FLT 1549 Coast Guard Award Ceremony

NEW YORK-Petty Officer 2nd Class Ben Foster, a crewmember aboard a 33-foot Coast Guard Station New York rescue boat during the crash of US Airways Flight 1549, is presented the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal by Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant, United States Coast Guard, and Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Feb. 18, 2009.

Foster is cited for his heroic service on Jan. 15, 2009, when he witnessed an elderly crash victim fall off the wing of the downed airliner without a life jacket. Foster entered the debris filled water to rescue the woman.

Foster continued to assist the rescue efforts from the wing of the plane. Later he was evacuated to a local hospital for an injury he sustained to his leg during the rescue efforts.

(U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer Seth Johnson)