Page 5 - DFCS News Magazine Winter 2014

VOLUME 14, ISSUE 3 PAGE 5
The President of the Unit- ed States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Fly-
ing Cross to Petty Officer Dan- iel J. Todd for extraordinary heroism while participating in aerial flight on the Coast Guard helicopter CG-6031 on 29 October 2012. Serving as the Rescue Swimmer, he and the helicopter crew were tasked to fly through driving rain bands, 60 knot winds and moderate turbulence to assist the tall ship HMS Boun- ty, which was foundering 80 nautical miles east of Cape Hatteras in the midst of Hurri- cane Sandy. CG-6031 arrived on scene to find the HMS Bounty partially submerged in a large debris field of life rafts and survival suits. CG-6031 established a hover next to the first raft they found and without hesitation Petty Of- ficer Todd deployed to the water and swam through 30 foot waves and gale force winds. Upon reaching the raft, he climbed inside to find six survivors and calmly intro- duced himself. Petty Officer
Todd began the grueling task of retrieving each survivor from the raft and delivering them one-by-one to the awaiting rescue basket. Large waves repeatedly ap- proached from multiple direc- tions, dragging him and each
the raft. His strength and in- genuity enabled him to expe- dite the rescue and ultimately save valuable time on scene. Demonstrating personal per- severance and endurance to overcome fatigue, he was then recovered and rede-
ployed to a second life raft with three more survi- vors. His stamina enabled him to endure an hour in the sea and complete 11 transits between the heli- copter rescue basket and two life rafts. Petty Officer Todd’s actions, skill and heroism were instrumen- tal in the rescue of nine people. His courage, judg- ment and devotion to du- ty in the face of hazard- ous conditions are most
heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.
Petty Officer Daniel Todd is a life member of The Distin- guished Flying Cross Society
HMS Bounty during Hurricane Sandy about 80 nautical miles east of Cape Hatteras, NC
survivor through the water while they waited to be hoist- ed. While he was assisting the second survivor into the res- cue basket, a large wave top- pled the raft with the four re- maining survivors still inside. Recognizing the severity of the situation, he sprinted to- wards the raft and was able to grab ahold of the sea an- chor line and assist the re- maining survivors clinging to