(a) All administrative details pertaining to the award of Lifesaving Medals are under the jurisdiction of the Commandant. Applications and recommendations for the award of a Lifesaving Medal may be filed by or in behalf of the person making or attempting a rescue under circumstances contemplated by the regulations in this subpart. Applications or recommendations for award of medals or requests for information pertaining thereto should be addressed to the Commander of the Coast Guard District, hereinafter called the District Commander, where the incident took place. (See part 3 of this subchapter for descriptions of Coast Guard Districts.) If the District is unknown, or if the incident took place outside any such district, applications and recommendations should be addressed to the Commander, Personnel Service Center (PSC-PSD-M&A), U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7200, 4200 Wilson Boulevard Suite 1100, Arlington, VA 20598-7200.
(b) Completed applications must include:
(1) Satisfactory evidence of the services performed, in the form of affidavits, made by eyewitnesses of good repute and standing testifying of their own knowledge. The opinion of witnesses that the person for whom an award is sought imperiled his or her own life or made signal exertions is not sufficient but the affidavits must set forth in detail all facts and occurrences tending to show clearly in what manner and to what extent life was risked or signal exertions made so that the Commandant may judge for himself as to the degree of merit involved.
(2) The precise locality of the rescue or attempted rescue, whether from waters within the United States or subject to the jurisdiction thereof, or if the rescue or attempted rescue is outside such waters, whether one or the other of the parties is a citizen of the United States, or from a vessel or aircraft owned or operated by citizens of the United States, shall be stated. The date, time of day, nature of the weather, condition of the water, the names of all persons present when practicable, the names of all persons rendering assistance, and all pertinent circumstances and data, showing the precise nature and degree of risk involved, should be stated.
(c) Recommendations must include:
(1) As much of the information indicated in paragraphs (b) (1) and (2) of this section which is available to the person making the recommendation. Upon receipt the Commandant or the cognizant District Commander shall cause such recommendation to be referred to an investigating officer who shall cause to be developed such additional information and evidence as is deemed necessary to either
(i) terminate the investigation as containing insufficient justification to continue further, or
(ii) to complete the application for submission to the Commandant for his final determination.
(d) Either the Commandant or the District Commander may, without any application or recommendation, of his own motion, order an informal investigation into such an incident under Administrative Investigations Manual, COMDTINST M5830.1A (2007).
(e) Affidavits required by this subpart shall be made before an officer duly authorized to administer oaths and if taken before an officer without an official seal, his official character must be certified by the proper officer of a court of record, under the seal thereof, unless the oath be taken before an officer of the Armed Forces authorized to administer oaths under the provisions of Article 136, UCMJ (10 U.S.C. 936).
(f) Cognizant District Commanders shall act upon all applications and recommendations submitted to them from whatever source and shall:
(1) Forward completed applications with his recommendations to the Commandant for his consideration and determination; or,
(2) Inform the applicant or the person submitting the recommendation that he considers such application or recommendation incomplete together with the reasons therefor and that a period of 90 days will be allowed for additional evidence to be provided upon the expiration of which he will file the application or recommendation without further action.
(g) Whenever the cognizant District Commander shall deem such action necessary, he may require that the aforementioned affidavits shall be accompanied by a certificate showing the affiants to be credible persons, certified by some U.S. Officer, such as a judge or clerk of a U.S. Court, district attorney, collector of customs, postmaster, or officer of the Armed Forces. If the affiant is a citizen or resident of a foreign country and if the affidavit is executed in such foreign country, the credibility certificate may be executed by an officer of such foreign country, who occupies an official position similar to the aforementioned U.S. officers.
(h) The decision of the Commandant on all applications, recommendations, and investigations for the Gold or Silver Lifesaving Medals shall be final.
[CGFR 68-134, 33 FR 18932, Dec. 19, 1968, as amended by USCG-2010-0351, 75 FR 36278, June 25, 2010; USCG-2013-0397, 78 FR 39170, July 1, 2013; USCG-2014-0410, 79 FR 38427, July 7, 2014]