R 101828Z JUL 15
ALCOAST 284/15
COMDTNOTE 16100
SUBJ: 2014 ASSOCIATION FOR RESCUE AT SEA (AFRAS) AWARD RECIPIENT
A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 011841Z APR 15/ALCOAST 126/15
1. IAW REF (A), THIS ALCOAST ANNOUNCES AWARD OF THE 2014 AFRAS GOLD MEDAL. THE AFRAS GOLD MEDAL IS AWARDED ANNUALLY TO A COAST GUARD ENLISTED MEMBER EXHIBITING EXCEPTIONAL COURAGE AND HEROISM DURING A RESCUE AT SEA.
2. AFRAS HAS SELECTED AVIATION SURVIVAL TECHNICIAN SECOND CLASS (AST2) CHRISTOPHER LEON OF AIR STATION SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, FOR AWARD OF THE 2014 GOLD MEDAL. PETTY OFFICER LEON IS RECOGNIZED FOR HIS HEROIC ACTIONS WHILE SERVING AS RESCUE SWIMMER DURING TWO DRAMATIC RESCUES IN WHICH HE PLACED HIS OWN PERSONAL SAFETY IN PERIL SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE.
3. ON THE NIGHT OF 20 JUNE 2014, AST2 LEON AND THE CREW OF COAST GUARD HELICOPTER 6531 (RESCUE-6531) RESPONDED TO THE OCEAN ROWER BRITANNIA, WHICH WAS TAKING ON WATER 60 MILES WEST OF MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA. THE VESSEL, POUNDED BY 15-FOOT SEAS AND 30-KNOT WINDS, WAS IN IMMINENT DANGER OF SINKING WITH FOUR SOULS ABOARD. A. UPON ARRIVAL ON SCENE, PETTY OFFICER LEON DEPLOYED INTO HAZARDOUS SEAS AND QUICKLY SWAM TO THE SWAMPED VESSEL. HE IMMEDIATELY ASSESSED THE SITUATION AND THE VICTIMS, IDENTIFYING THOSE AT GREATEST RISK, FOR IMMEDIATE EVACUATION. PLANS ANTICIPATED A SWIFT BASKET RECOVERY BUT PETTY OFFICER LEON AND HIS FIRST VICTIM WERE PROMPTLY SWEPT AWAY BY CRASHING SEAS. EXHIBITING EXEMPLARY STAMINA AND FITNESS, PETTY OFFICER LEON MAINTAINED POSITIVE CONTROL OF HIS VICTIM AS BOTH STRUGGLED TO STAY AFLOAT. KEENLY AWARE OF THE HAZARDS INVOLVED, HE MANAGED TO SEIZE CONTROL OF THE SWINGING RESCUE BASKET AND SUCCESSFULLY EMBARKED THE VICTIM. HAVING BEEN SWEPT SOME 500 YARDS AWAY FROM THE BRITANNIA, PETTY OFFICER LEON WAS RECOVERED ABOARD RESCUE-6531 AND RETURNED TO THE SCENE TO ASSIST OTHER VICTIMS. B. RECOGNIZING TIME WAS OF THE ESSENCE DUE TO THE HELICOPTERS LOW FUEL STATE, PETTY OFFICER LEON EXERCISED ON SCENE INITIATIVE AND EMBARKED TWO ADDITIONAL VICTIMS IN THE BASKET FOR EXPEDITIOUS RESCUE. HE REMAINED BEHIND WITH THE BRITANNIA AND THE LAST VICTIM. RESCUE-6531, FACED WITH THE PROSPECT OF FUEL EXHAUSTION, DEPLOYED A LIFE RAFT PRIOR TO DEPARTING THE SCENE BUT IT WAS QUICKLY SWEPT AWAY. PETTY OFFICER LEON CONTEMPLATED A DIFFICULT DILEMMA – ABANDON HIS VICTIM AND CHASE THE RAFT OR REMAIN WITH THE VICTIM AND THE STRICKEN VSL WHILE AWAITING RESCUE. PETTY OFFICER LEON, WITH SECONDS TO DECIDE, WEIGHED THE RISKS AND OPTED TO REMAIN WITH THE VICTIM, SHIELDING HIM FROM THE SEAS AND PROVIDING WHAT LITTLE WARMTH HE COULD DURING THE ENSUING TWO HOURS. BOTH WERE LATER RECOVERED AND RETURNED TO SHORE SAFELY.
4. DURING A 24 DECEMBER 2015 RESPONSE, AST2 LEON ONCE AGAIN ACCOMPANIED RESCUE-6531 TO ASSIST A SAILING VESSEL, WHICH WAS REPORTED TAKING ON WATER 65 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA. A. ON SCENE ASSESSMENT REVEALED THAT THE VESSEL WAS NOT FLOODING BUT RATHER ITS SINGLE OCCUPANT WAS STRICKEN WITH SEA SICKNESS, HYPOTHERMIA AND DEHYDRATION, HAVING PASSED THREE DAYS WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER. ALTHOUGH INITIALLY RESISTANT TO THE PROSPECT OF ABANDONING HIS VESSEL, THE STRICKEN MARINER SUBSEQUENTLY YIELDED AND REQUESTED EVACUATION DUE TO HIS RAPIDLY DETERIORATING CONDITION. B. GIVEN RISKS TO THE ACFT POSED BY THE UNCONROLLED PITCH AND ROLL OF THE VESSEL, PETTY OFFICER LEON DEPLOYED INTO THE 15 FOOT SEAS TO AFFECT THE RESCUE. HE QUICKLY EMBARKED THE VICTIM IN THE RESCUE BASKET BUT SUBSEQUENTLY INCURRED INJURY WHILE COORDINATING HIS OWN RECOVERY. HAVING ATTACHED HIS HARNESS TO THE HOIST HOOK, PETTY OFFICER LEON SUFFERED BACK INJURY WHEN THE HOIST CABLE UNEXPECTEDLY TOOK A STRAIN AS HE FELL OFF THE CREST OF A WAVE. DISREGARDING HIS OWN PAIN, PETTY OFFICER LEON PROCEEDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL TREATMENT TO THE VICTIM UNTIL HE WAS DELIVERED TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ASHORE.
5. THROUGH HIS SELFLESS SERVICE, IMPRESSIVE COMPETENCE AND EXEMPLARY JUDGMENT, PETTY OFFICER LEON PREVENTED LOSS OF LIFE AND BROUGHT GREAT CREDIT TO HIMSELF AND THE ENTIRE SERVICE.
6. ALTHOUGH SEVERAL INSPIRATIONAL NOMINATIONS WERE SUBMITTED FOR THE 2014 GOLD MEDAL, SELECTION WAS LIMITED TO ONE. NONETHELESS, ALL OF THE AFRAS AWARD NOMINEES EXHIBITED GREAT COURAGE AND SELFLESS SERVICE. THEIR PERFORMANCE HONORS OUR PROFESSION AND LIFESAVING HERITAGE. DESERVING COAST GUARD MEMBERS NOMINATED FOR 2014 AFRAS AWARDS INCLUDE:
A. AST1 MIKOL J. SULLIVAN (COAST GUARD AIR STATION MIAMI, FLORIDA).
B. AUXILIARIST CURTIS CANTRELL (FLOTILLA 8-11, NORTH ALABAMA, ALABAMA).
C. AUXILIARISTS FRED GILMAN, DIANE GILMAN, CECIL STOUT, ROBERT WORKMAN AND DALE LEIGHTON (FLOTILLA 11-7, CLARKSVILLE/FORT CAMPBELL, TENNESSEE).
D. AUXILIARISTS KAREN CHAPMAN AND SHERRY FULCHER (FLOTILLA 10-2, PAGE LAKE POWELL, ARIZONA), KAY MCBROOM AND MIKE JOHNSON (FLOTILLA 10-7, METRO PHOENIX, ARIZONA) AND BOB SELL (FLOTILLA 10-10, PRESCOTT, ARIZONA).
E. AUXILIARISTS MICHAEL PACKARD, KEN SARNECKI, GINA PACKARD, AND MARGARET TOURNIER (FLOTILLA 61, AKRON, OHIO).
F. AUXILIARISTS WALLY SMITH (FLOTILLA 6-10, CAPITOLA, CALIFORNIA), TRACY SCHULTZ AND STEVEN MCANN (FLOTILLA 64, MONTERREY, CA), MARY KIRKWOOD (FLOTILLA 14, CENTRAL MARIN, CALIFORNIA) AND JAMES DUFFLEY (FLOTILLA 21-1, EAST BAY, CALIFORNIA).
G. AUXILIARISTS DAN COLE AND MARSHALL BULLOCK (FLOTILLA 21, HOMER, ALASKA).
H. AUXILIARIST GREG JUREK (FLOTILLA 68, DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA).
I. AUXILIARISTS KEN SIMPSON, DIANA SIMPSON AND JAMES ZIEGLER (FLOTILLA 45, BURBANK, CA), PHILLIP HORLINGS (FLOTILLA 43, SANTA CLARITA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA) AND JACKSON ASTON (FLOTILLA 12-42, SANTA MONICA BAY, CALIFORNIA).
J. AUXILIARISTS NORM RAYMOND, LAURIE JACKOWSKI, DAVID JAEGER, AND JAMES DUFFIN (FLOTILLA 20-10, WARREN, MICHIGAN), JOHN HOLLINGSWORTH AND ROBERT HOLLINGSWORTH (FLOTILLA 20-14, NEW BALTIMORE, MICHIGAN), AND MITCHELL KAMLAY AND DANIEL PRATER (FLOTILLA 20-19, MT CLEMENS, MICHIGAN).
K. AUXILIARISTS TOM PELOSI (FLOTILLA 7-61, MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA) AND LESLIE PELOSI (FLOTILLA 45, BURBANK, CALIFORNIA).
7. AFRAS WILL PRESENT THE GOLD MEDAL TO AST2 LEON DURING A CEREMONY HOSTED AT THE RAYBURN CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, DC, ON 9 SEPTEMBER 2015.
8. CONGRATULATIONS TO AST2 LEON AND ALL ACTIVE DUTY AND AUXILIARY NOMINEES FOR A JOB WELL DONE.
9. M. E. LANDRY, DIRECTOR INCIDENT MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS POLICY SENDS.
10. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.
