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 The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritor ...

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 A unit citation is a formal, honorary mention by high authority of a military unit's specific and outstanding performance, notably in battle. Similar mentions can also be made for individual soldiers. Alternatively or concurrently, the unit can be ...

of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

. 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 The Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Achievement Medal also known as the Department of Transportation Gold Medal is the highest honorary award of the United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transport ...

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 The commandant of the Coast Guard is the service chief and highest-ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The commandant is an admiral, appointed for a four-year term by the president of the United States upon confirmation by the Unit ...

. 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. 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 The Operational Distinguishing Device ("O" device) is a miniature silver inch letter "O" that is authorized by the United States Coast Guard as a ribbon device which may be authorized for wear on certain awards and decorations of the United Stat ...

. Since the transfer of the Coast Guard to the Department of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award has only been bestowed twice. The first was in 2006 when President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

awarded it to the

United States Merchant Marine Academy The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Kings Point) is a United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) to serve as officers in the United States Merchant ...

for all of the work the midshipman performed in assisting with the transportation of servicemen and supplies in the years following the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. The second occurred in 2022 when Secretary Pete Buttigieg awarded it to the United States Merchant Marine Academy midshipmen who were in attendance between March 13, 2020 and June 18, 2022. The second case was due to the regiment of midshipmen’s leadership and relentless efforts to excel on campus, but more importantly for manning the ships during the logistical crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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