The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Coast Guard Medal to Machinery Technician Third Class Bruce E. Sherwood, United States Coast Guard, for heroism on the night of 30 August 1991 while serving as engineer and emergency medical technician (EMT) of Utility Boat CG-41439. During this period, Petty Officer Sherwood was engaged in maintaining a safety zone around a barge being used as a platform for a fireworks display at Northeast Harbor, Maine. During the display, sparks from the launched fireworks ignited stockpiled pyrotechnics on the deck of the barge, resulting in a tremendous explosion. The explosion forced three persons into the water; another person was apparently unconscious and was ablaze, and a fifth person remained on the barge, sheltered behind a 55-gallon drum. Petty Officer Sherwood immediately activated the fire pump and grabbed a heaving line to throw to the men in the water as CG-41439 maneuvered closer to the burning barge. Noticing a man lying face down on the barge, apparently unconscious, Petty Officer Sherwood grabbed the EMT kit and, without regard to his own safety, leaped aboard the barge to assist the injured man. He quickly got him to his feet and aboard CG-41439, where he treated him and the other four survivors. When a second explosion occurred, Petty Officer Sherwood used his body to shelter his patients from the flying debris and then examined the wounds sustained by one of his own crewmembers. He tended to the survivors’ wounds and their immediate needs until the boat reached Northeast Harbor, where medical authorities were waiting. Petty Officer Sherwood demonstrated remarkable initiative, exceptional fortitude, and daring in spite of imminent personal danger. His courage and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.