| Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award | |
|---|---|
Service ribbon of the Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award
| |
| Type | Unit award |
| Awarded for | Direct participation in missions of an operational "hands on" nature. |
| Country |  United States |
| Presented by | Department of Transportation |
| Eligibility | Coast Guard and Department of Transportation personnel |
| Established | 3 November 1994 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Joint Meritorious Unit Award[1] |
| Next (lower) | Coast Guard Unit Commendation[1] |
| Related | Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Achievement Medal |
The Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award was a U.S. government unit decoration which was established in 1994. The Presidential Unit Citation and Joint Meritorious Unit Award are considered senior to the Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award. Additional awards of the decoration were denoted by gold award stars.
Prior to 2003, the award was a unit award of the United States Coast Guard.[2] During the time period issued, it was the highest Coast Guard unit award that could be awarded and was presented to those Coast Guard units which performed outstanding service to the Coast Guard as a whole.
On 3 November 1994, Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena awarded the Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Achievement Medal to the Coast Guard as a whole. The award was mounted on a plaque and presented to Admiral Robert E. Kramek, then-Commandant of the Coast Guard. In order to provide members of the Coast Guard with a device denoting this award, the Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award was issued. This award consists of the ribbon-only to the Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Achievement Medal, mounted in a gold frame.[3]
The Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award was awarded for two periods of service to Coast Guard Units and personnel. The first was to all Coast Guard Active Duty Personnel, Reservists, Civilians, and Auxiliarists for participation in an extended period of migrant interdiction as well as natural and environmental disasters from 1 October 1993 to 30 September 1994. The second period of service was for Coast Guard Activities New York–Guarding Liberty Task Force from 11 September 2001 to 22 October 2001. This period qualifies for the Operational Distinguishing Device.[1]
Since the transfer of the Coast Guard to the Department of Homeland Security, the only two awards of the Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award came in 2006 when President George W. Bush awarded it to the United States Merchant Marine Academy and in 2022 when Secretary Pete Buttigieg awarded it to the United States Merchant Marine Academy class of 2022.[4]
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