
USCG
Auxiliary Interpreter Corps in action.

USCG D-17 delegation
with LTGEN Lisitsky, Russian Border Service (NRD) commander,
and his staff. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (P-K), Russia.
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on images to enlarge
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Importance:
High
"MAYDAY - MAYDAY - MAYDAY! MV Marazli to US Coast Guard! Not good English. Seaman injury. Need go hospital. MAYDAY - MAYDAY - MAYDAY" Coast Guard Group San Francisco determined that Russian linguistic support was immediately required and contacted George Barantseff, Flotilla 12-11NR, a member of the Auxiliary Interpreter Corps. Barantseff had previously been instrumental in two Russian language SAR cases and on both occasions the distress calls were due to injuries and there was a language barrier. In all three cases the injured parties were airlifted via USCG helicopters and despite very severe injuries (e.g.. brains visible through head tauma). The seamen survived, in part, due to the accuracy of the interpreter's ability to facilitate radio communications among the ship's doctor, the USCG Flight Surgeon, the helicopter pilot, and Group San Francisco. In the winter of 1999, Barantseff was deployed aboard USCGC BOUTWELL for a 35-day Alaskan Patrol (ALPAT). The cutter encountered 40 foot seas, 75 knot winds and minus 25 degree wind chill factors on the North Pacific and Bering Sea, but he enthusiastically maintained his post on the bridge, monitoring the Russian fishing fleet's radio traffic. In the summer of 2000, Barantseff was deployed aboard USCGC HAMILTON, again for 35 days to the Maritime Boundary Line (MBL) in the Bering Sea. This time the FV MING CHANG was boarded after a hot pursuit for illegally fishing 1 1/2 miles inside the US EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). A joint Law Enforcement operation with a patrol vessel from the Russian Border Service was brought to a successful conclusion - the radio communication between the cutter and the Russian vessel was conducted in the Russian language and lasted for 12 hours because the MING CHANG inadvertently fled into the Russian prohibited zone. |
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Altogether
he has volunteered almost 4,000 hours as an Auxiliary
interpreter/linguist, officers and crew of the cutters
inquire as to how they should refer to him: "Auxiliarist?
Sir? Mr. Barantseff? Colonel? (he is a retired O-6 reserve
colonel)" to which he responds:
"Please call me George". Ken Sommers N-ICW |


















