SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Coast Guard Station San Juan was formally presented with the Sumner I. Kimball Readiness Award Wednesday at Coast Guard Sector San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Summer I. Kimball Readiness Award is earned by Coast Guard units that demonstrate an extraordinary state of readiness in administration, operations, maintenance and training during a rigorous inspection. Failure in any one of these aspects loses the possibility of the award for any unit.
“This achievement clearly displays the professionalism, selfless service and unwaverable commitment from every crewmember in Station San Juan required to achieve such a high recognition,” said Capt. Drew W. Pearson, Sector San Juan commander. “This is a team effort made possible through the continuous and steadfast support received for operations from other Coast Guard units, setting them apart as the best Coast Guardsmen the nation has to offer.”
Crewmembers from Coast Guard Station San Juan take a group photo after being presented with the Sumner I. Kimball Readiness Award Sept. 18, 2013 at Coast Guard Sector San Juan, Puerto Rico. Photo by Ricardo Castrodad, Sector San Juan public affairs specialist.
Pearson presented the award to Petty Officer 1st Class Sean Florane, Assistant Engineering petty officer, who received it on behalf of the men and women from Station San Juan.
“We are honored and grateful to have achieved such a prestigious award from our boat force community,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Robert Gonzales, Station San Juan officer in charge. “The crew’s hard work and tremendous efforts to perform at such high level are an indication of the pride and dedication they have for each other, the Coast Guard and surrounding community. We are here to make a difference for those we serve and to ensure we continue operating to the best of our abilities.”
Gonzales explained that what made this award special to the members is it incorporated three units which fall under Coast Guard Station San Juan. Coast Guard Station San Juan is a highly complex operational unit comprised of Boat Station in San Juan in Puerto Rico and Boat Force Detachment Units in St. Thomas and St. Croix, U.S Virgin Islands, and is responsible for 9 response boats, 65 Coastguardsmen, and an operational area covering 8,000 square miles. All three operational units were visited by the Coast Guard’s Standardization Team from Yorktown, Va. during a two-week inspection period ensuring Coast Guard Station San Juan and sub-units were knowledgeable on policy and procedures, vessel operations and maintenance, and rescue and survival systems. The crews combined efforts resulted in Station San Juan receiving a total score of 47 out of a possible 50.
Sumner I. Kimball was the General Superintendent of the Revenue Marine Bureau from 1871 to 1878, which evolved into the U.S. Life Saving Service, a predecessor to the modern day Coast Guard. Kimball is credited for putting the service on the road to professionalism by defining and heavily enforcing the fundamentals of training and equipment.
