Morristown native receives Red Cross hero award
Story and photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Jorgensen
The American Red Cross recognized a Morristown, N.J., native as a military hero Friday, March 6, 2009, for rescuing a woman with severe head trauma from a sailboat 245 miles southeast of Cape Cod, Mass., during a thunderstorm July 2, 2008.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Claude Morrissey has been an aviation survival technician at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., for the past four years and was the rescue swimmer on the helicopter that went to medevac the wounded woman.
When the helicopter arrived, the flight mechanic lowered Morrissey on a cable down to the 40-foot sailboat, Avra, as it was being tossed around in 15-foot seas. After landing on his back when a swell threw him five feet in the air, Morrissey placed the injured woman on a backboard, helped the flight crew hoist her into the helicopter, and then got into the water so that he could be safely hoisted.
The helicopter crew kept the woman stable during the two-hour flight to shore. She was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital where she was treated and made a full recovery.
The Cape Cod and Islands Chapter of the American Red Cross presented the Military Sea Rescue Award to Morrissey and the four other men who were on the helicopter with him in front of more than 500 people during a ceremony in Hyannis, Mass.
"It was a great feeling to be recognized," Morrissey said after the ceremony. "It's nice to see that people in the community appreciate what we do."
Morrissey was also awarded the Air Medal on Dec. 2, 2008, for his heroism during the rescue.
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