Coast Guard Members and Civilians Honored for Lahaina Heroism

Both national and international organizations recognize the Coast Guard and civilian mariners who responded to the deadly 2023 Lahaina fire for heroism at sea.

The International Maritime Organization, the UN agency that regulates and monitors shipping, last month presented five Coast Guard responders and four Good Samaritans with certificates of bravery. One of them, Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Marzilli, was also selected as USO Soldier of the Year.

The awards were presented at a ceremony Oct. 18 at the J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku. During the ceremony, the Coast Guard also awarded letters of commendation to 26 local boat captains and crew members who responded aboard Trilogy II, Marjorie Ann, Reef Explorer and Ali’i Nui, as well as the Expeditions. Coast Guard Lt. Dylan McCall received the Medal of Honor for his service during the incident.

Earlier this year, Marzilli received the Coast Guard Medal, the service’s highest award for peacetime gallantry, for his actions on Aug. 8, 2023.

“For a while, it was like a few people just got recognized,” Marzilli told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “But I’m glad they’re finally giving more people the recognition they deserve for their actions, not just mine.”

Other recipients of recognition included Chrissy Lovitt and her wife Emma Nelson, who, along with fellow Maui resident Lashawna Garnier, hijacked the expedition’s boat to join other civilian teams helping Coast Guard Station Maui personnel rescue Lahaina residents who had fled into the water to save themselves. . flames engulfing the city.

“It’s a small town, and chances are we knew people there — and we actually knew people there,” Lovitt said. “So it was nice to just know that we took a step forward to help people in our community.”

Strong winds on August 8, 2023 not only spread the flames faster than usual, but also made helicopter flights too dangerous.

As flames engulfed Lahaina, the Coast Guard received calls for help. But when Coast Guard Sector Honolulu commander Capt. Aja Kirksey assembled her team, she soon realized she couldn’t provide air support and most of her boats were more than eight hours away from the unfolding disaster. Instead, the Coast Guard will have to rely on small crews based on Maui and the handful of small boats they have.

The service asked to call sailors who could help. Those who answered the call joined Coast Guard personnel as they braved high winds, thick smoke and floating debris in Lahaina Harbor, coordinating by radio to search for survivors and pull them from the water, and rescuing people stranded on shore.

Marzilli and Travis DeWater, a rescue swimmer aboard Trilogy II, entered the water themselves with surfboards and headed toward the harbor. In an announcement of the awards, the International Maritime Organization described how the couple, using the Expeditions boat, “directly contributed to the safety and survival of more than 40 people stranded in the fire.”

In total, the makeshift rescue flotilla rescued 17 people in the harbor and 40 survivors on shore.

Kirksey wrote in her letter to Lovitt: “I cannot express the tremendous admiration and gratitude my team and I felt when you answered the call to help us save lives in treacherous conditions. You fearlessly walked through thick smoke and intense flames to aid our response efforts… The decision to put yourself in harm’s way was not just a contribution to our mission, it was a lifeline to those who had lost everything.”

Lovitt and Nelson, who were preparing to begin whale-watching tours, were forced to confiscate the expedition vessel after their own boats were destroyed.

“Basically, we just started our business and we lost everything,” Lovitt said.

But with the help of friends, family and donations from those who had heard their story, they gradually managed to buy new boats and rebuild their business.

“We were able to use the equipment we were able to acquire and found work in Lahaina where we cleaned up the coastline,” she explained. “It was a really big job. And, you know, it’s kind of a vicious circle: we had nothing, we lost everything, and then we were able to acquire more equipment, which in turn was used to clean up Lahaina.”

When the rescuers reunited last month in Wailuku to receive awards and recognition, Marzilli said it was a strange experience. They knew each other mainly by voices on the radio or by shouts between boats through the smoke and darkness. They knew the names and knew the boats, but few of them knew the faces of those who were there that day.

“We kind of became close. There was an immediate connection between the people, but when we were done with the events, none of us recognized each other,” Marzilli said. “We were all there in the room… and none of us talked to each other until we were all called.” up… it was such a surreal moment. If we walked down the street, we would not recognize each other, although together with these people we contributed to such an amazing event in history.”

Marzilli no longer works at Coast Guard Station Maui. He is now assigned to the USS Harriet Lane, the Coast Guard’s new Honolulu-based “Indo-Pacific Support Cutter” for operations in Oceania. This summer, he and Lane went on expanded patrols in the region, working with authorities in island nations to combat illegal fishing.

He said he enjoys learning about the cultures of the islands, but added that “Maui has a special place in my heart. I have truly grown to love this island and this is a place I consider home.”

Meanwhile, Lovitt and Nelson are preparing for whale watching season with their company, Maui Ocean Adventures, which is run entirely by fire survivors.

Lovitt said getting back on the water was “healing.”

“I didn’t want to do it at first,” she said, “and then someone forced me to get back on the boat.”

For now, Lovitt said, “We’re just excited to get back to work and do what we love.”