2019 Pacific Northwest Awards to Honor Coast Guard in Seattle
The Coast Guard Foundation will honor an aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles for heroic action and mission excellence at this year's Pacific Northwest Awards Dinner in Seattle.
The crew of CG-6596 - LT Jacob Marks, pilot, LT Caleb Wadsworth, co-pilot, AMT3 Ryan Taylor, flight mechanic, and AST3 Richard Nestler, rescue swimmer, will be recognized for their combined effort that saved the life of an injured hiker who fell 100 feet down a cliff face on the southern end of Obstruction Island. Obstruction Island is one of the many islands that make up the San Juan Island chain in Washington State. The aircrew worked closely with Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound and local emergency medical services, who were also on scene. The rescue took place last year on the 4th of July.
“We are inspired by the acts of courage we witness on a daily basis,” said Susan Ludwig, Coast Guard Foundation president. “This rescue case truly exemplifies the lengths that Coast Guard members will go to save a life, and for that, we are honored to say ‘thank you’.”
The Coast Guard Foundation will also honor long-time supporter and former board member Bart Eaton for his support of the organization.
United States Coast Guard senior leadership and local Coast Guard members will be in attendance along with business and industry leaders and community supporters from in and around Seattle.
The Coast Guard Foundation has supported more than twenty-two morale, wellness and community projects in the Pacific Northwest in the last two years. These projects include a playground for Coast Guard families stationed in remote Neah Bay, Washington, and fitness and recreation gear for the nation’s last remaining heavy ice breaker, the USCGC POLAR STAR. During the unprecedented government shutdown earlier this year, the Coast Guard Foundation provided $20,000 in morale support to Coast Guard members stationed in Washington and Oregon. Recently, the Coast Guard Foundation has awarded twenty-seven scholarships to the children of active duty and retired Coast Guard members who live and work in the Pacific Northwest.
