News Release

Astoria, Ore. — The U.S. Coast Guard announced last week the release of its Top 10 video compilation for 2011, highlighting the year's most compelling cases from the work done every day by America's Coast Guard.

Two videos from Pacific Northwest units, Air Station Astoria, Ore., and Cutter Henry Blake, homeported in Everett, Wash., were selected to participate in the "Coast Guard 2011 Video of the Year" contest.

The Coast Guard invites the public to participate in the 2011 Video of the Year contest by voting for their favorite video. The contest began Dec. 22, with voting open through Jan. 13, 2012. People may vote for their favorite videos each day of the contest by choosing “Like” on the Coast Guard's Facebook page or on the Coast Guard’s YouTube 2011 Videos of the Year playlist.

Beginning Dec. 22, and continuing through Dec. 31, the Coast Guard's official blog, the Coast Guard Compass, will publish one of the Top 10 videos each day including commentary from a service member who participated in the mission.

The two Pacific Northwest unit videos are:

Title: Guiding mariners home

Caption:  The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Henry Blake, home ported in Everett, Wash., works the deck on a mission to maintain aids to navigation in the Puget Sound area. U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Chandler.

B-roll location: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=1482072

Youtube location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbs1ag3KzZo&feature=youtu.be

Title: North Head cliff rescue

Caption: A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Astoria, Ore., responds to an injured climber near North Head Lighthouse near Ilwaco, Wash., July 7, 2011. U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn Eggert.

B-roll location: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=1310241 

Youtube location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH0NOYnqjzw&feature=related

"The service of Coast Guard men and women is often out of sight of the public occurring offshore, at night or at the height of a ferocious storm at sea, so we are proud to show citizens our Top 10 videos that represent this work," said Capt. Ron LaBrec, chief of Coast Guard public affairs. "We are part of the communities we serve throughout the country. The Coast Guard has the ability to deploy military capability, law enforcement authority and life-saving expertise whenever and wherever needed to safeguard our nation and its citizens."

In 2011, the Coast Guard:

• Responded to more than 22,000 search and rescue cases and saved more than 4,300 lives.
• Screened more than 257,000 commercial vessels carrying 71 million crewmembers and passengers prior to arrival in U.S. ports.
• Investigated 4,650 marine casualties, including two marine boards of investigation.
• Seized more than 200,000 pounds of cocaine bound for the United States.
• Conducted more than 11,000 inspections on U.S. vessels and 9,000 port state control safety and environmental exams on foreign vessels.
• Interdicted more than 2,000 undocumented migrants attempting to illegally enter the United States from the sea.

For more information, please contact the 13^th Coast Guard District Public Affairs Detachment in Astoria, Ore., at (503) 861-6132