Semper Paratus

COAST GUARD AUXILIARY PRESENTED WITH SPECIAL AWARD FROM ASSOCIATION FOR RESCUE AT SEA

Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington DC: On 11 April, 2006, the Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS) http://www.afras.org, awarded an AFRAS Silver Medal to the National Commodore of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary for the heroic efforts of Coast Guard Auxiliary personnel during hurricanes Katrina and Rita.AFRAS also awarded the Gold Medal to the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard for their heroic efforts. Both medals were presented in a glass enclosed cases as tokens of recognition to all members of the Coast Guard.AFRAS generally award their gold medal to an enlisted member of the United States Coast Guard for an act of extraordinary bravery during a rescue at sea and the silver medal, likewise, is awarded to a Coast Guard Auxiliarist who has performed a rescue under the same criteria as that for a USCG enlisted person. (The silver is to denote the uniform markings of a CG Auxiliarist as opposed to the gold of the USCG).For the extreme competency and outstanding heroics of such a large portion of the Coast Guard Auxiliary that took place before, during and after the hurricanes in 2005, AFRAS has chosen to make a special presentation of these prestigious medals to the Auxiliary as a whole. Many of these men and women performed these actions while knowing that their own homes and families had also been devastated by Rita and Katrina.Along with the medals, AFRAS also presented a check for $5,000 to Operation Life Ring http://www.operationlifering.org which supports both the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary members who have experienced a personal loss such as those during the hurricanes.The Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS) is a non-profit foundation with charitable status, which supports services concerned with saving lives at sea. The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is composed of uniformed, non-military volunteer's who assist the Coast Guard in all of its varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement. These men and women can be found on the nation's waterways, in the air, in classrooms and on the dock, performing Maritime Domain Awareness patrols, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and public education. The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was founded in 1939 by an Act of Congress as the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and re-designated as the Auxiliary in 1941. Its 30,000 members donate millions of hours annually in support of Coast Guard missions.