VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) announced its 2014 Sea Pacific (PAC) and Atlantic (LANT), Shore PAC and LANT, and Reserve Sailors of the Year (SOY) during a luncheon at the Westin Town Center, Virginia Beach, Feb. 11.
Master Chief Lance Kitchens, NECC force master chief, announced Steelworker 1st Class (SCW) Brenton Heisserer, assigned to Naval Construction Group (NCG) 1, as Shore PAC SOY; Logisitics Specialist 1st Class (SCW/SW/AW/EXW) Blanca Sanchez, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4, as Sea PAC SOY; Equipment Operator 1st Class (EXW/SCW) Sam Sutheimer, assigned to Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (NAVELSG), as COMNECC Shore SOY; Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class (EXW/SW) Joe Mendoza, assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 1, as COMNECC Sea SOY; and Constructionman 1st Class (SCW) Jimie Bartholomew, assigned to NCG-1, as COMNECC Reserve SOY.
“When you get an award like this, it’s your team that gets you there,” said Heisserer. “It’s representative of everybody that I came here for; all my leaders and all the people that I work with and work for these last couple of years.”
Earlier in the week, each of the 10 candidates attended an interview board before eight master chief petty officers where they were asked scenario-based leadership questions and judged on their professionalism, military bearing, evaluations and SOY package.
“This award means everything to me,” said Mendoza. “Its been a long journey in my career. I’ve been in almost 13-years now. This award here shows so much for my mentors and the Chief’s Mess and for my junior personnel that have worked their tails off for me and all I can do is thank them.”
Heisserer and Sanchez will now move on to compete for the Sea and Shore United States Pacific Fleet (USPF) Direct Reporting Activities (DRA) SOY. Sutheimer and Mendoza are now in the competition for Sea and Shore United States Fleet Forces (USFF) Direct Reporting Activities (DRA) SOY where they will continue to compete at the Chief of Naval Operations competition. Bartholomew will move on to the Commander Navy Reserve Force (CNRF) competition. Winners of USFF DRA and CNRF SOY will be meritoriously advanced to the rank of chief petty officer.
“Its very important to be technologically advanced and ahead of our adversaries and our enemies so we can in fact, defeat them,” said Rear Adm. Frank Morneau, commander of NECC. “But at the end of the day it comes down to those Blue Jackets. It comes down to those Sailors being able to employ our weapons systems, to lead our folks in the front line with the courage that they demonstrate with the strength both morally and physically and the integrity that they show everyday. That is what we have here today.”
These Sailors represent NECC’s enduring force providing capability across the full ranges of military operations in the maritime strategy to include forward presence, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, seas control, power projection, and deterrence, now and in the future.
The Navy’s SOY program was established in 1972 and recognizes one Sailor from each command who demonstrates sustained superior performance, proven leadership, outstanding professionalism and dedication to self-improvement.
| Date Taken: | 02.11.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2015 15:44 |
| Story ID: | 154331 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 311 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NECC Announces 2014 Sailors of the Year, by PO2 Benjamin Wooddy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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