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AUX-12 Public Affairs class at BSU New Orleans. |
From the east to the west coast and the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, divisions and flotillas from all four corners of the continental U.S., were represented at the AUX-12 Public Affairs Training Course held at Coast Guard Base Support Unit New Orleans, Louisiana last month.
Seventeen students and three instructors participated in writing, photography and media relations exercises, as well as communication and team building workshops, March 11 – 13, 2011. A key focus was on how to prepare and distribute a press release, manage media relations, respond to media interviews and submit copy to local and national media.
“I learned a tremendous amount of useful information in the class,” said Jay Culotta, a flotilla commander with Flotilla 42 in Covington, Louisiana.
Albert Taylor, an operations, public affairs and vessel exam staff officer for Flotilla 25 in Elephant Butte, New Mexico, agrees.
“I’ve had a lot of success getting my stories out with some publications, but not so much with others,” said Taylor. “I felt like I had one hand tied behind my back.”
The AUX-12 course instructors provided the students with the tools they will need to successfully research, create and market their photos and stories. After completing this course, these future public affairs specialists are ready to meet the media and get the Auxiliary’s story out to the American public.
The weekend also provided members with networking opportunities. After all, good public relations begin with good personal relationships. With fewer than 80 Auxiliarists qualified as public affairs specialists, it is a tight-knit group. In addition to attending the AUX-12 course, members must complete a variety of qualification sign-offs, homework assignments, public affairs-related activities and an oral review board before they successfully gain the PA designation.
The training evolution included a Joint Information Center scenario exercise, which allowed the trainees to gain hands-on experience in crisis communications for disaster situations. The Auxiliary is an invaluable asset during times of crisis. Following the Deepwater Horizon incident in April 2010, an estimated 500 Auxiliary volunteers logged thousands of hours to aid in the initial response and on-going cleanup efforts, which is only a portion of the more than two million hours volunteered annually by the more than 30,000 members of the Auxiliary.
Auxiliary members bring a vast and varied array of professional knowledge and personal experience that enrich the Coast Guard family. Side-by-side with their fellow “blue-suiters,” Auxiliarists perform safety and pollution patrols, stand communication watches, provide administrative support to sector and district commanders, assist during mobilization exercises and perform countless other activities and roles in support of the Coast Guard’s many missions.
Since its inception in 1939, the Auxiliary has played an integral part in the overall success of the Coast Guard. Volunteering their talent and, more importantly, their time, Auxiliary members embody the core value of “Dedication to Duty” and bring strength to Team Coast Guard. After all, nothing is stronger than the heart of a volunteer.
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Practicing a videotaped media interview for AUX-12. |
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Auxiliarists in AUX-12 class. |
~MG 04-08-11