In the Loop is the authorized newsletter of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 59, Smithfield, VA. It is published monthly as a PDF and emailed to members. Hard copies are available by request from the editor. Members are encouraged to submit articles, photos, and letters. Editor reserves the right to edit all submissions for length and content. In this issue: - Two Smithfield Police officers complete AUX SC&E - Meet Our People: VFC Fred Hetzel - National Safe Boating Week Begins

1. Meet Our People
Meet Vice Flotilla Com-
mander Fred Hetzel, re-
cently retired with over
30 years total active duty
and reserve CG service.
page 2
AUX SC&E
Two Smitihfield Police
Department officers
completed the AUX
Search Coordination &
Execution Course.
page 1
Safe Boating Week
Flotilla 59 kicked off
National Ssafe Boating
Week with on-site vessel
exams at Smithfield
Station.
page 3
In this
issue:
The Newsletter of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 59 • Smithfield, VA • May 2016
Smithfield Police Complete AUX SC&E
Meeting Highlights
See AUX SC&E, page 2 See Meeting, page 2
Smithfield Flotilla 59 held its monthly
meeting April 18, 7 p.m. at the American
Legion in Smithfield. Here’s what you may
have missed if you could not attend:
Awards and Recognition
Peter Faleski received his instructor
qualification and certificate.
Challenge coins were awarded to
Peter Faleski, Al Coke, George Langdon,
Michelle Thornton, Anderson Braswell,
Henry Troutner, Fred Hetzel, Lou Bott,
John Curry, Mike Quinn and Chuck
Mullen, Sr.
Mike Quinn’s and Al Coke’s facilities
received bronze and silver decals for
operational hours.
Henry Troutner was recognized by
LCDR Colleen Symansky of Station
Portsmouth for volunteering in the PFB
Mail Room.
Announcements
TRAINING - Flotilla 59 is one of
the top five flotillas in the district for
completion of mandated training. There
is a district award for having 90% of
members complete the training by June 1.
DIVISION - The Coast Guard Auxiliary
was invited to present on boater safety
Two Smithfield Police Department officers, along with Auxiliarists Chuck Mullen, Sr. and Henry Troutner,
completed AUX SC&E - an advanced search and rescue course and authorized elective for the AUXOP
program - taught by Michelle Thornton.
Following three months of intensive
coursework, four members of the
Smithfield community completed the
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Search
Coordination and Execution course (AUX
SC&E) - an advanced level search and
rescue course taught to hundreds of active
duty Coast Guard and Auxiliary coxswains
and air commanders each year.
Joshua Powell and Paul Bancroft of
the Smithfield Police Department, and
Coast Guard Auxiliarists Henry Troutner
and Chuck Mullen, Sr. received their
certificates of completion Thursday,
April 28 after passing a two-part written
and practical exam. Smithfield Flotilla
59’s Michelle Thornton, who also serves
as District Captain for Sector Hampton
Roads, taught the course and proctored
the exam.
“AUX SC&E is intended as an
advanced course of study and practice

2. S
M
ITHFIELD, V
A
FLOTILLA
SMITHFIELD, VA
AUX SC&E
cont. from page 1
Meeting
cont. from page 1
In the Loop
is the authorized newsletter of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 59, Smithfield, VA. It is published monthly
as a PDF and emailed to members. Hard copies are available by request from the editor. Members are
encouraged to submit articles, photos, and letters to FSO-PB/FSO-CS Stephen Faleski at stephenfaleski@
gmail.com. Editor reserves the right to edit all submissions for length and content.
FC/FSO-MS: R. Anderson Braswell
VFC: H. Fred Hetzel
FSO-FN/PA/MT: Peter Faleski
FSO-CS/PB/SR: Stephen Faleski
FSO-IS/PE: George Langdon
FSO-HR: Vacant
FSO-DV/NS/DCAPT: Michelle Thornton
FSO-PV: Charlie More
FSO-VE: Lou Bott
FSO-OP: Vacant
Why did you join the Auxiliary:
I joined the Auxiliary to do some
of the jobs I was not able to do,
because of my OS rating, in the Coast
Guard. Now, I get to ride around on
other people’s boats for free! I’m glad
I joined Flotilla 59. It’s close to home,
it’s very active, and has a great roster
of members.
What do you like best about being
Vice Flotilla Commander:
Being the Vice Flotilla
Commander has opened my eyes
(somewhat) to the inner workings
of the Auxilliary. It takes a lot of
dedicated people a lot of time and
energy to maintain the high quality of
personel, missions, and service the
Auxiliary provides to the country and
the “Gold” side of Team Coast Guard.
Future plans:
My long-term plan is to earn
the Trident pin in Marine Safety.
I say “long-term” because the
qualifications take a minimum of five
years to complete, and I just started
them this year.
Name: Fred Hetzel
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Current City: Smithfield, VA
Family: Jeanne (wife)
Profession: Retired (IBM, USCG)
Years in Auxiliary: 15 months Aux,
33 yrs Active Duty & Reserve
Last/Highest Office: Vice Flotilla
Commander, Flotilla 59
Qualifications: Boat Crew, AUXOP
(pending)
Meet Our People
during a Dept. of Defense stand-down
day in May.
Staff Report Highlights
IS - Flotilla 59 once again had 100%
of its members turn in 7029 and 7030
hours on time.
PA - National Safe Boating Week
(NSBW) began the week of May 22. The
Saturday prior, Flotilla 59 set up a booth at
the Smithfield Farmer’s Market Saturday,
May 21 and at the Windsor Castle Park
kayak launch Sunday, May 22. The Flotilla
will offer on-site vessel exams the following
weekend at Jones Creek.
CS - The Flotilla has entered its music
video “Flotilla 59” on YouTube for entry
into the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s National
Public Affairs Contest in the video
production category.
MT - Flotilla 59’s boat crew qualified
members will be doing dockside training
at Smithfield Station on June 4. New
members interested in becoming boat
crew qualified are encouraged to attend.
Flotilla 59’s Henry Troutner and Chuck
Mullen, Jr. recently completed and
passed the AUX Search Coordination
and Execution (SC&E) course, along
with two Smithfield police officers. This
advanced-level course is part of the
AUXOP certification program (the highest
proficiency rating an auxiliarist can attain.)
in navigation, the duties of a search and
rescue unit, how to prepare for missions
and carry out a search action plan, and
some of the unique communications
encompassed in SAR missions,” Thornton
said. “Students also learned about local,
national and international search and
rescue systems and the laws and policies
that govern each body of those systems.”
According to Thornton, the two
Smithfield Police Department officers who
took the course did so to build a stronger
relationship with their local Auxiliary and
Coast Guard units and to strengthen their
seamanship and boating skills. Troutner
and Mullen, as fellow Auxiliarists,
took the course as one of the
authorized electives in the
prestigious AUXOP program of
study.
“The AUXOP program has
sometimes been called the
‘Ph.D. of the Auxiliary,’” Thornton
said. “Members who achieve AUXOP
status should be justly proud of their
accomplishment and increased utility
to the Auxiliary and to the Coast Guard.
Members who complete their training are
authorized to wear the AUXOP device.”
As a follow-up to the course, the two
Smithfield Police Department
officers who completed the
course and every member of
the Smithfield Police Marine
Unit will be invited to the Coast
Guard Sector Hampton Roads
Command Center and USCG
Station Portsmouth for a guided
tour facilitated by USCG Auxiliary
Smithfield Flotilla 59.
Pictured: AUXOP uniform device

3. Commander’s
Corner
Flotilla
- Anderson Braswell
Flotilla Commander
Smithfield Flotilla 59
Boater Safety Class
Flotilla 59’s George Langdon and Peter Faleski taught the state-approved basic boater
safety course to the Norfolk Angler’s Club Tuesday, May 24 and Wednesday, May 25,
6-10 p.m. - 26 people passed and received their DGIF cards. State law will require all
motor boat operators to complete the course and carry a card by July 1.
National Safe Boating Week Begins
Upcoming Events: DOCKSIDE TRAINING
Well, it is finally here - May - that
time of year we get to pack up our
drysuits, roll up our ODU sleeves
(properly), and spend even more time
out on the water.
One thing we should be mindful
of going into “busy season” is
maintaining focus. I recently listened
to story about a seasoned Marine
who is a decorated combat veteran
and expert marksman going to the
range to qualify. His recollection was
“I’ve done this a million times. No
Sweat... BANG. I wonder what’s for
dinner tonight… BANG. Is the mess
even open today… BANG.”
He awaited his score figuring at
least a 28/40, but more likely his usual
score of +30. He scored a nine. Nine
out of 40.
Proficiency does not come
from one attempt. It doesn’t even
come from hundreds of attempts. In
addition to knowledge and repetition,
proficiency demands your full
concentration and mindfulness.
Similar to the Marine, Flotilla
59 has put in a vast amount of time
on the water and fields a wealth of
experience amongst our crews.
It is easy to slip into the trap of
“I’ve done this hundreds of times,”
lose focus, and create an incident.
As we head into the busy summer
months, lets all remember the old
adage “If it is worth doing, it is worth
your full attention.”
ORDERS APPROVED FOR THE MARY RILEY
ORDERS REQUESTED FOR THE PATRIOT AND WITCH DOCTOR
4 HOURS + PATROLS WITH 2-BOAT TRAINING
MORNING AND NIGHT MISSIONS AVAILABLE
WHEN: SATURDAY, JUNE 4
WHERE: SMITHFIELD STATION MARINA
415 SOUTH CHURCH ST., SMITHFIELD
Saturday, May 21 marked the official
start of National Safe Boating Week, an
annual safe boating awareness campaign
intended to mark the start of the traditional
recreational boating and water sport
season.
According to U.S.
Coast Guard statistics,
every year, on average,
700 people die in boating-
related accidents, and
eight out of every 10 of
those fatalities was not
wearing a life jacket.
Flotilla 59 kicked off the
first two days of National Safe
Boating Week with free vessel
safety checks at the Smithfield
Station marina on May 21.
The Flotilla also set up a public
affairs booth at the Windsor Castle Park
kayak launch on May 22, which included
displays of safety information, free
identification labels, and safety whistles
for life jackets. A certified vessel examiner
was also on-hand to award vessel safety
check decals to properly outfitted kayaks.
“Our vessel safety checks are
always free, no-consequence exams,”
said the Flotilla’s Staff Officer for Vessel
Examinations, Lou Bott. “We check to
make sure you have
the right number of life
jackets, portable flotation
devices and other
supplies on board either
on-site at a boat launch or
at the location and time of
your choosing as a courtesy
to keep you and your family
and friends safe on the water.
We’re not law enforcement, so
you won’t get a ticket if something
is missing.”
Flotilla 59 will close out National
Safe Boating Week the following Saturday,
May 28 at the Jones Creek boat launch by
again offering free vessel safety checks.
The Flotilla’s vessel examiners are also
available year-round by appointment.