Coast Guard Foundation to host USCG's Seventh District annual tribute

by Rushton Gregory Communications on 4 Nov 2009 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 16th Annual Tribute to the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) Seventh District will take place on Thursday, November 12, 2009. The event will honor the valiant work performed by all men and women of the Coast Guard’s Seventh District over the past year; awards will be presented recognizing exceptional and heroic performances of duty.

In addition to celebrating the service of our guardians who enforce maritime law, protect our homeland and preserve the environment, the tribute will raise funds to support the Coast Guard Foundation’s important projects and programs. These initiatives seek to improve the lives and performance of Coast Guard members, their families and Coast Guard Academy cadets, including college scholarships for children, as well as grants for enlisted members.

Awarded for Exceptional Performance of Duty, the USCG Cutter PEA ISLAND will be recognized for an operation that diverted multiple boats and apprehended individuals’ intent on smuggling illegal immigrants into the county. The performance of the Pea Island crew demonstrates the often dangerous critical border security and interdiction missions executed by the Seventh District on a regular basis. LT Matt Waldron, LT Jason Stanko, BM2 Robert Cotrell and Mk2 Roosevelt Broome, USCG, and Agent Sidney Wiggins, CBP, will accept the award on behalf of the Pea Island unit.

The Heroic Performance of Duty Award will be presented to the crew of CG-6008 for a rescue mission on May 19, 2009 in which the servicemen responded to a distress call during a violent weather system. At the height of the storm, LT Jeff Cowan, LTJG Dewey Lawson, AMT2 Benjamin Hernandez and AST2 Mark Pipkin saved three lives from an unpowered, adrift 52-foot vessel.

'Our tribute to the Seventh District is an event to honor and celebrate the heroic efforts of Coast Guard men and women over the past year,' said Ross Roeder, chairman of the board, Coast Guard Foundation. 'More than an expression of gratitude, we welcome the community to be part of our work and support important programs and initiatives that will enhance the lives and service of Coast Guard members and their families.'
Guests of the gala will include Master of Ceremonies Dick Crippen, voice of the Tampa Bay Rays, Florida United States Representative, Congressman Bill Young, Ross E. Roeder, Coast Guard Foundation chairman of the board, Anne B. Brengle, Coast Guard Foundation president, and VADM David Pekoske, USCG Vice Commandant..

In conjunction with the tribute, the Foundation will celebrate its 40th anniversary of service to the USCG and promote its Are You One In A Million? campaign. The campaign strives to capture and highlight the unique and diverse stories, and personal impact, of over a million successful missions of bravery and courage since the Coast Guard’s inception in 1790. A website has been created to collect accounts from individuals who lived another day because of the bravery of our maritime guardians, as well as families with stories of a heroic rescue passed down through generations. Individuals can submit and view stories at one-in-a-million-rescued.org.

The Coast Guard Foundation also announced today that it has re-activated its emergency Family Disaster Relief Fund in response to last Thursday’s C-130 crash off the California coast. The Coast Guard Foundation is asking for financial support to assist the families of the lost crew of CG-1705.

The 16th Annual Tribute to the USCG’s Seventh District will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club, 501 Fifth Avenue Northeast in St. Petersburg, Florida. A cocktail reception will begin at 6:30 pm, with a dinner reception and program to follow at 7:30 pm. For more information on the Coast Guard Foundation’s tribute to the Seventh District, its Are You One In A Million? campaign, the Family Disaster Relief Fund, the Coast Guard Foundation or to help support its work, please visit the Coast Guard Foundation website www.coastguardfoundation.org.