Seabee Diver Named NECC’s Top Sailor for 2021

Photo By Spencer Layne | Sailors competing to be named Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) Sailor of the Year (SOY) pose outside of the command's headquarters building, March 28. Utilitiesman 1st Class Kenneth Massey won the title, April 1, during a ceremony onboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Fort Story, edging out six other Sailors.  

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, UNITED STATES

04.13.2022

Story by Chief Petty Officer Kimberly Martinez 

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) selected its Sailor of the Year (SOY) for calendar year 2021, April 1, onboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Fort Story.
Utilitiesman 1st Class Kenneth Massey, assigned to Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 2 in Port Hueneme, Calif., earned the title after edging out six other Sailors and was meritoriously promoted to Chief as a result. Massey, from Luxemburg, Wisc., graduated boot camp in 2002 and immediately went to utilitiesman “A School” in Texas.
“It was surreal hearing my name announced as the winner,” said Massey. “I was in a fog and I didn’t believe it until Master Chief Straney reached for my hand. I looked in the crowd and saw my local supporters cheering and smiling. Just seeing how proud they were was amazing. Everyone had so much faith in me the entire way through. Even my son at home knew the Sailor’s Creed because I said it so much. The board prep from previous winners and others who helped me was great. I attribute this selection to them because I didn’t do this alone.”
The selection board consisted of three Norfolk-based master chief petty officers, who evaluated the Sailors on their scope of responsibility, leadership, and boardsmanship. The pool of candidates were nominated by commands assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Force, who believed the group sustained superior performance throughout the year.
“Your presence here today means that you’ve already demonstrated the leadership and capability at the deckplates that we expect from our next chief petty officers, and the chiefs that will come after them,” said Rear Adm. Joseph A. DiGuardo Jr., commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. “You share a common connection, and it’s not just the qualities of a future chief petty officer, it’s a deeper camaraderie that has been embedded in our expeditionary warriors throughout history and represents a tenacity that led the path to freedom we have today. That tenacity is what we see in all of you as you continue to carry out that legacy of greatness for our force and our Navy.”
Massey credits his junior Sailors, peers and leadership over the course of his career with making him into the Sailor he is today. He went on to say that he will use his new position to continue to develop and challenge himself, and the Sailors he comes across in the Fleet to be the leaders our nation needs in service.
“NECC has high standards for the type of people we need in our units. I know our standards for those coming in my unit, the Underwater Construction Team, are high and I hold myself and my peers to that metric. Doing this over that past 15 years, at each of my commands, has made this success achievable, “said Massey.
The nominees spent a week in Virginia Beach attending networking events and preparing for their final face-to-face boards.
“The pool of candidates was really competitive year and we had a great group of Sailors from which to select a winner from,” said Chief Personnel Specialist Florrie Espinal, NECC Force SOY program coordinator. “It was an honor getting to know all of the Sailors competing for the award and learning so much about them and their careers in the process. UT1 Massey is a phenomenal Sailor and is very deserving of the title of SOY and all that accompanies it.”
Navy Expeditionary Combat Command is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with a mission to man, train, equip and sustain Navy Expeditionary Combat Forces. NECC Sailors clear the battlespace of hazards; secure critical terrain; build infrastructure and logistics chains; and protect the Fleet, facilities and forces.

• Date Taken: 04.13.2022
• Date Posted: 04.13.2022 15:26
• Story ID: 418440
• Location: VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, US