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Lt. Scott Parkhurst, Commander Gregory Walcott, Auxiliarists Brian McArdle |
The official request was passed on to U.S. Southern Command and within two weeks arrangements were made for a SMEE (Subject Matter Expert Exchange) to take place.
The first of three days Parkhurst, Cooper and McArdle met with senior Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard officials and toured the base at Staubles Bay, just outside Port of Spain. “We were very impressed with the operations and professionalism of the T&T Coast Guard,” commented John Cooper, consultant with the Auxiliary’s International Affairs Directorate. “It was important to understand their current status and what their needs are in order to provide information that we considered would be helpful,” he said. “We stressed the need to accurately report on their activities to all interested parties in order to ensure everyone knows what is being done by the new organization and to measure its success.”
The second and third days were spent in meeting with leading civilians interested in organizing a volunteer Auxiliary to assist the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard with its mission. “We were able to provide information on how the U.S. Auxiliary operates, its missions, how it interacts with the U.S. Coast Guard and its contribution to Homeland Security and boating safety,” stated Lt. Scott Parkhurst of the US Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area International Affairs Headquarters. “Of great interest was the high level of return on investment that the U.S. Coast Guard gets back from its support of the Auxiliary.”
Before the meetings concluded, Commander Walcott already had a follow-on meeting scheduled for the next week with a small committee of interested civilians, the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard and government attorneys to write a formal proposal for the formation of a Coast Guard Auxiliary in Trinidad and Tobago.
“We look forward to watching the birth of this organization,” said Brian McArdle, Chief of the Auxiliary’s Caribbean Division. “The people we met seem to be very dedicated individuals who are interested in the betterment of their country and in saving the lives of boaters through Search and Rescue and Safe Boating Education”.
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Military, civilian and Auxiliary participants in the meeting gather on the dock. |
At sundown, a half hour before the parade started, the Tide’s Inn fired cannon as a signal for all boats to turn their lights and for people to tour the dock area to view the boats up close. “This was a great opportunity to talk to people,” said Francois Kirkpatrick. “Many people were pleasantly surprised that the Coast Guard and the Auxiliary were participating.”
“We are always looking for new and different ways to promote safe boating and the Auxiliary,” said Amy Thomas. “This was a unique event, fun for us and it gave us the opportunity to wave the flag.”
~GJA 12-05-10