The Chester R. Bender Award for Heroism
AST2 Thomas Henry, a rescue swimmer based in North Bend, Oregon, was awarded the 2011 Chester R. Bender Award for Heroism at the Coast Guard Foundation's 26th Annual Pacific Area Awards Dinner in August. Petty Officer Henry participated in two harrowing air rescues, one involving surfers who were trapped in a tidal basin during dangerous surf conditions, and the other involving hikers who got stranded on a seaside cliff. Read Petty Officer Henry's
full story here.
