There’s a new Division USCG Commander for Maryland’s Eastern Shore
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary of Chesapeake Bay Eastern Shore has a new division commander. Thomas M. Stokes, Sr. of Easton, Maryland, was conferred during a Change of Watch ceremony in January at the Fisherman’s Inn at Kent Narrows. Stokes joined the auxiliary in 2013 as a member of Flotilla 21-03. He has earned certifications as a boat crewmember, instructor and in recreational boating safety. Flotilla 21-03 meets the first
Monday of each month at the Calhoon MEBA Engineering School in Easton.
The ceremony included the news that a new flotilla is now forming on Kent Island. Anyone interested in joining can call David Bourdon at (443) 262-8390 or email davidbourdon@atlanticbb.net for more information.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is an all-volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard and was created by an Act of Congress in 1939. With more than 32,000 members who support the Coast Guard in its non-military and nonlaw-enforcement missions, membership and units are available in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S.V.I., American Samoa, and Guam. Auxiliary members conduct safety patrols on local waterways, assist in search and rescue, teach boating safety classes, conduct free vessel safety checks, and participate in many other activities related to recreational boating safety. Membership is open to anyone 17 years of age and older. Information on how to join is available online through the auxiliary’s recruiting website.
By Chris Knauss, Southern Boating April 2018
Photo Courtesy of US Coast Guard Auxiliary