USCG…Always Ready…Always There
United States Coast Guard (USCG) retirees are supported by the Commandant of the Coast Guard National Retiree Council (CCGNRC), a number of Regional Retiree Councils, and retiree offices on various active USCG installations, The source document for this support is USCG Commandant Instruction 1800.5F.
The National Council of Coast Guard Retirees was chartered in July 1982 and renamed the Commandant of the Coast Guard National Retiree Council in 2002. Its primary purpose is to maintain a positive line of communications between the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard retiree community.
Regional Retiree Councils (such as the Capitol Area Retiree Council in Washington, DC) are established to provide an active link between retired service members and active duty personnel. Regional Councils function on a more localized level to keep retirees abreast of available benefits, upcoming special events, and the latest happenings in the Coast Guard. Retirees can connect with their Regional Retiree Council and receive valuable, timely information by reading the Commandant’s National Retiree Council section of The Coast Guard/NOAA Retirees’ Newsletter. The newsletter is published by the USCG Pay and Personnel Center (PPC), Topeka. The archive link is:
I believe the USCG retiree community is now 11 regional councils strong, but they always want to add more. They are looking for retirees who are interested in starting up new regional councils in areas with a high Coast Guard retiree population such as Tampa, the Gulf Area, St. Louis, and New England. Currently, they are said to be looking at the possibility of reestablishing a Regional Retiree Council in Mobile, Alabama.
To augment the services provided by USCG Retiree Councils, a National Retiree Council (NRC) Help Desk is currently operated by members of the Capitol Area Retiree Council and other volunteers. Although space and resources have been provided in the Washington, DC Headquarters Building, there are not enough volunteer “watch standers” to have someone physically present at all times in the office. Help requests are received by way of either a voice mail or email account. A volunteer checks the voice mail and email periodically and answers each request in a timely manner.
Coast Guard retirees may submit help requests by:
Dialing the Help Desk local number: (202) 475-5381
Dialing the Help Desk toll free number: 1- 866-664-6245
Or sending an email to: nrhdesk@gmail.com
Coast Guard retirees have another outstanding resource available in the form of Fred’s Place, a web site operated by CWO4 Fred Siegel, USCG (Retired). Coast Guard Human Resources provides an Internet link to Fred’s Place just as they show links to the Fleet Reserve Association and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Co-Chairs of the Commandant’s National Retiree Council refer to Fred as the chair their “virtual” Retiree Council and add that you can access additional information about the National Retiree Council from his site, http://www.fredsplace.org/
Fred welcomes everyone to his site with:
Ahoy! Welcome Aboard
Then, he declares:
Fred's Place is THE PLACE to meet old shipmates. We serve all "Coasties" (Active, Retired, Reserve, Auxiliary, Veterans, or SPARS), our Civilian co-workers, and the Friends and Family of Coasties everywhere.
All Regional Retiree Councils need a few more volunteers to help fill out the Retiree Council teams. Retirees are invited to give a few hours of their time and help support their local council as well as other USCG retiree functions. In view of current budget cuts and the on-going requirement to support our combat forces (supporting our young warriors must always remain our top priority), the efforts of older volunteers are becoming more and more important.
Don’t forget to read the USCG retiree newsletters and visit Fred’s Place.
Pat
Still Serving
