Commodore Douglas S. Cream of Ninth District-Eastern Region (D9-ER), Flotilla 33 in
Buffalo, New York, was named as the 2021 U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliarist of the Year.
Commodore Cream enrolled in the Auxiliary in May 2002. He immediately integrated into the organization by holding many flotilla, division, district, and national leadership positions including Vice Flotilla Commander, Division Staff Officer for Operations, District Staff Officer for Legal Parliamentarian, and Assistant National Commodore Chief Counsel. During the past year, Commodore Cream provided invaluable legal consultation and advice to Auxiliary leadership and the Coast Guard’s Staff Judge Advocate on a remarkably diverse range of topics. A consummate shipmate, he leveraged his extensive legal expertise to assist the Mariner Credential Fraud Task Force (MCF-TF). Applying crucial insight and tenacious determination, he incisively analyzed volumes of complex jurisdictional reviews and prepared comprehensive briefs to Coast Guard leadership on nuanced legal decisions. His contributions were instrumental to the Task Force’s successful achievement of unprecedented enforcement goals and enhanced deterrence of future mariner credential fraud. He supervised the 16 Auxiliary District Staff Officer Legal Parliamentarians, ensuring they provided all Auxiliary regions with timely and accurate legal counsel. Exercising utmost devotion to duty, he sustained extensive activity as an Auxiliary Qualification Examiner, Coxswain, Team Coordination Training Facilitator, Station Buffalo Auxiliary Unit Coordinator, and Sector Buffalo’s Auxiliary Sector Coordinator.
Commodore Cream was also an active member of his local community. Demonstrating a gracious and generous nature, he ensured his fellow Auxiliarists were fully accommodated by regularly providing housing for Auxiliary shipmates when visiting the D9-Eastern Region for training and mission support. He also served as an ardent champion and contributor to the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance program, and provided extensive pro bono legal counsel to many Coast Guard personnel.
Commodore Cream will be formally recognized as the 2021 Auxiliarist of the Year at the
Auxiliary National Conference in Orlando, FL on August 20, 2022.
