions seem to be old news. I filled out a brief form and did my fingerprints like a good 'sheep' (I hate that insinuation) and still couldn't give a rats arse who has my fingerprints.

So far the Auxiliary seems to have the same problems as the 'Gold Side', the private company I worked for and the contractors I work for now. I've been in I've been in nearly 8 months, I've seen leaders who can't lead, leaders who won't lead and lots of people who want things done their way. Lie everything else I've done in my admittedly short life, there's a good group of people with a standard compliment of nuts and arses. I think you could go on about the incompetence all you want but until there is a standard specification denoting an 'idiot' and a law permitting the culling of said individuals the problem will remain. You can worry about the minuscule impact these people will have on you or you can get on with it and leave them behind you.

... Hi everyone.

quote:

Originally posted by FL51D7:
That case study heavily influenced the decision of the MembersB to proceed and continue to press the case - no matter the consequences...

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, in a speech at the Air War College recently, quoted Col. John Boyd:

quote:

Boyd would say—and I quote—"One day you will take a fork in the road, and you're going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go. If you go one way, you can be somebody. You will have to make your compromises and … turn your back on your friends, but you will be a member of the club, and you will get promoted and get good assignments. Or you can go the other way, and you can do something, something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. … You may not get promoted, and you may not get good assignments, and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors, but you won't have to compromise yourself. … In life there is often a roll call. That's when you have to make a decision: to be or to do."

John Boyd bio on Wikipedia

Hello Jason...welcome to the auxiliary!

quote:

. . . until there is a standard specification denoting an 'idiot' and a law permitting the culling of said individuals the problem will remain. You can worry about the minuscule impact these people will have on you or you can get on with it and leave them behind you.

Very funny way to put it. Some would argue the impact is more than minuscule, but its still up to the individual if he/she wants to continue contributing. I find it worth the effort. But im a newer member . . . things could change.

quote:

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, in a speech at the Air War College recently, quoted Col. John Boyd:

Great quote. Im a fan of Col. Boyd. I highly recommend his biography Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram. Terrific read about a brilliant but unknown patriot.

quote:

Originally posted by JasonWilsonAUX:
Well, I'm new here and I'm new to the Auxiliary but for some reason the 'problems' aired here, with some exceptions seem to be old news. I filled out a brief form and did my fingerprints like a good 'sheep' (I hate that insinuation) and still couldn't give a rats arse who has my fingerprints.

And.. it is that type of attitude as to why we're losing our liberties in this country. You SHOULD care.

Christ, FW, are you on some kind of quest to ensure every thread on this board gets locked?

quote:

Originally posted by MidnMike:
Christ, FW, are you on some kind of quest to ensure every thread on this board gets locked?

Apparently you are.. that was a hostile post on your part.

I'm just stating my opinion, which is what forums are for. Sorry you feel only people you agree with should be allowed to express theirs.

Your opinion on the PSI was deliberately separated from this thread into a dedicated PSI thread (yet another one) that ended up having to be locked by a moderator. Now you resurrect the topic in this thread with a post indicating that Jason is contributing to the "losing our liberties" because he's ok with having his fingerprints taken VOLUNTARILY in order to become a member of a government agency's auxiliary. I know as much about Jason as you do, which is only that he's willing to volunteer to serve this country and even pay to do it, which, absent any other information, makes him a patriot in my book. So yeah, I get a little hostile when a topic that was closed by a moderator is brought back with a thinly veiled indictment of such a man's dedication to the notion of liberty.

You've stated your opinion many times here. We're all well aware of your opinion. You don't need to start chastising new auxiliarists for committing the shocking, SHOCKING act of signing up despite the PSI.

Then you immediately start with the persecution complex. I've been here for less than a year and I could write a script for how these threads go. No wonder I hardly ever post here.

Anyone know of another CG Aux board?

FW- If anyone is an expert on Hostile, its you.

Mike, there is no other board that I can find. But you're always going to have to overlook the insane and misdirected rantings of the disenfranchised and/or disgruntled type no matter where you go.

I, on the other hand, am perfectly gruntled with the my experiences and friendships I've made in the Auxiliary. The bad things do happen, but I don't dwell on them because they too shall pass.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jack_Smith,

quote:

Originally posted by MidnMike:
Christ, FW, are you on some kind of quest to ensure every thread on this board gets locked?

Maybe she's trying to get kicked out so she can B & M about her lost liberties

I was perfectly "gruntled" with my experiences in the Auxiliary as well. I thought the training was fabulous, and the opportunities amazing. I made a lot of good friends in the Auxiliary-- and we remain close today.

My only "dis" gruntle-- and it's a biggie-- is having been expected to hand off my privacy and liberties as if it were no big deal.

It's sad to see people giving away the freedoms and liberties your fore-fathers (and fore-mothers) fought for without a second thought. And, it's even sadder to see that these same people don't believe in freedom of speech. If anyone differs with their beliefs, they begin to launch personal attacks.

Forewatch, I've read enough of your posts to know we're not going to agree on much. All I can say is we have very different ideas of what constitutes a lost liberty and the best way to go about reversing decisions that we don't agree with. As I understand it the PSI you were asked to fill out was a bit more invasive than the one my wife and I went through so I'll give some leeway on your opinion that it invades privacy. Outside of that, I'm not going into it further with you.

I'm here to enjoy myself and mingle with other people who enjoy the Auxiliary and want to see it succeed. I think the Auxiliary has its problems and I partially agree that there isn't much reason to ask for the information they ask for but we lose common ground past that point.

Jason,

Welcome to the Auxiliary! I'm glad you exercised your personal freedom to choose -- and chose to complete the process required to join the Auxiliary.

"The satisfaction that you derive from your Auxiliary membership will be in proportion to your level of participation in the organization's activities."

Those who can not participate due to their personal choices will continue to be dissatisfied...

As far as competence or incompetence goes:

"The success of the Coast Guard Auxiliary will depend upon the extent of your participation and upon the quality of the leaders that you, the member, select."

Thus to legitimately comment on the leadership, one should be an active member. If it appears that a change in leadership is warranted, once again -- it begins with the efforts of the current membership to elect those they feel best capable to perform.

The process will not change overnight -- but the power to change leadership rests with the membership. Current members -- not disgruntled ex's. All they have is what happened in the past -- with no ability to participate in the present nor to direct the future -- all they can do is strive to keep the hurts and failures of the past alive in an effort to sooth those old personal wounds...

Regards.

Well Said F&S

"Be part of the solution, not part of the problem".

Welcome aboard Jason. I hope that you will find the Aux as satisfying as I have. Good luck with your future endeavors.

Quitters never Win and Winners never Quit!

quote:

Quitters never Win and Winners never Quit!

My mom says I'm a winner...my teenage daughters have an entirely different opinion