R 131650Z JUL 10

ALCOAST 371/10
COMDTNOTE 1650
SUBJ: 2009 USCG AUXILIARIST OF THE YEAR
1. I AM VERY PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE SELECTION OF MR. RYAN C. BANK OF
FLOTILLA 39-6 IN THE NINTH DISTRICT (WESTERN REGION) AS THE 2009
AUXILIARIST OF THE YEAR.
2. MR. BANK ENROLLED IN THE AUXILIARY IN AUGUST 2007 AND IMMEDIATELY
BECAME AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT DEMONSTRATING EXTRAORDINARY ENTHUSIASM
AND DEVOTION TO DUTY. HE COMPLETED THE EXTREMELY CHALLENGING
QUALIFICATION AS COMMUNICATIONS WATCHSTANDER AT COAST GUARD STATION
WILMETTE HARBOR, ILLINOIS, AND HE HAS BEGUN QUALIFICATION AS BOAT
CREWMEMBER ON THE COAST GUARD 25FT DEFENDER-CLASS BOAT. MOREOVER, IN
HIS SHORT AUXILIARY TENURE, MR. BANK DEDICATED OVER 535 HOURS OF
SERVICE ACROSS SEVERAL AUXILIARY MISSION AREAS.
3. MR. BANK MADE TREMENDOUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COAST GUARD THROUGH
APPLICATION OF HIS INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA SKILLS. HE RECOGNIZED
THAT THE LACK OF PHONE LINES AND CELL TOWERS DURING TIMES OF DISTRESS
AND NATURAL DISASTER, COUPLED WITH OVERLOADED NETWORKS, COULD CAUSE
HUGE BARRIERS TO FINDING PEOPLE IN NEED. DRAWING UPON HIS EXTENSIVE
SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIENCE AND CREATIVITY, MR. BANK DEVELOPED A UNIQUE
SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING APPLICATION. THIS SYSTEM EFFECTIVELY SEARCHED
AND MONITORED CONTENT SUBMITTED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SUCH AS
TEXT MESSAGES, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND OTHER OUTLETS. CONTENT OR POSTS
COULD THEN BE COMBINED WITH THE GPS LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE OF THE
ORIGINAL MESSAGES AND SENT TO A CENTRAL COMPUTER LOCATION. AFTER
SUCCESSFULLY USING THIS APPLICATION IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS OF 2009 IN
SUPPORT OF COAST GUARD SAR CASES, MR. BANK EXERCISED SUPERB
INITIATIVE BY APPLYING IT ON A MASSIVE SCALE IN RESPONSE TO THE
JANUARY 2010 EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI. HE WAS ABLE TO SCAN SEVERAL HUNDRED
THOUSAND SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS, TARGET TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DISTRESS
MESSAGES, AND HELP DIRECT RESCUE RESOURCES TO SAVE AT LEAST 80 LIVES.
4. MR. BANK APPLIED REMARKABLE SKILL AND EXCEPTIONAL SELF-MOTIVATION
TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT AND VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COAST GUARD,
COAST GUARD AUXILIARY, AND MANY PEOPLE IN DISTRESS. I APPLAUD HIS
EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AND SPIRIT OF SERVICE. HE WILL BE RECOGNIZED
FOR SUCH DURING CEREMONIES AT THE AUXILIARY NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN
PHOENIX, AZ ON 28 AUG 10.
5. THE FOLLOWING AUXILIARISTS WERE FINALISTS FOR SELECTION AND ARE
CONGRATULATED FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AND ACHIEVEMENT:
   A. MS. DEBORAH A. SAWIN, FLOTILLA 46, D1-NORTHERN REGION.
   B. MR. STEPHEN C. JOHNSON, FLOTILLA 12-4, D11-SOUTHERN REGION.
6. RELEASED BY RADM B.M. SALERNO, DEPUTY COMMANDANT FOR OPERATIONS.
7. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.