Captain Vivien S. Crea

United States Coast Guard Commanding Officer, Leader, Pilot

Captain Vivien S. Crea is the Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, the largest air station in the Coast Guard. She oversees 570 personnel, 12 H60 Jayhawk helicopters and 7 C130 Hercules aircraft, conducting search and rescue, drug and illegal migrant interdiction, and other Coast Guard missions throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and Atlantic.

Commissioned in 1973, Captain Crea was the first female aircraft commander in the Coast Guard, and the first female Commanding Officer of a Coast Guard Air Station. Clearwater is her second command; previously, she commanded Coast Guard Air Station Detroit, which provides search and rescue and law enforcement on the Great Lakes. Other aviation assignments include Air Stations Barbers point, Hawaii; Elizabeth City, North Carolina; Washington DC; and Boringquen, Puerto Rico. Captain Crea also served as Coast Guard Aide to the President under President Reagan, and Executive Assistant to the Commandant of the Coast Guard.

Captain Crea has flown the C130 Hercules, the H65 Dolphin helicopter, and the Gulfstream II executive jet. She holds a BA from the University of Texas, an MA from Central Michigan University and is a Sloan Fellow with an MS from MIT. Her awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal and others.

Women's International Center thoroughly appreciates the dedication and efforts of Captain Vivien Crea and all members of the United States Coast Guard as the protect our shores. We proudly present the 1998 Living Legacy Patriot Award to Captain Crea and the dedicated women of the United States Coast Guard.