Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, the Honorable John Tien, addresses an audience after presenting Petty Officer 1st Class Wallace Qual with the Secretary's Award for Valor during a ceremony held at Base Seattle Thursday, April 28, 2022. Qual received the award for extraordinary heroism displayed while saving the life of a mariner on the night of September 8 2020, near Newport, OR. With Coast Guard helicopter and boat crews unable to reach the mariner, Qual performed the rescue by swimming from shore through six foot breaking surf, 70-knot winds, strong currents, and hazardous levels of air quality due to historic wildfires. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Clark)