Wilbur Didn't Survive, But the Volunteer Spirit of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Lives On

[February 29, 2008]  On an average day, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary assists 56 people in trouble on the water, assists with 19 search-and-rescue missions, and possibly saves one to two recreational boaters from certain death somewhere on the waters of the United States. The Coast Guard Auxiliary's lifesaving efforts are not limited to people either.

On Wednesday, George McLellam and Harvey F. Saunders, who are both U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary pilots, flew an injured porpoise, in McLellum's generously donated plane from the Suffolk Executive Airport, to The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation in New York. The porpoise was named Wilbur. Last year McLellam made this same trip for a porpoise named Orville. Although regrettably Wilbur did not survive, the volunteer spirit of the members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary lives on.

National Park Service rangers found Wilbur washed up on Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Tuesday. The aquarium's stranding response team assessed the porpoise's condition and determined he could be rehabilitated.

Air operations are just one of many kinds of missions conducted by the men and women of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Created by an act of Congress in 1939, the Coast Guard Auxiliary directly supports the Coast Guard in all missions except military and direct law enforcement missions.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component of the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard's motto is "Semper paratus," meaning "Always ready." The Coast Guard Auxiliary is an integral part the U.S. Coast Guard. For more information, visit www.cgaux.org. If you are ready to be "Semper paratus," visit http://join.cgaux.org/.

[Text from file received from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary]