Navy Federal Credit Union

Awards Received

  • Coast Guard Medal

    Service:

    United States Coast Guard

    Rank:

    Petty Officer

    Action Date:

    November 25, 2000

    U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office

    The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Coast Guard Medal to Petty Officer David An, United States Coast Guard, for extraordinary heroism on 25 November 2000 while assigned to U.S.C.G.C. STORIS (WMEC 38) during the rescue of nine Coast Guardsmen from the Bering Sea. As a law enforcement team from STORIS was being launched over the side in the motor surfboat, the ship’s aft davit arm snapped and all nine sailors were dropped into the freezing seas. Without hesitation, Petty Officer AN dressed out in rescue swimmer gear and plunged into the turbulent waters where he quickly brought order to a chaotic scene. The boarding crew was scattered the length of the ship and the three-ton small boat was slamming into the hull amidst a tangle of wire rope and broken metal. Petty Officer AN calmed one crewman who was succumbing to hypothermia and towed the stunned man through six-foot swells to the ship’s well deck, where he was hoisted aboard. In order to get another man who was foundering near the stern, Petty Officer AN, with complete disregard for his own safety, unclipped his safety harness in order to safely navigate the perilous swim around the capsized small boat. This left him at the mercy of the sea, with no possible assistance from those on deck. He swam to the drowning man and, displaying Herculean strength, pulled him from danger. Only after seeing all hands safely aboard did Petty Officer AN climb out of the arctic waters, where he then collapsed due to the exhaustion and exposure. Petty Officer AN demonstrated remarkable initiative, exceptional fortitude, and daring in spite of imminent personal danger in this rescue. His courage and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.