u/Anchor-Weather-139

Am I wrong that it’s fine for us to wear plain blue t-shirts without any writing under our ODUs? I’m not talking a strange color blue, but the blue ODU t-shirts you can get in a pack from the Coast Guard Exchange.

There’s this belief in my flotilla that the t-shirt must say “USCG Auxiliary” on it, even if you are wearing the blouse and it can’t be seen. I’ve also seen it debated with boat crews when going down to t-shirts when it’s hot (even though the PLB will cover the shirt).

Did I miss a memo? Reading the regs it sure sounds like a regular blue t-shirt is fine.

I’m curious about taking some intro lessons to small boat sailing. Does anyone have a recommendation for the Seacoast area? Ideally somewhere that will teach a very basic boat like a Sunfish. Also open to neighboring towns in MA or ME. Thanks!

I’m trying to read my competency hours for boat crew and am confused.

I was certified earlier this season so some of my hours are “trainee” which I get. But then some of them say “trainee (1 yr)”. Does that mean last year?

Also, my non-lead hours don’t add up to what’s been approved in my AUXDATA activity logs. I should have about ten more underway hours or so. Do these just eventually add up? Or does it need to be done manually?

Thanks for any insight.

Founded on this day in 1790. I’m grateful to the Auxiliary to be able to serve as a part of the Coast Guard family. Semper Paratus!

I know the regs say we need to wear the AWU polo with the non-ODU blue cargo pants and boots. And, I know the alternative blazer uniform also exists. But I am curious whether it’s appropriate to wear the polo with anything other than the cargo pants.

I ask because there are times the polo and some khakis would be ideal. I was watching some local gold side recruiters recently and they were wearing USCG polos and khakis and it worked.

There are times we don’t need the operational look that the cargo pants and boots bring, but the polos might make us more approachable. Is there anything that might allow them to be worn with another kind of pants, like khakis? Could be good for PE or more business casual community meetings, especially when there are security concerns around the uniform.

Quick uniform question as we have some confusion on this in our unit: If you go down to t-shirts in ODUs, do our t-shirts have to say “USCG Auxiliary”?

We have a few interpretations. One is that you have to have one that specifically says Auxiliary. Another is that you can have a the plain blue ODU undershirt that you can buy in packs at the Exchange. The last is that you can wear any USCG t-shirt, including your local station or sector.

What’s your reading?

Apologies if this isn’t the right place. I thought there might be some DAR members here, though, who had perspective.

I’m the family genealogist and felt inspired to have the service of an ancestor in the Revolution on record. I went through the process with my local DAR and got word that they were accepted. That means I’m going to be joining too.

Here’s the thing; I’m not sure whether this is the right organization for me. I am openly queer with a wife. We both work actively for trans inclusion, and I’ve read some absolutely horrible statements made about trans people by DAR members because of the recent vote on bylaws. I also don’t love the exclusion of adoptees who don’t share a bloodline from membership.

My local chapter seems good. A lot of likeminded, inclusive people are there and I think they do good work. But I’m second-guessing this.

Anyone have any ideas or experiences?

Random thought. Has anyone else ever wondered why there is an air crew badge but no boat crew badge? The gold side has a boat forces badge and then a coxswain badge, but we only have the coxswain one. Wouldn’t it make sense to mirror them on this, like we do for aviation? It is a long qualification program, after all, and it would be nice to recognize people who put in the time and service.

Edit to add: I know that the boat forces badge for the gold side takes a lot more than qualification, but it at least recognizes long service.

Like the title says, how did you best prepare? Anything you really drilled? Any methods that worked best for you? Did you find the oral exam or check ride tougher?

I go to open play at the local Y. It’s a pretty chill group, with a lot of openness to new players. People will give advice, which is usually fine, and are good at reading whether or not the person actually wants to hear it.

Then there was what happened yesterday. The brother of a regular player was visiting from out of state. I ended up matched against him several times and with him once. In every match, regardless of partner’s skill level, he spent the entire time “teaching” or slightly admonishing his partner. He often stopped play to instruct his partner. And, yes, every mistake on court was the partner’s, and never his.

I got the sense he was a coach of something, but I doubt it was pickleball. He was decent, but not exceptional or even great. I’m also pretty sure his serve would be considered illegal. (It was a volley serve that seemed to be above navel.) He also poached numerous shots and hit them straight into the net.

I don’t want to make an issue at open play, especially since his sibling is a regular participant, but I gave this guy no indication that I wanted advice nor any encouragement for the advice he gave me. I got to the point of simply ignoring any “teaching” comment.

If this just impacted me, I think I’d just avoid him in future games and let it go. Or, if paired with him again, I’d say something like “thank you, but I’m really just here for fun, low-stress games”. But in retrospect he only did this with non-male partners, and he delayed multiple games. I’m also just sort of stunned by his lack of self-awareness.

My sense is his he will be a regular visitor. What would you do?

I’m currently serving two roles, one an elected flotilla leadership role and one an appointed district role.

The flotilla role has an office insignia that is two “ranks” lower than the district one. When I was appointed to the district I was told “oh and you should wear this now”, so I bought that insignia.

The thing is, the flotilla role is I spend a lot of time on and love, and the other a minor district position that I really don’t need to do much for at all.

Would it be wrong to wear the flotilla insignia instead? I also feel weird about wearing oak leaves when my FC is wearing LT bars.

My flotilla is hoping to get some challenge coins made with a fairly tight turn-around time (about a month). Does anyone have a company they’ve worked with and loved?

I’m a VFC right now and often spend about a half hour a day on emails, etc. I’m about to enter a bunch of time into AUXDATA and I’m wondering if it’s legit to just add up all the hours on a like-coded task together and note the days the hours cover.

For instance, if over the course of a week I do 4 hours for 99A can I just input them as one entry and note that it’s for several days? Or do I have to do each day separately? I’m glad to, if needed, but I feel badly for our FSO-IS who has to do the approval.