1. Courtesy, Protocol and Ceremonies
National Training Department

2. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN Courtesy and Protocol.
Standing at Attention & Saluting.
Coast Guard vs. Auxiliary Ranks.
Flag Etiquette.
Boarding & Leaving Military Vessels.
Local Stations.
Wardroom Etiquette & Ceremonies.

3. COURTESY AND PROTOCOL
Courtesy is the key to successful human relationships.
Protocol involves universally accepted customs and regulations that govern the formality, precedence and etiquette practiced on a day to day basis within a civilized society.
Auxiliary – no rank; Active and Reserved – rank but salute shows respect.
In the Auxiliary, courtesy kindles the friendly association of members, promotes a spirit of teamwork between units and enhances the success of social activities. It is the proper consideration of rights and feelings of others. For elected and appointed officers, the practice of courtesy and protocol are necessary requirements for successful duty performance.
Courtesies and protocol practiced in the Auxiliary are part of the ceremonial procedures that contribute dignity and color to our lives as civilian members of the USCG family.
In the Auxiliary as civilians, we hold no rank. However, the corresponding stripes on an active duty or reserve personnel tells us when to salute or show respect for the rank held. There will be times that an active duty or reserve person may salute our stripes. It is common courtesy to return that salute. This is a form of respect from both parties.

4. STANDING AT ATTENTION Stand up straight and tall.
Keep your chest lifted and arched with your shoulders squared.
Touch your heels together; toes of both shoes turn out at a 45-degree angle.
Keep your legs together and straight without locking your knees (you may faint otherwise).
Your arms remain straight at your sides along the seams of your pants.
Look straight ahead with your head up focusing your eyes directly in front of you.
We always assume everyone knows how to stand at attention. However, we have seen some differences of opinions on this. Therefore, here are some easy guidelines.
Stand up straight and tall, keeping your hips level. Tighten your stomach muscles as tight as possible. Keep your chest lifted and arched with your shoulders squared. Touch your heels together and have the toes of both shoes turn out at a 45-degree angle. Keep your body weight resting equally on your heels and balls of your feet. Legs are together and straight without locking your knees. (You may faint otherwise.)
Your arms remain straight at your sides along the seams of your pants. Keep your thumbs pointing downward along the seam while curling the fingers loosely toward the palm. Look straight ahead with your head up focusing your eyes directly in front of you. Keep your face straight and relaxed. No smiling allowed.

5. SALUTING As stated, a hand salute shows respect.
A salute is not usually the custom between Auxiliarists.
When in uniform and “covered”, a salute to active duty or Reserve officers is in order.
How to salute.
When to salute.
Saluting Rules.
Usually, Auxiliarists do not salute one another. We are the civilian uniformed component of the Coast Guard. As such, we should be aware that salutes are in order at certain times. If you are in uniform and you have your hat on, you are “covered” and you may:
Return a salute from any member of the Armed Forces with the salutation of “Good Morning” or Good Afternoon”.
Initiate the salute to a senior officer giving the same greeting but adding “sir” or “ma’am”.
ALWAYS salute anyone with a Medal of Honor ribbon (all blue with stars)
Most of us know that to salute, you come to attention. The right arm is bent at the elbow and raised smartly, with the fingers straight and together, palm toward the side of the face.. The index finger touches the forehead just above and to the right of the eyebrow. The head is straight; the upper arm, between the should and the ground is parallel to the ground. The lower arm and hand form a straight line at a 45 degree angle from the upper arm. When completed the arm is returned crisply to the side of your body.
There is some confusion as to when to salute during a ceremony. When out of doors, in uniform (which means you are covered) and addressing the National Flag or whenever the National anthem is played, a military salute is required. This applies to Morning and Evening Colors ceremonies aboard ship while in port or at any military installation. During this ceremony, the flag is raised or lowered and if you are in uniform, you should render a military salute. During a moving column, such as in a parade or review, salute the flag the moment the flag passes. During the national anthem when the flag is displayed, if in uniform, one should face the flag and salute from the first note of the music to the last note. If you cannot see the flag, pretend you can and salute in the same manner.
When outdoors and not in uniform, stand at attention, and place your right hand over your heart. Any male civilian headgear must be removed by the right hand and held over the left shoulder with your right hand over your heart.
When indoors, for either the flag or the national anthem, stand at attention. When the Pledge of Allegiance is recited, everyone should have the right hand over the heart.
Remember, these rules:
Hold the salute until the salute is returned
Look at the person or the colors being saluted
Stand at attention when saluting
Make certain the hand, arm and fingers are in the correct position (as stated above).
Never have a cigarette in your hand or mouth
Always be crisp in the salute
Ladies always carry the purse on the left shoulder, keeping the right hand free for a salute.

6. COAST GUARD VS. AUXILIARY RANKS
Auxiliary
Coast Guard
Junior  Officers
FSO
01 Ensign
VFC, SO
02 Lieutenant jg (Jr grade)
FC, ADSO
03 Lieutenant
VCDR, DSO
04 Lieutenant Commander
Senior Officer
DCDR
05 Commander
DCAPT
06 Captain
DCO
07 Rear Admiral (lwr half)
Flag Officer
NAVCO
08 Rear Admiral (up half)
NACO
09 Vice Admiral

7. AUXILIARY INSIGNIA

8. FLAG ETIQUETTE In a meeting room – flat -above and behind the speaker.
On a staff in a meeting – behind and to the right of podium-point of prominence.
On a casket-union at head and left shoulder
National ensign should be of appropriate size for a boat.
Distress signal – “Union” down not in Nav. Rules.
The flag is also referred to as the colors, ensign or standard. In a meeting room, the US flag will be displayed in manner of prominence. If the flag is to be flat on the wall, it will be above the head and to the right of the speaker. The Union or stars will be uppermost and to the flag’s right, or the audience’s left.
If displayed on a staff, either permanently or paraded into the room, the flag will be behind and to the right of the podium or head table. All other flags, including the Auxiliary ensign will be placed on the left of the podium or head table, also the audiences’s right.
When displayed on a casket the union should be at the head and over the left shoulder . The flag should never be lowered into the grave nor be allowed to touch the ground.
On a boat, the national ensign should be kept in proportion to the size of the boat. The accepted rule for powerboats is a minimum of 1 inch of flag on the fly per foot of overall boat length. That means if the boat is 24 feet long overall, the flag should be no more or less than 24 inches in length with appropriate width. The most common error is the flag is too small.
In years past, it was thought that the national ensign turned so that the “Union” was at the bottom gave a recognized distress signal. This was the same for stamps displaying the US flag on an envelope. However, this is not listed in Navigation Rules and should not be relied upon to be a definite distress signal.

9. BOARDING & LEAVING MILITARY VESSELS
Quarterdeck – entry point.
Boarding in uniform.
OOD.
Leaving.
In civilian clothes.
Guests.
The Quarterdeck in generally the entry point for officers and guests. In some ships, it may be the general boarding point. If you are in uniform, at the top of the gangway, stand at attention and salute the national ensign. Then, turn to Officer Of Day (OOD), salute and state: “Request permission to come aboard, Sir (or Ma’am)”. The salute will be returned and you will be invited aboard.
When leaving the ship, reverse the process by presenting yourself to the OOD, salute and state: “Request permission to leave the ship, Sir”. The OOD will grant you permission. You step to the gangway and as you cross the gunwale, turn and salute in the direction of the national ensign, then proceed ashore.
In you are in civilian clothes, follow the same procedure without rendering the hand salute, both on boarding and leaving the ship.
If you have guests with you, either when boarding or leaving the ship, it is not necessary for your guests to salute or request permission as you will represent them doing so.

10. LOCAL STATIONS Call ahead to ask permission to ‘stop by’.
Introduce yourself to the OOD upon arrival.
Ask if there is a sign-in book.
Stay out of the way.
Do not enter the berthing areas.
Do not enter the training rooms.
Do not assume you may eat unless invited.
This is common courtesy. You are entering their home away from home. This is a military installation and should be respected as such.

11. WARDROOM ETIQUETTE Wardroom – Officers; Mess deck – enlisted.
Wait to be invited to sit.
Dinner conversation.
Areas off limits.
No headgear worn.
Always obey the ship’s rules.
If you do not know...ASK!
Ship’s officers eat in the wardroom and enlisted personnel eat in the mess deck. As an Auxiliarist, we wear the uniform of an officer.
The Captain, the Executive officer (XO) or any other officer may be the presiding officer of the mess. If you have been invited to eat in the wardroom, the presiding officer will invite everyone to be seated when the meal is ready to be served. It is not customary to sit before being invited to do so.
Custom also dictates that if you need to leave before the presiding officer, ask permission before leaving the table. “May I be excused, sir (or ma’am)?” is all that is needed.
Be aware that dinner conversation never entails politics, religion or any ‘shop talk’. If you have any doubts, let the presiding officer guide the conversation.
There are certain areas that you will not enter unless being specifically invited to do so. A couple of these areas are the Captain's quarters and the Chief Petty Officers mess, also known as “CPO Country”. The crews quarters are also not entered unless it is necessary to pass through while moving from one part of the ship to another.
There may be special circumstances depending on the occasion and size of groups on board. Remember, always obey the ship’s rules and if you don’t know what is expected ... ASK! You represent the civilian uniformed arm of the Coast Guard and are held to a higher standard.

12. CEREMONIES Invitations. Receiving Lines and Receptions.
Formal Functions.
Introductions.
Seating Arrangements.
Speaking Order for Guests.
There are several special ceremonies that concern the Auxiliary. For these times, we need to know how to invite, introduce and seat our special Coast Guard guests so we do not embarrass them or ourselves.
Invitations:
When sending an invitation, know that a formal invitation (written) should be sent by mail to those invited to attend Change of Watch dinners or other ceremonial occasions. If you are inviting guests to a less formal occasion such as a meeting or fellowship, a phone call, short note or an is permissible.
Make certain that the invitation, whether formal or informal, includes the full information regarding the activity. Specific information such as date, time, place, uniform expected, whether spouse or guest is also invited and if the invitee is expected to participate in the program will lessen the anxiety of your guest. If there is a choice of entrée, a reservation form with or without the cost lets the invitee know what is being served to avoid allergies.
If there is a cost, that must be included along with a reservation form. Usually, if the invitation states that the invitee will be a “guest of the flotilla/division/district” then this infers that the cost has been absorbed by the host. Generally, if the invitation requests that the invitee “joins us at our Change of Watch”, this means that there will be a cost reflected on the reservation form.
If an “RSVP” is included, the name and phone number or address of the contact person and a no later than (NLT) date should be included. If you have been invited somewhere and given and “RSVP”, please respond promptly. Failure to respond to an “RSVP” could put the host in an embarrassing position.
Receiving Lines and Receptions:
Normally wives precede husbands through the receiving line. Say your name distinctly to the official member in line who will then introduce you to the next official.
Never carry a drink, cigarette, cigar or anything in your hand; this is very discourteous. Also, keep moving. If you want a discussion with someone, do it after the line is finished. When you are through the line, move away to make room for others.
Formal Functions:
As the host, it is your responsibility to see that everything goes smoothly. Remember that a hat table and a coat closet may be needed. As host, you should be the first to arrive and the last to leave.
Make certain that each guest is provided with the necessary tickets, program, reserved seat and an escort and conversationalist until the meal is served.
If you are the guest, remember to greet the host and hostess when you arrive. Also, express appreciation to both when you leave. If a senior officer is present, it is customary to delay your departure until the officer and guests have paid their respects and leave.
Introductions:
Only the speaker(s) need an introduction more than their name and rank or title. Be certain that you know how to pronounce the names correctly. Ask before the meeting if you are not sure.
If the speaker is military, briefly give a succinct background that will make the audience want to hear what he or she has to say. However, if the speaker is a civilian, even an Auxiliarist, make certain that the audience knows why this person has been asked to speak. It may be a pertinent career or action that creates interest for the audience. Just don’t make the introduction longer than the speech.
There may be occasions when there are important guests present who are not primary speakers. In order to introduce them in the correct order, refer to page 3-14 in the FPM.
Seating Arrangements:
First the decision has to be made whether or not to have a head table. There are sample seating arrangements if a head table is preferred. See pages 3-8 through 3-10 in the Flotilla Procedures Manual (FPM).
The Coast Guard officers and other personnel who may be attending your function generally know each other and most times would prefer to sit with the Auxiliarist attending. However, great care should be taken to ensure that the CG Officers sit with Auxiliary personnel who will respect their office and rank. Personal opinions should be kept to one’s self so as not to embarrass the gold side with comments or undue conversation.
Regardless of the seating arrangements, assure that your special guests have tickets provided for them and have someone assigned to assist them to find the hat table, coat closet and their seat, or whatever is necessary.
The text in the FPM, page 3-7, fully explains all the nuances that could arise in having a National officer, DIRAUX and Captain of the Port all be invited and then where to put them. Just remember, for protocol purposes, wives are afforded the status parallel to their husbands and vice versa.
Lastly, if you are seated in a room when the Commandant, District Commander, any Admiral or the National Commodore enters the room, it is a courtesy to stand. It is not necessarily to formally announce his or her presence but if you are the first to notice the arrival, simply say, “Ladies and Gentleman, the Commandant (or appropriate title) has joined us”. Discontinue any conversation until the senior officer in the room has the opportunity to greet the new arrival and seat them, if desired.
Speaking Order for Guests:
There are times when there are many guests and each may be expected to speak. The precedence for speaking by distinguished guests is usually assigned in an ascending order according to the position of rank or office (low to high). See page 3-10 in the FPM directly to avoid confusion.

13. SPECIAL CEREMONIES Flotilla Chartering. Prologue. Funeral.
Burial at Sea.
Flotilla Chartering Ceremony:
This is one of the more pleasurable ceremonies in the life of a flotilla, it’s start! When a flotilla is formed, an appropriate dinner and installation ceremony must be held for the new flotilla officers and members. The establishment of a new flotilla is an important and exciting event and the chartering ceremony should be given the widest publicity. Prepare news releases and invite the Gold side as well as Auxiliarists from al the surrounding areas. On page 3-11 of the FPM is a suggested chartering ceremony format. Plan for an impressive and dignified ceremony.
Prologue and swearing in of new members and/or officers:
On pages 3-12 and 3-13 of the FPM, there is the copy needed for these Prologues. Copy these and laminate them. Carry one with you at all times as you maybe asked to provide one at a moment’s notice at some meeting.
Auxiliary Funeral Services:
Though we need to spread the word that funeral services are available, it is very important that we do not put undue pressure in any surviving family members to use the Auxiliary service. If such a service is requested or desired, the first request should be made to the mortuary or clergy.
If there is to be a church service also, the Auxiliary service will come before the church service. Protocol states that the final committal shall be made by the family’s clergy. This hold true even if there is an Auxiliarist who is also clergy or even if the committal maybe at sea. To do otherwise is a breach of the important relationship between the family and their pastor.
An Auxiliarist who is clergy should conduct the service. However, if the family prefers another Auxiliarist or an elected officer in the deceased’s flotilla, these should be granted. Auxiliarists may serve as pallbearers or honorary pallbearers though they should not stand behind the casket during the service.
Auxiliarists should not wear hats when in a chapel or church unless during a Jewish service. Hats shall be worn outdoors. All Auxiliarists will salute the flag during the firing of volleys and/or the sounding of “Taps”. The suggested Order of Service can be found on pages 3 A-4 and 3 A-5, FPM.
Burial at Sea:
From 3 A-5 to 3 A-10, there are suggested services for all three major faiths. This has been adopted from the Bureau of Naval personnel Manual. One of these should only be used for the scattering of ashes at sea, and at the request of the Auxiliarist or survivors. Refer to the above mentioned pages in order to correctly and respectfully provide safe passage for our departed member.

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