Commendation for Rescue of 47 Vietnamese Refugees in 1983 Sometimes while traveling from port to port on a merchant ship

Commendation for Rescue of 47 Vietnamese Refugees in 1982

Sometimes while traveling from port to port on a merchant ship, you are called into service by the time-honored humanitarian tradition of the sea to provide rescue and assistance to fellow seafarers when they are in need. During my many years aboard LNG ships operating in the Orient, the 8-ship fleet rescued more than 2,000 people, mostly Vietnamese boat people who were fleeing from their politically-torn country in search of a better place. I was personally involved with 3 refugee rescues which resulted in the saving of 150 lives. Below is one such example of the efforts put forth by the crew, and a drawing of the event as captured by able-seaman Amin Ben Rajab, Jr.