DHS Secretary Honors Heroes at Washington DC Tribute: Celebrating Record Drug Interdictions & Community Support

The Coast Guard Foundation hosted its annual Salute to the U.S. Coast Guard in our Nation’s Capital at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, highlighting the service's contributions to national security.

This year's tribute celebrated the heroic efforts of the Charleston-based U.S. Coast Guard Cutters James and Stone, recognized for groundbreaking drug interdiction operations in the Eastern Pacific that seized more than $1 billion in drugs. The deployments by James and Stone underscored the Coast Guard's crucial role in tackling transnational criminal organizations and safeguarding America's maritime borders.

Remarks by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and acting Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Kevin Lunday underlined the Coast Guard's ongoing dedication to national security, maritime safety, and economic prosperity. 

The Foundation awarded its prestigious Guardian Award to STACK Infrastructure for its unwavering commitment to Coast Guard families, demonstrated through the annual Heroes of the Sea Fishing Tournament, benefiting the Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officers Association. CEO Brian Cox accepted the award on behalf of STACK, which is a leader in custom data center solutions. STACK has agreed to collaborate with the Foundation to expand support for the non-profit’s programs nationwide.

The Coast Guard Foundation acknowledges dinner sponsors—Cheniere Energy and the Gary Sinise Foundation, and major sponsors API, Austal USA, Lockheed Martin, Oracle, SSAB Americas, and Tote Group—for their generosity. The Foundation is also grateful to all those who sponsored the event for enabling the Foundation's mission of providing scholarships, morale programs, and emergency relief to reinforce the strength of Coast Guard members and their families across the nation.

Title Image: Crew members from the Coast Guard Cutters James and Stone accept the 2025 Coast Guard Foundation award. This spring the cutters offloaded more than a billion dollars in drugs that had been seized in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.