COMMODORE STEPHEN B. REAMS

1. Mr. Donald Krispin served as the Department Chief – Legal during the period November 2002 to September 2004.

2. During this period, Mr. Krispin was tasked with the identification of statues and policies that affected the ability of the Coast Guard Auxiliary to obtain liability protection on Auxiliary owned vehicles while towing their facilities. He spent countless hours visiting Coast Guard Headquarters and on the phone with the appropriate offices to identify and to clarify the Auxiliary’s position on this issue and worked with Coast Guard Headquarters to develop suitable language that provide this protection.

3. Likewise, Mr. Krispin devoted additional time and effort to the joint development of other legislative change proposals and the revision of policies affecting the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

4. Furthermore, Mr. Krispin reviewed and submitted critical changes to the Auxiliary Manual in an effort to simplify and clarify various sections of the manual prior to it being made ready for distribution to the Auxiliary membership.

5. Additionally, he reviewed the Coast Guard’s Claims and Litigation Manual and provided significant changes to Chapter 8, “Auxiliary Facility Claims” which prescribes procedures for administrative settlement of claims by Auxiliarists.

6. Furthermore, working with members of his staff, he finalized the Standardized Standing Rules for the Auxiliary which will significantly reduce the often long process required to obtain approval while still ensuring inclusion of mandated procedures.

7. Lastly, Mr. Krispin and his staff worked closely with the District/Region legal officers to resolve legal questions and recommended procedures for the timely resolution of legal maters.

MSM Award