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WALTHAM, Mass. — This past Spring, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliarist Tom Wetherbee of the Quality Control & Technical Group received a special award from the U.S. Coast Guard. The "Station Gloucester Sailor of the 1st Quarter Award" had never before been given to a civilian at Gloucester Station, one of the oldest Stations in the Coast Guard's network of stations.
Wetherbee was involved in radio communication during the U.S. Coast Guard’s Jan. 3 search and rescue mission to recover the Patriot, a 54-foot commercial boat that sank off the coast of Glouchester, Mass., resulting in the loss of two lives. Wetherbee was a steady hand on the radio helping direct rescue attempts that failed for a number of reasons he had no control over. The memorandum noted Wetherbee's calm, steady hand in an extreme, high pressure emergency situation and described his outstanding support of the station and its mission. (Click here to view the memorandum).
Wetherbee received the award just prior to the Festival of St Peter annual blessing of the Gloucester fishing fleet, in which the Guard plays an instrumental role providing oceanside security. Enlisted Coasties who receive this award qualify to be considered for Sailor of the Year recognition, which is a national award given to the best of the best from across the entire Coast Guard service corps. (Unfortunately, civilian Wetherbee doesn't qualify for the national award competition) Wetherbee has been active with Coast Guard Station Gloucester for 14 years, putting in approximately 9,000 hours of volunteer time over the years.