District 7 Division 14 dedication coincided with the 71st anniversary of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, June 26, 2010 . The memorial wall was constructed to honor the Division members who have crossed over the bar. The memorial wall that was unveiled at the US Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Station in Jacksonville Beach Florida. . The service honored those who served the Auxiliary, their neighbors, and their country. The names that are now memorialized on the wall will forever remind us of our friends who have gone on.
The wall currently has 65 names engraved on the three-piece memorial. The memorial is made of Virginia-quarried granite, it weighs 1,200 pounds. The Moyer Marble and Tile Company of Jacksonville, Florida project manager Lonnie Young ordered the stone and arranged for the engraving.
The task that proved most difficult was the colleting of the deceased member's names from all of the flotillas in the division. In most instances, no records were kept revealing those names. Memories were quizzed and publications were gleaned. If fact, due to the dedication ceremony, five more names have come up and will be added for next year's ceremony. We are now relying on memories of our older Auxiliary members to fill in the lists of those who have passed on. The Division is planning to have a memorial ceremony every year to add any member's names that have crossed the bar.
The funds raised for the memorial wall came from the community, the division flotillas and our membership.
The guest list for the ceremony included Sector Jacksonville Commander, Captain Andy Blomme, USCG; Reggie Holler, Auxiliary District 7 North Captain; Mayor Fland Sharp of Jacksonville Beach; Mayor Harriet Pruette of Neptune Beach; City Councilman Tom Taylor of Jacksonville Beach;, Coast Guard ATON Station Officer in Charge, BMC Robert Lehman, USCG; and Coast Guard Base Mayport Officer in Charge, CWO Jim Devane, USCG. Many Auxiliarists from Division 14 were also in attendance.
~NGS 08-07-10
