US COAST GUARD Color guard NEW YORK, NY

NEW YORK - Coast Guard Sector New York's color guard and active duty members march in a battalion formation during a pass and review before Sector New York's command cadre and the Coast Guard Auxiliary National Area Commodore - East Atlantic June 23, 2009.
Members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary were also honored in the special ceremony commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the auxiliary's founding.
According to the Auxiliary's website, the Coast Guard "Reserve" was authorized by act of Congress on June 23, 1939, the Coast Guard was given a legislative mandate to use civilian volunteers to promote safety on and over the high seas and the nation's navigable waters. The Coast Guard Reserve was then a non-military service comprised of unpaid, volunteer U.S. citizens who owned motorboats or yachts.
Two years later, on Feb. 19, Congress amended the 1939 act with passage of the Auxiliary and Reserve Act of 1941. Passage of this act designated the Reserve as a military branch of the active service, while the civilian volunteers, formerly referred to as the Coast Guard Reserve, became the Auxiliary. Feb. 19 is formally recognized as the birth of the Coast Guard Reserve while June 23 is recognized as birthday of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Today, the missions of the Auxiliary are to conduct vessel safety checks, promote recreational boating safety and support operations and marine safety.
The Auxiliary operates safety and regatta patrols and is an integral part of the Coast Guard Search and Rescue team. Auxiliarists also stand communication watches, assist during mobilization exercises, perform harbor and pollution patrols, provide platforms for unarmed boarding parties and recruit new people for the Service. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/PA3 Barbara L. Patton)