Rescuers awarded medals for valor, Coast Guard honors 10 for efforts in saving seamen (snip)

Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch ^ | February 23, 2005 | Bill Geroux

[The Other Harry]

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. -- The Coast Guard awarded one of its highest medals for heroism yesterday to a rescue swimmer who plunged into an icy chemical spill in the ocean off Virginia a year ago to save six seamen from the sunken tanker Bow Mariner.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Dave Foreman received the Coast Guard Medal for entering the 44-degree ocean and helping the six exhausted men from a life raft into a hovering rescue helicopter.

Those six men were the only survivors of the Bow Mariner sinking on Feb. 28, 2004 the region's worst maritime disaster in more than 20 years. Twenty-one seamen lost their lives, including 18 whose bodies remain missing.

[The Other Harry]

As I have said on a different thread, anyone who thinks the Coasties lack guts needs to think again. Read _The Perfect Storm_.

BTW, there is no need for a log-in on the Times-Dispatch.

[MarineBrat]

Semper Paratus, Coasties!

[The Other Harry]

I'm sort of wondering whether this could possibly be the same Dave from _The Perfect Storm_. I don't think it could be, but it might be.

How many people named Dave are rescue swimmers in the Coast Guard?

I hope the SOB who was flying that helo got a medal.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. -- The Coast Guard awarded one of its highest medals for heroism yesterday to a rescue swimmer who plunged into an icy chemical spill in the ocean off Virginia a year ago to save six seamen from the sunken tanker Bow Mariner..."

Hero PING!

[blackie]

Coast Guard ~ Bump!

[Darksheare]

Excellent!

[campfollower]

Rescue Swimmers are complete studs. Training school in Pensacola (for Navy, not sure about Coasties) is incredible. These guys should get more recognition, thank you for the post.

[AppyPappy]

Good but it sounds gross.

[pbear8]

I hope the SOB who was flying that helo got a medal.

When my brother was a Coastie air crewman, the helo company would give you a medal if you rescued someone using their helo. My bro has one.

[kms61]

The Dave in the Perfect Storm was an Air Force Pararescueman, not a Coast Guardsman. They do what the Coast Guard rescue swimmers do PLUS they're combat medics, free fall parachutists, scuba divers, mountain climbers, and all round survival experts. The training takes up to two years and is arguably the toughtest in the world--harder than the SEALS or any other unit you care to mention. These are the kind of guyws who take their vacations to volunteer for rescue work on Mt McKinley just for the fun of it.

To take nothing away from the Coast Guard, just being accurate.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[HairOfTheDog]

Coastie Ping.

[Calpernia]

"ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. -- The Coast Guard awarded one of its highest medals for heroism yesterday to a rescue swimmer who plunged into an icy chemical spill in the ocean off Virginia a year ago to save six seamen from the sunken tanker Bow Mariner..."

Hero PING!

[El Gran Salseron]

I have to tell this story:

One day my wife and I were out in our boat. I had two batteries onboard but when we stopped the engine at the Galveston jetties and anchored I forgot to switch the batteries to separate and left them parallel.

One of the batteries, the one I usually use for accessories, was bad and it dragged the starter battery down.

One of the frequent and unannounced thunderstorms approached and I couldn't get the engine started. The next thing I knew the anchor didn't hold and we washed up on the jetties. I had to stand on the jetties and hold the boat off of the rocks. I was actually horizontal keeping the boat off of the rocks.

My wife got on the radio and notified the Coast Guard. They got there tout suite! I was watching their roostertail as they approached. One Coast Guard boat came out and put itself between us and the raging sea.

The other CG boat grappled the anchor rope and pulled us to safety then towed us back to port.

The skipper was a 2nd class Boatswain's mate.

The bottom line is that I have never seen such professionalism as I did from those guys.

Later I wrote a letter of gratitude to the commander of the CG station expressing the professionalism/efficiency displayed by the crew. Those guys knew what they were doing!

He wrote back that "We were just doing our jobs."

Thank you again, CG!

[Soaring Feather]

bump!!

[CitizenM]

WAY TO GO COASTIES! Semper Paratus

[BykrBayb]

Thank God for heroes!

Brrr...

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Join the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
Age 17 and up (No upper age limit)

You needn't own a boat or even be an experienced boater

Boating And Non-Boating Programs

Below is a brief but comprehensive listing of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's many missions.

Surface (water) Missions

• Safety Patrol - Patrol under Coast Guard orders using an Auxiliary Operational Facility.

• Regatta Patrol - Patrolling organized regattas and boat parades.
  

• Chart Update Patrol - Verifying the accuracy and completeness of information published on charts and related navigation publications.
  

• PWC Patrol - Patrolling on a Personal Water Craft (PWC).
  

Be A Better Boater    

Air Operations Missions

• SAR Mission - Search And Rescue call out or the air equivalent to a vessel safety patrol.

• Enforcement of Laws and Treaties - Air support of a Coast Guard law enforcement mission.

• MEP Mission - Air support in the area of Marine Environmental Protection.

• Ice Operations Mission - Air support in the area of ice patrol operations.

• Logistics Mission - Transportation of personnel.

• Training Mission - Training missions involving air operations.

Land-based Operations Missions

• Radio Watchstander - Serving as a qualified watchstander at a Coast Guard or Auxiliary facility.

• Officer of the Day Duties - OOD at a Coast Guard facility either ashore or afloat.

• B-2 Alert SAR Standby - Time spent on stand-by.

• B-0 Alert SAR Standby - Standing by under with an Auxiliary Operational Facility for immediate call out.

• SAR Call Out - Search And Rescue call out involving communication facilities.

• CG Crew Augmentation - Serving as a qualified crew on Coast Guard, not Auxiliary, vessels.

• Enforcement of Laws and Treaties - Providing surface support of Coast Guard law enforcement mission.

• MEP Mission - Surface support for a Marine Environmental Protection mission.

• Auxiliary Radio Net Mission - Maintaining Coast Guard authorized Auxiliary radio nets.

• Aids to Navigation Mission-Federal - Servicing federal or private Aids to Navigation.

• Bridge Administration - Inspecting bridges.

Public Education Missions

• PE Other Than State/Youth - Auxiliary multi-lesson public education classes.

• State and Youth Courses - State public education classes and youth courses.

• MT Instructor Mission - Member training activity, including specialty courses, boats crew training, and basic qualification classes.

Environmental Missions

• Enforcement of Laws and Treaties - Provide support to a Coast Guard law enforcement mission.

• Marine Environmental Protection - Provide support to the Coast Guard in the area of Marine Environmental Protection.

Coast Guard Support and Boating Safety Missions

• CG Operational Support - A service provided to operational Coast Guard units in support of Coast Guard programs.

• CG Administrative Support - Provide support to the Coast Guard in areas other than operations or recruiting.

• AIM Mission - The Auxiliary's Academy Introduction Mission (AIM).

• RAP Mission - Coast Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (RAP).

• Courtesy Marine Examinations - Vessel Safety Checks; Personal Water Craft Safety Checks; Uninspected Passenger Vessel; and Commercial Fishing Vessel.

• Public Affairs Mission - Promoting the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary or Coast Guard Reserve.

• Marine Dealer Visits - Participating in the Marine Dealer Visitation Program.

Agency Support Missions

• Federal Agencies - Provide non-operational support to other federal agencies, such as Customs, Corps of Engineers and NOAA.

• State Agencies - Provide support to state agencies, such as the Department of Natural Resources, State Police and Marine Patrols.

• Local Agencies - Provide support to local agencies, such as local police, sheriff's offices, fire/rescue and Harbormasters.

We Need You -- In the wake of the recent attacks on the United States, the Coast Guard Auxiliary will be called upon to provide essential services to the Coast Guard as they focus more heavily on their military missions.  We will need all the help we can get.  You needn't own a boat or even be an experienced boater, since our missions are wide-ranging.

CLICK ON THE GRAPHICS BELOW
TO CONTACT THE COAST GUARD AUXILIARY

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"The bottom line is that I have never seen such professionalism as I did from those guys."

I see it every week, at least one day a week, sometimes more.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Hero bump!!