Coast Guard Members to be Awarded for Katrina Service

Eighty members from the Coast Guard air station here will receive awards Wednesday for their actions during the Hurricane Katrina rescue response. RADM Larry Hereth, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, will officiate the ceremony where pilots, rescue swimmers, flight mechanics and maintenance mechanics will be presented with Air Medals and other honors. The 80 members comprise about one-third of the air station's entire crew. The air station deployed two rescue helicopters with numerous crews to the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast, where they were active in the response that saw more than 33,500 people rescued by the Coast Guard. C-130 airplanes from the station also deployed, providing logistical support for rescue operations.