Mr. KESTER is cited for outstanding achievement and exceptional service while serving as Marine Safety Division Chief, Department of Marine Safety and Environmental Protection from January 2003 to August 2004. Mr. KESTER was instrumental in the development of Personal Qualification Standards for the Auxiliary Trident Qualification Program. With remarkable insight and initiative, he filled marine safety programmatic needs by composing additional Personal Qualification Standards for Auxiliary Assistant Contingency Preparedness Specialists, Auxiliary Uninspected Towing Vessel Examiners, and Auxiliarists engaged in support of Coast Guard Regional Examination Centers. By crafting comprehensive qualification standards, Mr. KESTER significantly assisted the alignment of Auxiliary program expectations with Operation Patriot Readiness objectives and facilitated a nearly two-fold increase in Auxiliary marine safety and security mission support levels. Coupled with his enthusiasm and innovation in reorganizing the division, Mr. KESTER enabled the Auxiliary to rapidly, readily and reliably respond to several periods of heightened maritime security conditions. He actively and creatively contributed to composition of Auxiliary Maritime Transportation Security Act support outlines and preparation of his department’s “Best Practices Bulletin”. Mr. KESTER’s dedication and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.

ACM Award