Stonington, Conn. – The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that its 26th Annual Pacific Area Awards Dinner in tribute to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) will take place on Wednesday, August 3, 2011. Held for the second consecutive year in San Diego, the gala will honor the bravery and courage of our guardians in the region who enforce maritime law, protect our homeland and preserve the environment. Awards will be presented to recognize specific acts of outstanding heroism, leadership and mission achievement. The Coast Guard Foundation has supported the USCG in the Pacific Area with more than $100,000 for morale projects and scholarships in 2010. The dinner will raise funds to continue the Foundation’s work to improve the lives and performance of Coast Guard members, their families and Coast Guard Academy cadets.
During the tribute to the Pacific Area Coast Guard, three awards will be presented:
AST2 Thomas Henry will be honored with the Admiral Chester R. Bender Award for Heroism for two harrowing helicopter rescues in 2010. On March 25, 2010 AST2 Henry responded with his crew CG6514 to a distress call of four surfers pulled into a small enclave surrounded by steep cliffs and jagged rocks. Pummeled by tumultuous waves and confronting the dangerously panicked surfers, he was deployed into the water to hoist all four individually out of the water to safety despite peril and tremendous physical challenge. AST2 Henry is also being honored for a courageous act performed on the evening of July 5, 2010 during a response to a call of four people clinging to a 70-degree cliff, 120-feet above the beach. Deployed for a vertical rescue with blowing debris obscuring his visibility, AST2 Henry realized and communicated mid-rescue that his hoist cable had wrapped around the helicopter’s landing gear. Demonstrating unwavering composure, for twenty minutes he bravely hung below the aircraft until he was safely delivered to a runway.
Receiving the Admiral James S. Gracey Award for Professional Excellence, BMC Seth Carter, USCGC BLACKFIN, will be recognized for his leadership that has proven to be a model for others in the service to follow. Chief Carter’s commitment to safety and skill are demonstrated in his seasoned ship maneuvering during complicated mooring evolutions and challenging weather search and rescue operations. He supervised the unparalleled completion of 155 law enforcement boardings in six months resulting in citations of 126 violations and 26 vessel terminations, and was vital in the planning and execution of 16 search and rescue cases resulting in 31 lives saved and assisted. Chief Carter’s expertise has been critical in the issuing of boating-under-the-influence citations as well as identifying vessels carries illegal workers. Providing both operational and administrative excellence, he has also been extremely active in career counseling and ensuring his crew’s dedication to professional development. Chief Carter is involved in the community and provides support to the cutter’s Partnership in Education program enabling BLACKFIN to positively impact underprivileged children.
The Admiral John B. Hayes Award for Unit Excellence will be presented to Marine Safety Detachment Unit American Samoa for its exceptional gains in maritime safety, security and stewardship in the South Pacific. These include stopping vessels in U.S. waters engaged in environmental pollution activities, and identifying vessels that do not meet safety regulations and those that are drug trafficking. The unit also planned the successful removal of over 65,000 gallons of aviation gas from a sunken tanker, led storm preparations ahead of the landfall of a cyclone, and provided training to increase the competency of unlicensed fishing vessels to reduce accident rates. Comprised of only three Coast Guard members, their remarkable accomplishments in one year’s time have earned the unit the award for outstanding mission achievements.
“The honors that will be presented at the Pacific Area Awards Dinner illustrate the tremendous service and challenges that all members of the Coast Guard are prepared for everyday,” said Anne Brengle, president of the Coast Guard Foundation. “Because the Coast Guard engages in multiple imperative missions for security and preservation in the Pacific Area, the need for the Foundation’s support for the Coast Guard service men and women in the region is truly extensive. We are thrilled to honor the men and women who wear the Coast Guard uniform, celebrate their heroic efforts and partner with the community to raise funds to enhance service and provide opportunities for Coast Guard members and their families.”
The Coast Guard Foundation’s initiatives in the Pacific Area include college scholarships for children, grants for enlisted members and family members of fallen servicemen and women lost in the line of duty, as well as morale and wellness boosting endeavors for active duty, reserve, civilian and auxiliary members. Over the past year, the organization provided the USCG serving in California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii with $70,000 for morale projects. The funds were used to renovate a classroom at Sector San Diego as part of an ongoing partnership with three local universities that offer associates, bachelors and masters degree classes for Coast Guard personnel; learning materials for crew members of the Coast Guard Cutter USCG BERTOLF to study critical foreign languages such as Arabic, Chinese and Spanish; as well as new laptops and more than 200 fiction and professional development books to expand its library. In addition, the Foundation has outfitted several bases and ships throughout the region with fitness equipment, ranging from weight sets and treadmills to complete workout rooms. Beyond morale initiatives, the Foundation has also awarded more than $30,000 in scholarship money for college education of USCG members and their children in the Pacific Area.
The Coast Guard Foundation’s Pacific Area Award Dinner, honoring and raising support for the service’s heroes in the region, will be attended by ADM Robert J. Papp, USCG Commandant, VADM Manson Brown, Pacific Area Commander and Anne B. Brengle, president of the Coast Guard Foundation. Taking place Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at the Marriott Coronado Island Resort & Spa, 2000 Second Street, Coronado, California, the gala will begin with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by 7:30 p.m. dinner reception. For more information on the Coast Guard Foundation’s tribute to the United States Coast Guard serving the Pacific region, the Coast Guard Foundation, or to help support its work, please visit the Coast Guard Foundation website at www.coastguardfoundation.org.