Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge honored Lt. Christopher Barrows at a ceremony on August 6 for his actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. "Lt. Barrows and his crew carried the fight away from America's shores, and, in the best traditions of the Coast Guard, they denied the enemy any opportunity to harm our nation," said Secretary Ridge. Barrows earned the award while serving as the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Wrangell, a 110-ft. patrol boat normally stationed in Portland, Maine. Wrangell represented the first line of dense for Coalition Naval Forces providing protection for mine hunters in the waters of Iraq.