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Grad student named Commander Zachary Kosan elected as Coast Guard Flotilla Commander

Posted on Feb 02, 2010 in News

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Graduate student Zachary Kosan was recently elected as the Flotilla Commander (FC) of the Birmingham-based Flotilla 08-07 of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Kosan first became involved with the Coast Guard Auxiliary in August 2006 in Stamford, Connecticut.

“My original motivation was to get involved in boater education, to help keep people safer on the water,” he said.
“Since then, I’ve also gotten more involved in surface operations and search and rescue.”

As Flotilla Commander, Kosan provides primary leadership and supervision to the flotilla.

“The FC is responsible to ensure that the overall flotilla program conforms to the Coast Guard and Auxiliary policies and procedures,” he said of his new position.

According to Kosan, the Flotilla Commander is elected by the membership of the flotilla.

“The flotilla is the basic unit of organization of the Coast Guard Auxiliary,” said Kosan.

“All members of the auxiliary are members of a flotilla, and most activities are organized at the flotilla level.

“The Flotilla is responsible for the recruitment, training, and growth of members,” he said.

“Above the flotilla level, the auxiliary is organized into divisions and districts/regions. The Birmingham flotilla is part of Division 8 of the 8th District Coastal Region.”

Kosan says that the Flotilla Commander’s term runs for a calendar year, and a member may be re-elected once for a second consecutive term.

Before coming to UAB, Kosan earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Washington University in St. Louis.

He is currently pursuing a doctorate in cell biology, which he anticipates will take about two and a half more years to complete.

After graduation, Kosan plans to continue working in the biomedical field.

According to the FSO-Public Affairs press release, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Eighteen flotillas comprising more than 400 members carry out the auxiliary’s missions along Alabama’s coast, inland waterways and lakes. Flotilla 08-07 was formed in 1964 and since that time has served the waterways and lakes of central Alabama.

Email: hwebber@uab.edu




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