COURT HOUSE – The Coast Guard presented The United States Coast Guard Public Service Award to Tomas F. Passalacqua Jr. at the Coast Guard Air Station in Atlantic City Wednesday.
Passalacqua, accompanied by his wife Trish, was recognized for his efforts to save a mariner in distress in the Delaware Bay, Oct. 14, 2012.
While acting as pilot in command of a Beechcraft Bonanze aircraft flying above the Delaware Bay, Passalacqua spotted an overturned boat and a person in the water about three miles north of the Cape May Ferry Terminal.
“It was getting dark, at first we spotted the catamaran with its sail in the water,” said Passalacqua. “Then we spotted the person in the water and he waved to us. We flew cover until the Coast Guard arrived and rescued him.”
Passalacqua reported the distress to personnel working at the Atlantic City Terminal Radar Approach Control who alerted Coast Guard watchstanders.
Passalacqua remained on scene for more than an hour, providing updates, vectoring the Coast Guard responders to the scene, and using his presence to assure the person in the water that help was coming.
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