1st Radio Bn. Marine receives electronics maintenance excellence award

Photo By Sgt. Joshua Young | Sgt. Zachary R. McClendon, an electronics maintenance technician with 1st Radio Battalion, Electronics Maintenance Platoon, Camp Pendleton, was selected to receive the Pfc. Herbert Littleton Non-commissioned Officer Trophy for Electronics Maintenance at the 2011 Marine Corps Communications Awards in Washington in April. McClendon, 25, from Spanaway, Wash., is recognized by his unit as a Marine who always sets the example, strives to go beyond his day-to-day duties and lifts the morale of his fellow Marines.  

CAMP PENDLETON, CA, UNITED STATES

03.28.2012

Story by Lance Cpl. Joshua Young 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Sgt. Zachary R. McClendon, an electronics maintenance technician with 1st Radio Battalion, Camp Pendleton, was recently announced as the recipient of an accommodation award.

McClendon will be awarded the Pfc. Herbert Littleton Non-commissioned Officer Trophy for Electronics Maintenance Excellence, at the 2011 Marine Corps Communications Awards, in Washington.

The award is named after Littleton, who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for gallantry during the Korean War. Marines in the communications field remember him by honoring the non-commissioned officer who stands out the most for their skills in the operator and maintenance field.

McClendon, 25, from Spanaway, Wash., is recognized by his unit as a Marine who sets the example, strives to go beyond his day-to-day duties and lifts the morale of his fellow Marines.

“Sgt. McClendon is the go-to-guy on just about every piece of gear that we have in here,“ said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ross A. Hrynewych, an electronics maintenance officer with 1st Radio Bn. “He is a great leader, outspoken and has great bearing. He rallies the Marines, gets them all motivated and fired up.”

McClendon often comes in early to lead physical training with the Marines and stays late after work to make sure that his job is done right.

“I’m very meticulous, so I like to stay extra hours,” McClendon said. “I like to make sure everything is done the proper way.”

Marines work with hundreds of pieces of communication equipment. The job of an electronics maintenance technician is to understand every piece of equipment, know how to repair it if it is damaged and know the history of the equipment that they work with.

“McClendon is part of the platoon that fixes all the oddball computers,” said Hrynewych, 36, from St. Paul, Minn. “He is pretty much the lead technician that’s doing the repairs on the stuff. He knows the status of every single piece of gear.”

The recipient of the Littleton Award is known for his ability to repair just about anything that he can get his hands on.

“I could put Sgt. McClendon on any mission and he could always diagnose and repair anything,” said Staff Sgt. Walter Sullivan, a critical low density chief with 1st Radio Bn., EMP. “McClendon is above the cut. He knows it all.”

McClendon is also known for lightening up his workspace every day with his infectious smile.

“He has lot of cheerfulness, which I appreciate,” said Hrynewych. “He always has a smile on his face.”

“I never come in without a smile on my face,” McClendon said. “I love the Marines I work with. They all get the job done and I have zero complaints.”

He will attend the C4 Awards Dinner in April, to receive the trophy and bring it home to his unit. McClendon feels the award represents the entire unit’s hard work, not just his own.

“Hopefully they will look at the accomplishment as a team effort for electronics maintenance,” he said.

• Date Taken: 03.28.2012
• Date Posted: 04.05.2012 18:47
• Story ID: 86335
• Location: CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US
• Hometown: SPANAWAY, WA, US
• Hometown: ST. PAUL, MN, US