Coast Guard Foundation Honors 14th District

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced that its 8th Annual Tribute to the United States Coast Guard’s Fourteenth District will take place on Thursday, March 11, 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Honoring local Coast Guard members who protect coastline shores from the Hawaiian Islands to Guam, the gala’s Chairman is Vic Angoco, vice president—Pacific of Matson Navigation and the Keynote Speaker is ADM Thad Allen, United States Coast Guard Commandant. Remarks will also be given by RADM Manson Brown, commander of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District, and Anne B. Brengle, president of the Coast Guard Foundation.

At this year’s tribute, the United States Coast Guard will honor two award recipients. Governor Linda Lingle will be presented with the Distinguished Public Service Award for her unwavering support of the Hawaii-based Coast Guard heroes. Petty Officer William Horne will receive the Coast Guard Medal for the heroism he demonstrated while off duty with his family by rescuing five people from a pickup truck involved in an automobile accident in Guam on February 8, 2009.

In addition to celebrating the service of our guardians who enforce maritime law, protect our homeland and preserve the environment, the tribute will raise funds to support the Coast Guard Foundation’s important projects and programs that benefit the Coast Guard members of the Fourteenth District and their families. These initiatives include college scholarships for children, and grants for enlisted members as well as providing assistance to family members of fallen servicemen and women lost in the line of duty.

“Our annual tribute invites the community to honor and celebrate the extraordinary men and women of the Fourteenth District,” said Brengle. “More than a meaningful evening to honor our heroes, the event raises important funds to support our work to enhance the service of Coast Guard members and provide opportunities for those who serve and their families.”

This year the Coast Guard Foundation is celebrating its 40th anniversary of service to the USCG and promoting its Are You One In A Million? campaign. The campaign strives to capture and highlight the unique and diverse stories, and personal impact, of over a million successful missions of bravery and courage since the Coast Guard’s inception in 1790. A website has been created to collect accounts from individuals who lived another day because of the bravery of our maritime guardians, as well as families with stories of a heroic rescue passed down through generations. Individuals can submit and view stories at one-in-a-million-rescued.org.

The 8th Annual Tribute to the USCG’s Fourteenth District will be held on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, 2005 Kalia Road, Honolulu, Hawaii. A cocktail reception and silent auction will begin at 5:30 pm, with a dinner reception and program to follow at 6:00 pm.