The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Coast Guard Medal to Lieutenant Kristopher G. Furtney, United States Coast Guard, for heroism on 30 October 1991 while serving as a member of the rescue team on board U.S.C.G.C. TAMAROA during the rescue of three people from the S/V SATORI and four survivors from an Air National Guard (ANG) H-60 helicopter in what became known as “The Perfect Storm.” The ANG H-60 was forced to ditch because it could not refuel from a C-130 tanker due to the violent turbulence caused by the worst weather in more than 100 years. When a USCG H-3F helicopter could not hoist the ANG crew because the force of the wind was so strong the basket did not go down to the water, but went almost straight back into the tail rotor, the TAMAROA became their only hope. As the seas towered above the bridge of the TAMAROA and weather buoys reported wave heights of 100 feet, Lieutenant Furtney was exposed to great personal risk as he demonstrated exceptional ship handling expertise for two hours by completing a shipboard pickup of four of the crewmembers of the ANG H-60. By turning beam to the seas and using their power, the TAMAROA was able to approach the ANG crew, but at a cost of taking 55-degree rolls. For the next 36 hours Lieutenant Furtney coordinated the Search and Rescue effort to locate the final crewmember of the ANG H-60. Assuming tactical control of ten aircrafts, he masterfully planned and directed their effort to complete an extensive search and rescue operation, which covered more than 60,000 square miles of ocean. The survivors of the ANG H-60 would certainly have died if Lieutenant Furtney had not demonstrated exceptional devotion to duty, supervised the personnel in his department who were stretched to limits of human endurance, and operated with little rest for a 72-hour period during the worst storm of the century. His courage and devotion to duty are most heartily commended are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.