A U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer died Thursday from injuries he suffered while responding to a distressed mariner aboard a large vessel offshore of Washington state.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Jaggers was deployed to the vessel as part of a helicopter medical evaluation team, according to a U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers Friday Instagram post.
Jaggers was posthumously granted one of the nation’s highest awards for aerial flight.
“Our brother put his life on the line for someone he had never met, as Coast Guard aircrews and rescue swimmers have done thousands of times before, answering the call so that he and his crew could save a stranger’s life,” USCG Rescue Swimmers said in the Instagram post.
“Unfortunately, Tyler lost his in the process. He gave his life in the purest act of service: trying to save another,” the post continued.
On Feb. 27, Jaggers, who was based at the Astoria Air Station in Oregon, responded to a medical emergency aboard the commercial motor vessel Momi Arrow, roughly 120 nautical miles off the coast of Cape Flattery, Washington, as part of a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, according to a Coast Guard release.
During the rescue of a distressed mariner, he suffered critical injuries, the release says. The Coast Guard did not provide information about the mariner, nor did it describe Jaggers’ injuries.
Jaggers was transported to Victoria General Hospital in British Columbia, Canada, for initial treatment, the release states. At that hospital, it was determined that he would not survive, the Instagram post said.
Jaggers was put on life support, and the Coast Guard provided aircraft to transport him back to the U.S., according to a Tuesday statement on the Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmers Association’s website.
He was subsequently transferred to Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington, the release reads.
Jaggers joined the Coast Guard in January 2022 and served at Air Station Astoria since April 2024, according to the release.
He was meritoriously advanced to petty officer second class in a ceremony attended by his family and fellow Air Station Astoria crew members, the release says, and he was awarded posthumously with the Distinguished Flying Cross.
“He demonstrated extraordinary heroism in the face of danger, upholding the highest standards of courage and excellence for Coast Guard operations,” Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday said in a statement to Military Times.
“We honor his selfless actions and unwavering devotion to our highest calling: to save others,” Lunday continued.
A Distinguished Flying Cross, authorized by Congress in 1926, is one of the country’s highest awards for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.
The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of his injuries during the rescue, the release states.
Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.
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