Coast Guard Foundation honors U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District

Lt. Cdr. George Menze talks about how his MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter air crew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater located and safely hoisted four people in from the water after their vessel capsized 30 miles west of Cedar Key © Petty Officer 3rd Class Erik Villa Rodriguez

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to strengthening the Coast Guard community and service by supporting members and families announced today it will honor Coast Guard members in the Southeast U.S. at its Tribute to the Coast Guard Seventh District event. With its headquarters in Miami, the "Super Seventh" is responsible for Coast Guard activities in a 1.7 million square mile area including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

The event will highlight the actions of Coast Guard personnel at the onset of the global pandemic. When Covid first appeared, 125 cruise ships carrying U.S. citizens were stranded with no port to accept them. The Coast Guard worked with the CDC, state and local agencies, and cruise ship operators to safely return those Americans to their families. These efforts facilitated the safe landing, screening, quarantine and repatriation of more than 250,000 cruise ship passengers. In addition, they conducted more than 30 life-saving evacuations related to cases of Covid on cruise ships.

The Foundation will also recognize the heroic efforts of a helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater who rescued four people after extreme weather capsized their vessel 30 miles west of Cedar Key.

In addition, the Foundation will also present an award to a special community honoree. Dan Thorogood, president and CEO of Seabulk, will be recognized for more than 30 years of dedicated support to the Coast Guard Foundation and the men and women of the Coast Guard.

The Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Karl Schultz, Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagan, and other national and regional leaders will attend, as will Coast Guard personnel and members of the maritime community from throughout Florida.

The event is chaired by Coast Guard Foundation trustee Alexandra Anagnostis-Irons and a group of dedicated volunteers from South Florida. Anagnostis-Irons is the founder and president of Total Marine Solutions (TMS), an environmental solutions company headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is actively involved in a number of maritime organizations as well as vice chair of Broward Navy Days.

"The brave men and women of the Coast Guard's Seventh District are tasked with protecting one of the busiest operational areas in the service," said Susan Ludwig, president, Coast Guard Foundation. "They are called upon during natural disasters and incidents at sea and always adhere to the highest level of professionalism and dedication to duty. The Foundation is here to support these individuals and their community and we are proud to recognize them for their heroism."

The Coast Guard Foundation's Tribute to the Seventh Coast Guard District will be held on Friday, April 22, 2022 at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort, 3030 Holiday Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A cocktail reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and the program following at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on the Coast Guard Foundation, please visit www.coastguardfoundation.org or call (860) 535-0786.