Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Travis Decker | 231018-N-KC192-1006 PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Oct. 18, 2023) Personnel Specialist 2nd Class...... read more read more
Personnel Specialist 2nd Class Kaleb Bacon, a native of Mesa, Arizona and the directorate for administration assistant leading petty officer was named the 2023 Sailor of the Year for Naval Medical Forces Atlantic (NMFL) during a ceremony in Portsmouth, Virginia, on Oct. 3, 2023.
Bacon joined the NMFL team two years ago in 2021 and is being recognized as a standout Sailor while he serves as a command pay and personnel administrator.
“Earning Sailor of the Year for the command is a huge achievement for me,” said Bacon. “It means I’ve been recognized as someone who stands out from my peers; that my hard work and dedication has been seen and appreciated. In the customer service realm, that is a rare and cherished thing.”
Bacon, who graduated from Combs High School in 2016, joined the U.S Navy nearly seven years ago.
“I joined the Navy to bring my education to a higher level,” said Bacon. "I want to make my parents proud of who I become."
Skills such as maintaining a positive outlook and good communication found throughout his service have helped Bacon while serving in the Navy. Being in the Navy has even given Bacon more techniques than before and improved pre-existing ones.
“I like to think it's made me more responsible,” admitted Bacon. “From boot camp, the Navy drills into you to take care of not only yourself, but the people around you. On top of that, I feel like my communication skills have doubled or tripled just due to being able to speak to different people from different backgrounds along with boosting my work ethic to new heights.”
For his work, Bacon finds joy in helping active duty, reservist and civilian personnel with their pay or other requests.
“Admin, ‘the job that never ends,’ they say; and they’re right,” laughed Bacon. “But my favorite part of it? Helping people. I like taking on or taking away people's stress. So, if people have pay concerns or correspondence concerns, completing that work and seeing it through and taking that little bit of stress off that member is what drives me each day.”
As Bacon and other Sailors continue to train and support the medical force, they take pride in serving their country in the U.S. Navy.
“I would say teamwork is probably the most critical skill to the Navy because, when you think about it, not even the admiral can complete his job without another person completing their job, and if they can’t complete the job then it is a domino effect all the way up the chain,” concluded Bacon. “We all have to do our part and being a part of a team that understands that and works as an oiled machine is amazing.”
NMFL, headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, delivers operationally focused medical expertise and capabilities to meet Fleet, Marine and Joint Force requirements by providing equipment, sustainment and maintenance of medical forces during combat operations and public health crises. NMFL provides oversight for 21 NMRTCs, logistics, and public health and dental services throughout the U.S. East Coast, U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba, Europe, and the Middle East.
Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.
| Date Taken: | 10.24.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.25.2023 12:12 |
| Story ID: | 456438 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VA, US |
| Hometown: | MESA, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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