Presented by:

CWO Douglas Leavell at
Spring Conference 2008

Date presented:

March 15, 2008

Citation (in part)

"Demonstrating exceptional initiative and commitment, Mr. BUTCHER developed and executed a strategic plan to accomplish the standup of four remote offices ranging from Minnesota to Colorado.  The new licensing requirements had added substantially to the burden of mariners by requiring repeated visits to a Coast Guard office for verification of identity and fingerprinting.  With so few existing Coast Guard locations, the prospect of remote offices offered invaluable time and cost savings for the mariners living across the Midwest.  Mr. BUTCHER traveled throughout the region, providing the on-scene logistics and coordination needed to make the remote offices a reality.  In each case he located no-cost office space, equipped the facility, arranged for volunteer support and trained the volunteers to meet the stringent standards of the licensing regulations.  The fruition of his creative solution became obvious in the first six months of operations with the realization of over $25,000 in mariner travel cost savings.  By responding to the emergence of this onerous regulatory burden on the citizens of our country, Mr. BUTCHER made a real and lasting impact on hundreds of merchant mariners which will continue for years to come.  Additionally, his ingenuity and leadership earned the Coast Guard outstanding recognition for commitment to customer service at a time when positive accolades were in short supply in the licensing arena."