Thad W. Allen
Born January 16, 1949
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Coast Guard
Years of service	1967 - present
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	Commandant of the Coast Guard
Battles/wars	Hurricane Katrina response September 11, 2001 attacks
Awards	Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal (3) Legion of Merit Meritorious Service Medal (3) Transportation 9-11 Medal

Flag of the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard

Admiral Thad William Allen, USCG (born January 16, 1949) is the twenty-third Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard is the highest ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States The Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Department of Homeland Security and is intended to serve as a replacement for the The Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Coast Guard which was created in August 1949 by order of the United States Congress The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding The Meritorious Service Medal is a military award presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding non-combat meritorious Please see " Admiral " for other nations which use this rank In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard is the highest ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. Allen is most well known for his widely-praised performance directing the federal response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast region from September 2005 to January 2006. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense Tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico The Gulf Coast region of the United States comprises the coasts of states which border the Gulf of Mexico.

Allen served as the Coast Guard's chief of staff from May 2002 until May 2006. As chief of staff, Allen was third in the Coast Guard's command structure, and was commanding officer of Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D. C.

Allen directed the Coast Guard's East Coast response efforts to the September 11, 2001 attacks while serving as Atlantic Area Commander and Commander of the Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic.

He was also the director of the bureaucratic transition of the Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security. Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity usually in large organizations and government The United States Department of Transportation ( DOT) is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with Transportation

In addition to his wearing the Advanced Boat Force Operations Insignia and Cutterman Officer Badge and Commandant Staff Badge, Admiral Allen has been awarded the Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal, Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal (3 awards), Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards), Coast Guard Commendation Medal (3 awards with Operational Distinguishing Device), Transportation 9-11 Medal, Coast Guard Achievement Medal (2 awards with Operational device), Commandant's Letter of Commendation Ribbon and numerous unit, service and campaign awards. The Boat Force Operations Insignia is qualification badge awarded in two grades and is intended to identify those United States Coast Guard personnel currently Badges of the United States Coast Guard are military decorations issued by the Department of Homeland Security to members of the United States Coast Guard to denote The Commandant Staff Badge is a decoration of the United States Coast Guard which has been in existence since the 1960s The Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Department of Homeland Security and is intended to serve as a replacement for the The Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Coast Guard which was created in August 1949 by order of the United States Congress The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding The Meritorious Service Medal is a military award presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding non-combat meritorious The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military award which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service The Operational Distinguishing Device is a decoration of the United States Coast Guard which is awarded to certain units as an attachment to a unit award (such as the The Transportation 9-11 Medal is a special decoration of the U The Achievement Medal is a military medal of the United States military. The Commandant’s Letter of Commendation Ribbon is the highest personal ribbon award of the United States Coast Guard.

Hurricane Katrina

On September 5, 2005, Allen was appointed deputy to Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D. Brown by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and placed in charge of Hurricane Katrina search-and-rescue and recovery efforts. Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The purpose of FEMA is to coordinate the response to a Disaster which has occurred in the United States and which overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities Michael DeWayne Brown (born November 8, 1954) was Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R a division of the Department of Homeland The United States Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the body concerned with protecting the American homeland Michael B Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is the current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States Former colleagues interviewed after the announcement praised Allen as well-suited to the task. ^[1]

On September 9, 2005, Vice Admiral Allen was given full command of the Bush administration's Hurricane Katrina onsite relief efforts. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff elevated Allen following the removal of Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D. Brown from that position. Michael B Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is the current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act The purpose of FEMA is to coordinate the response to a Disaster which has occurred in the United States and which overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities Michael DeWayne Brown (born November 8, 1954) was Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R a division of the Department of Homeland Admiral Allen announced on January 25 that he would be relieved of this responsibility on January 27, 2006. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[2]

Background

Allen, was born in Tucson, Arizona, and raised in a Coast Guard family, frequently relocating. Tucson (ˈtuːsɒn is the seat of Pima County Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast He is a 1967 graduate of Palo Verde High School in Tucson. Palo Verde High School is located at 1302 S Avenida Vega in southeast Tucson Arizona. Tucson (ˈtuːsɒn is the seat of Pima County Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast He attended the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where he was a standout football player, graduating in 1971. The United States Coast Guard Academy ( USCGA) is the Military academy of the United States Coast Guard. New London is a seaport city and a Port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from George Washington University and a Master's degree in Management (S.M.) from the MIT Sloan School of Management as a Sloan Fellow. The Master of Public Administration ( MPA or MPA) degree is one of several Master's level professional public affairs degrees that The George Washington University ( GW or GWU) is a private coeducational university located in Washington D The Sloan Fellows program is a mid-career Masters' degree in General Management supported by a grant from the Alfred P

Personal

Allen resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland with his wife Pamela A. Chevy Chase is the name of both a Town and an unincorporated Census-Designated Place (CDP in Montgomery County Maryland. Hess, whom he married in October 1975. They have three children and two grandchildren. He followed his father, Clyde Allen, a retired Coast Guard Chief Damage Controlman and World War Two veteran, into the profession.

Awards and decorations

• Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal

	Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal with 2 award stars
	Legion of Merit
	Meritorious Service Medal with 2 award stars
	Transportation 9-11 Medal

Notes

External links

• Coast Guard's Chief of Staff To Assist FEMA Head Brown, Washington Post, September 7, 2005
• Coast Guard chief takes over relief effort, CNN, September 9, 2005
• Thad Allen to lead Katrina recovery effort, Marine Log. Admiral Thomas H Collins, USCG(ret served as the 22nd Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 2002 to 2006 The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard is the highest ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. com, September 9, 2005
• President Bush announces his intention to nominate Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen to be the next Commandant of the Coast Guard, White House press release, January 9, 2006
• Coast Guard FAQ
• America's Best Leaders, US News & World Report, October, 2006

Portions of this biography were taken from the Coast Guard's biography of Allen.