Rear Adm. Richard Gromlich, commander Coast Guard 13th District, stands with Lt. Justin Church, Lt. Wesley Jones and Petty Officer 1st Class James Froese, all three aviators at Coast Guard Air Station North Bend, Ore., during an awards ceremony at Sector North Bend, March, 1, 2016.
Church, Jones and Froese were presented awards for their actions in rescuing four fishermen from the fishing vessel Jamie K after it ran aground near Cape Blanco, Ore., in July 2015.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Levi Read
Rear Adm. Richard Gromlich, commander Coast Guard 13th District, presents Lt. Justin Church, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilot at Coast Guard Air Station North Bend, Ore., with a Coast Guard Commendation Medal during an awards ceremony at Sector North Bend, March, 1, 2016.
Church was the aircraft commander aboard a rescue helicopter that overcame severe downdrafts created by the operating environment near Cape Blanco, Ore., to rescue four fishermen in July 2015.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Levi Read
Rear Adm. Richard Gromlich, commander Coast Guard 13th District, presents Lt. Wesley Jones, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilot at Coast Guard Air Station North Bend, Ore., with a Coast Guard Achievement Medal during an awards ceremony at Sector North Bend, March, 1, 2016.
Jones was the co-pilot aboard a rescue helicopter during a rescue operation, which led to the rescue of four fishermen from the fishing vessel Jamie K after it ran aground near Cape Blanco, Ore., in July 2015.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Levi Read
Rear Adm. Richard Gromlich, commander Coast Guard 13th District, presents Petty Officer 1st Class James Froese, an aviation electronics technician at Coast Guard Air Station North Bend, Ore., with a Coast Guard Achievement Medal during an awards ceremony at Sector North Bend, March, 1, 2016.
Froese was the flight mechanic and hoist operator aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter during a rescue operation, which led to the rescue of four fishermen from the fishing vessel Jamie K after it ran aground near Cape Blanco, Ore., in July 2015.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Levi Read
NORTH BEND, Ore. — The Coast Guard presented a Coast Guard Commedation Medal and two Coast Guard Achievement Medals to Air Station North Bend aviators during a ceremony held at Sector North Bend, Tuesday morning.
Three aviators, Lt. Justin Church, aircraft commander, Lt. Wesley Jones, co-pilot, and Petty Officer 1st Class James Froese, aviation electronics technician, were honored during the ceremony.
The fourth member of the aircrew Petty Officer 2nd Class Darren Harrity, aviation survival technician, was honored with the Coast Guard Medal at a previous ceremony, Jan. 29, 2016.
The four-man aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter rescued four fishermen from a life raft near Cape Blanco in July 2015, after the fishermen's 52-foot fishing vessel Jamie K ran aground.
More information from the July 2015 rescue can be found at the following links.
MULTIMEDIA RELEASE: COAST GUARD SWIMMER COMPLETES TRIATHLON-DISTANCE SWIM TO RESCUE 4
AUDIO UPDATE: COAST GUARD SWIMMER COMPLETES TRIATHLON-DISTANCE SWIM TO RESCUE 4