The Coast Guard Auxiliary’s equivalent of the Coast Guard Medal is the Auxiliary Plaque of Merit. Like the Coast Guard Medal, it was established to recognize those members who, at significant risk to their own lives, had performed an assist or rescue, displaying extreme skills in the process.
Because Auxiliarists can frequently find themselves in situations where they must undertake some level or risk to carry out their duties, the Plaque of Merit is reserved for those service members whose actions clearly stand out from what would be normally expected under the circumstances; the Medal of Operational Merit is warranted in those cases. While the award can be issued only in the event assists or rescues, it should be pointed out that the eligibility criteria state clearly that neither type of action must be successful for the award to be granted. This recalls the criteria for the Coast Guard Medal, which in fact was first awarded to two servicemembers who failed in their persistent and gallant efforts to rescue trapped construction workers.
But even successful assists or rescues are not recognized with this high honor unless the Auxiliarist exercised extreme skill while acting in the face of grave personal danger. Just how great the threat was is determined by the awarding authority, which includes 4-star Flag officers, 3-star Flag officers, or District Commanders.