While President Gerald Ford’s Executive Order 11965 establishing the Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) in 1977 specifically included the Coast Guard as one of the eligible services for which the new award, it did not include the Coast Guard Auxiliary despite the fact its members could very well be working side by side with Coast Guard members whose actions might qualify them for the medal.
To make up for this oversight, the Auxiliary Humanitarian Service Award was established to honor Auxiliarists who distinguish themselves during a significant humanitarian activity or operation by their direct, meritorious, and non-routine participation. For the purpose of award eligibility, “direct participation” requires Auxiliarists to be physical present at the designated location of the operation or activity and to actively participate in and influence the action. The award is given to Auxiliarists who meet the eligibility requirements in the same operations in which Coast Guard personnel are eligible for the HSM.
The Auxiliary Manual clarifies the level and attributes of service that qualify Auxiliarists for HSA consideration. Their service must be demonstrably above and beyond the duties they normally exercise—merely taking part in a hurricane evacuation, for instance, would not rise to the standard because such actions are part of the Auxiliarist’s assigned duties. The actions taken must have had major significance and provided “immediate relief” (a term not clearly defined in the Auxiliary manual), relieved human suffering, and saved lives. Examples of HSA-qualifying operations includes assistance in response to disasters at the national or international level and the resettlement and support of evacuees or refugees.
While most of these criteria are taken nearly verbatim from the Coast Guard requirements for the HSM, the Auxiliary requirement that the service “Must have affected the outcome of the situation” lacks the Coast Guard’s addition of “and failure to act could have caused negative consequences.”
When being nominated for the award, the recommendation must list specific dates of service which are within the period where immediate relief is being delivered. The phrase “immediate relief” is taken from the Coast Guard award criteria and is included because any actions taken after the immediate response are considered part of ongoing operations are thus part and parcel of normal Auxiliary duties and responsibilities.