Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, Noble Eagle, Iraqi Freedom. All of these actions involved the military of the United States in far-flung places.

They’re no longer so far-flung that we don’t know where they are, at least on a map like those shown on the 24-hour news networks. We’ve come to learn that Basra is one of Iraq’s key cities, and Umm Qasar is her key port.

In the story above, readers can learn about one Georgetown resident’s love of country and love of the sea. Hunter Lawrimore joined the U.S. Coast Guard to help protect his country.

Along with the active-duty men and women in the Coast Guard and reserve, there’s another group, thousands strong, that helps safeguard our ports, our shipping, and teaches us boater safety.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary was formed during World War II, as an adjunct to the Coast Guard. The men and women today who serve in the Auxiliary love nothing better than to be asked to help out.

Auxiliary members don’t serve overseas, but they’re active in Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Columbia, Beaufort and other places. They’re the eyes and ears of the Coast Guard. As such, they help provide “Homeland Security.”
In conjunction with law enforcement and other personnel of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, these 5,000 volunteers extend the reach of the Coast Guard.

Recently, visitors to the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriot’s Point in Mount Pleasant watched as active-duty Coast Guardsmen and Auxiliaries practiced deploying a swimmer from a HH-65 Dolphin helicopter to a boat belonging to an Auxiliary member.

High drama, tension and pride were evident as media members watched the helicopter. The pilot and crew matched the pace of their aircraft to the boat just off the Yorktown and the retired cutter Ingham.

The swimmer climbed down a rope from the Dolphin to the boat, as the air and sea craft matched their pace.
This was “just” a practice, but the real event could happen if there was a “man overboard,” a vessel in distress or disabled, or a variety of other scenarios.

Also on station, as they often are, were personnel of the state DNR law enforcement division.
Together, the wildlife agents, Coast Guard and Auxiliary patrol the hundreds of miles of South Carolina coastline, rivers, inlets and bays.

Many of these people are on the water daily, so they know what’s normal and routine. They keep their eyes and ears open for the unusual, the out-of-the-ordinary.

Coast Guard Auxiliary members don’t have law enforcement authority, but they know who does. They will call for help from the Coast Guard or DNR officers if they see something that needs attention.

Auxiliary members also teach boating safety courses, offer courtesy inspections of boats for seaworthiness and proper equipment, and help those in need.

Jack Connelly is Flotilla 12-06 commander of one of two such groups in the Charleston area. George O’Brien is deputy commander, and Gary Graham is coxswain with the Auxiliary.

Graham served four years in the United States Navy.

O’Brien and Connelly joked, “We had to retrain him so we could get all those bad things out of him.”

Even with a little gentle ribbing of one another, it’s obvious that the three men get along well.

O’Brien and Connelly lived in the same town in New Jersey, went to the same church, and used the same pharmacy, but didn’t know one another until they moved to Mount Pleasant.

The well-equipped Miss Ellie is a 23-foot Maxum. Connelly said his boat has a 250-horsepower V-8 engine that burns eight gallons an hour at cruising speed. Its cabin will seat four to six people comfortably, and others can sit in the bow.

He and his crew practice towing boats from the stern and the side, and practice man overboard drills.

The boat has several radios, GPS receivers, a fathometer, plenty of life jackets and other equipment.

Auxiliarists pay their own expenses. The only money they receive from the Coast Guard is reimbursement for their gasoline costs.

Besides his boat, Connelly also used to own and fly a plane for Auxiliary patrols. He’s since sold the plane, but still flies on patrol in other aircraft when needed.

These three men, along with the rest of their 43-member flotilla, spend time walking the docks in the port of Charleston.
Just that visibility alone can often be a deterrent, the men say. With their efforts along the docks and the waterway, they free up regular full-time Coast Guard personnel for other duties.

With the USCGC Dallas and her crew deployed to the Persian Gulf, there are fewer personnel stationed in Charleston. Some reservists have been activated, including public information officer PA3 Judy Silverstein.

Her home base is Miami, although she lives and works in Tampa, Fla., where she’s a reporter for the Tampa Tribune.
Right now, Silverstein is on active duty with the Coast Guard in Charleston. She and fellow reservists are helping out where they’re needed to handle the increased workload from the buildup in the Persian Gulf, the war in Iraq, and the extra duties caused by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America.

Silverstein and other Coast Guardsmen are grateful to the Auxiliary. “These people are donating time helping us extend our forces around the clock,” she said.

Like many reservists, Silverstein is trying to keep up with her civilian job.

She continues to write for the Tribune while she watches history unfold.

“We’re learning how to defend our country,” she said. “We’re making history but also recording it.”

“It’s kind of exciting for us to be guarding our homeland,” she said.

There’s a sort of guilty feeling, she continued, in that she’s safe here while other military are in harm’s way in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

“But, wow, we’re keeping our country safe,” she adds.

DNR law enforcement personnel spend time on the waters also, making sure that fishing and other game laws are obeyed. They check for boat registration and safety, and while they’re at it they also cooperate with the Coast Guard and Auxiliary.
Charleston is among the nation’s busiest ports, and is open to shipping from around the world.

In Georgetown, Beaufort, Little River and other coastal areas, DNR personnel help provide security while they’re performing their other duties.

Each of these services and agencies works to ensure safety on the water.

One statistic that Silverstein brings out in conversation is that 70 percent of all boating deaths are because the PFD — Personal Flotation Device — wasn’t working.

Auxiliary members are still doing boating safety, Silverstein said, along with their other duties.

Referring to the helicopter deploying the swimmer, Silverstein said, “Every time there’s a rescue, there’s a whole new matrix, a math equation. You have to figure all these things out to be safe and do it right.”

O’Brien, Connelly and Graham recount different calls they’ve been on. They’ve helped tow boats whose engines have quit, pulled a sailboat off a sand bar that ran aground at Sullivan’s Island, and picked up others from a swamped sailboat.
When there’s a celebration of the blessing of the fleet, they help keep boats away from the larger vessels.

Why do all this stuff, and pay for it, too?

“Number one, I love the water,” O’Brien said. “And, I think I may be of help. We love to be asked to help.”

They stress, too, that they work closely with DNR every day.

“Any time the Coast Guard needs help, we give it,” Connelly said. “They stress to us if we don’t feel comfortable doing something, we tell them up front.”

Normally, individual members of the flotilla may be out one or two times a week. Auxiliary members are on the waters of Charleston harbor 12 months a year, Connelly said. The only exception would be if the water temperature drops below 50 degrees F.

When he was in the military, Connelly was stationed in the South.

“I always liked the South, the people, and hated cold weather,” he said. “My first day here, I decided I wanted to stay here.”
“I really enjoy the Auxiliary. We inspect boats, and get a chance to meet people,” Connelly said.

“If they haven’t done it before, we encourage them to take the safe boating course.”

Locally, Georgetown Flotilla 12-10 Commander Ralph Penevolpe can be reached at 436-5029.

On the Internet, key in http://www.uscg.mil. Pick the link for “Auxiliary,” then go to “Flotilla Finder.”

Find the window to enter Georgetown’s ZIP code, 29440, and you’ll find links for five nearby flotillas, including Georgetown. Once on the website you can find plentiful information about the local Auxiliary, including helicopter operations training photos from last year.