The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Aviation Electronics Technician Second Class Tyler R. Jennings, United States Coast Guard, for extraordinary achievement in aerial flight while serving as flight mechanic aboard Coast Guard HH-60J helicopter 6042 on the night of 22 December 1997. Petty Officer Jennings was engaged in the dramatic rescue of a survivor from the 36-foot Fishing Vessel CALLISTO that sank in an Alaskan gale 40 miles south of Sitka, Alaska. The lone survivor was stranded in a life raft being blown by 45-knot winds towards the treacherous rocky coastline and the pounding surf. As the helicopter approached the raft it became clear that the severity of the turbulence would make maintaining a stable hover impossible. The 20-foot waves rebounded off the nearby rocks causing a doubly confused sea state, which violently tossed the life raft. As Petty Officer Jennings began hoisting, brutal downdrafts from the nearby cliffs repeatedly drove the helicopter down to within 40-feet of the raging sea while gale-force winds tossed the rescue basket widely behind the helicopter. Undaunted by these overwhelming conditions, Petty Officer Jennings implemented innovative rescue techniques, one after the other, determined to save the imperiled mariner. Petty Officer Jennings miraculously placed the rescue basket to the rafts entrance, allowing the survivor to leap into the rescue basket where he was hoisted to safety. Petty Officer Jennings’ actions and skill were instrumental to the success of the rescue. His courage, judgment, and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.