Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin Liston | FORT EUSTIS, Va. -- Navy Chief Owen Watson, flag writer, Joint Task Force Civil...... read more read more
FORT EUSTIS, Va. – Navy Chief Petty Officer Owen Watson’s desk is the first place you stop when entering the commander suite at Joint Task Force Civil Support. His desk and walls are covered with photos of family and his military career, his soft-spoken, friendly welcome as the commander’s Flag Writer demonstrates the kind of man he is.
Watson is well-known around the unit for his positive attitude and mentoring, so it came as no surprise when the leadership at Joint Base Langley-Eustis presented him with a certificate of appreciation for his volunteer service during a ceremony May 23, 2016.
Watson credits a great deal of the volunteering he’s done locally in the Tidewater Basin to Mark Baker, a logistics information manager with JTF-CS. Together they mentor at-risk youth at the Doris Miller Community Center in Newport News from 8th to 12th grade. Watson has dedicated nearly 460 hours of volunteer service since 2011.
“We show them how to garden and how to do stuff with their hands like mechanical work on cars.” Chief Watson chuckled. “Even though I’m not good at it, [Mark Baker] was, so we were able to show them things like that. We take them to games and stuff as well. Just to give them a broader aspect of things that are out there.” Chief paused and pride colored his soft voice when he spoke again. “We had two of them that go on and they actually have their doctorates. They just got them last year. We were very proud of them.”
Baker said, “The goal is to expose the kids to another environment, to inspire them to be something more than what they see around them.” When asked about Chief Watson, Baker explained why it works. “[Chief Watson] is a pretty funny guy, he fits right in with the teens. He connects with them and makes them laugh.”
Watson’s volunteering began with the example his family set. “My father was my biggest influence because he was a community leader when we were in Chicago. That’s what he was known for, always helping out in the community.”
It wasn’t just his family that motivated him, however, Watson used his environment – as he explains, his family, friends and foes - as inspiration. “I saw people succeed or not succeed in their lives and the disconnect between where they were and where they could be a lot of times was just giving of themselves by volunteering and going out there to be with people.”
“Chief Watson is truly an amazing Sailor, inspirational leader, and selfless friend. He gives all of himself to the military mission and to the community,” explained Army Maj. Jason Roth, an executive officer with JTF-CS, Chief Watson’s who nominated Watson for the recognition. “[Watson] has directly impacted my life. In all honesty, I’ve used him as an example of how to model myself when I'm coaching my children, that's how incredible Chief Watson's impact is.”
| Date Taken: | 05.26.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 05.26.2016 10:53 |
| Story ID: | 199145 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VA, US |
| Hometown: | CHICAGO, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 74 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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