Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Roberson | Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, Sea and Shore Sailor of the Year (SOY) nominees are...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO - Capt. Tony Nichols, chief of staff, Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, announced the 2024 U.S. 3rd Fleet Sea and Shore Sailors of the Year (SOY) during a ceremony held at 3rd Fleet headquarters in San Diego, April 17.
Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet selected Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Timothy Sugalski, from Norristown, Pa., assigned to Carrier Strike Group 15, as the Sea Sailor of the Year, and Operations Specialist 1st Class June Canuel, from San Jose, Calif., previously assigned to Tactical Training Group Pacific, as the Shore Sailor of the Year.
"The United States Navy is focused on ensuring we maintain the capabilities to deter, defend against, and, if necessary, defeat aggression,” said Vice Adm. John Wade, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet. “Our success depends on our people – their professionalism and contributions toward warfighting readiness. The Sailors of the Year we are recognizing today represent the best of the best, and have consistently demonstrated excellence, hard work, and exceptional leadership while carrying out their important duties and responsibilities.”
During the annual 3rd Fleet SOY week, nominees had the opportunity to tour and experience different local attractions such as the San Diego Zoo, a military and auto museum, centers of military technological innovation and the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program training facility, leading to an overall successful week.
“This year’s event was extremely successful,” said Command Master Chief Jerry Holler, Commander, U.S. Third Fleet. “I firmly believe that the combined Sailor of the Year events with SURFPAC [Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet], AIRPAC [Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet], SUBPAC [Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet], SOCPAC [Special Operations Command, Pacific], and COMTHIRDFLT is the best SOY week in the Navy. The ultimate goal of this program is to lift up those that are performing above and beyond their peer group to a position that shines light on their accomplishments. In doing this I hope that it leads other Sailors to continue to strive for excellence and make our Navy better.
During the ceremony, both the Sea and Shore SOYs attributed their success to the support of their leadership, mentors and junior Sailors.
“This is really a huge surprise,” said Canuel. “We all worked extremely hard to get here and everybody here deserves to be in this position. I want to thank my junior Sailors and my chain of command. They helped me become the Sailor I am today.”
“I feel rewarded and thankful,” said Sugalski. “I want to thank my family, my wife and my kids. I want also to thank my chain of command for believing in me and putting me in this position. I could not have done this without their guidance and mentorship.”
Both the Sea and Shore SOY winners will move on to compete for U.S. Pacific Fleet SOY at Joint Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii later this year.
The additional sea and shore finalists included Fire Controlman 1st Class Jose Hernandez, from Dallas, assigned to Carrier Strike Group 1 Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Christian Jerry, from El Dorado, Ark., assigned to Carrier Strike Group 3, Operations Specialist 1st Class Kendra Brown, from Claxton, Ga., assigned to Expeditionary Strike Group 3, Operations Specialist 1st Class Eric Hernandez, from McAllen, Texas, assigned to Carrier Strike Group 11, Information Systems Technician 1st Class Raines Villena, from San Diego, assigned to U.S. 3rd Fleet. Nichols presented Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medals during the ceremony to each of the sea and shore runners up.
The U.S. Navy Sailor of the Year program was established in 1972 by Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, to recognize the best performing enlisted Sailors.
An integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary to execute the U.S. Navy’s role across the full spectrum of military operations. U.S. 3rd Fleet works together with our allies and partners to advance freedom of navigation, the rule of law, and other principles that underpin security for the Indo-Pacific region.
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| Date Taken: | 04.17.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.17.2025 20:02 |
| Story ID: | 495619 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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