Sheldon Whitehouse: “I wish to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of petty officer Scott Higgins of my State of Rhode Island, who today…”

“I wish to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of petty officer Scott Higgins of my State of Rhode Island, who today will be awarded the Coast Guard Commendation Medal for his efforts in the heroic rescue of the crew of the sailboat Sean Seamour II off the coast of New Jersey in May. On May 7, Aviation Machinery Technician 2nd Class Higgins was part of a four-man Coast Guard HH-60 helicopter crew, including LCDR Nevada Smith, LT J.G. Aaron Nelson, and aviation survival technician 2nd class Drew Dazzo, deployed in response to a distress signal from the 44-foot sailing vessel Sean Seamour II. The vessel, on a recreational sailing trip from Green Coves Spring, FL, to Portugal's Azores Islands, had capsized amidst the hurricane-force winds of Subtropical Storm Andrea. The three sailors aboard were forced to evacuate to a small raft just before their ship was swallowed by the ocean. Higgins, serving as flight mechanic, worked closely with Nelson, who piloted the helicopter, and Dazzo, the team's rescue swimmer, to execute their mission. Working quickly and expertly, Higgins lowered Dazzo over and over again into the towering waves to reach the sailboat crew.”