Subscribe
PORTSMOUTH, Va.— On March 20, 2025, Legalman 1st Class David Schneider, assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (IKE), received the United States Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) 2024 Service Member of the Year award for exemplary performance among his peers in the Navy Legal community.
Excellence is not new to Schneider. Every step of the way in his Naval career, Schneider put his all into everything he’s done. Schneider carries himself with a humble confidence that assures everyone around him.
“That’s something that drives me,” said Schneider. “If people are going to draw energy from me, I have to make sure I keep my energy high and make sure I stay even keeled and humble.”
Schneider admits that it is not always simple to stay even keeled, noting that there is a need to filter out negative energy in order to stay positive. True to his nature, Schneider gave credit to the entire Legal Department team for providing positive energy so they could all thrive on deployment.
“We fed off each other, everybody brought something to the table, and we were able to maintain positivity which kept morale up,” said Schneider. “We leaned on each other and came together as a team to get it done.”
The effect that Schneider has on his team has not gone unnoticed, he is held in the utmost regard by leadership in the Legal Department.
“LN1 Schneider is an absolute rock star who is 100 percent dedicated to the IKE, to the Sailors and to the Navy,” said Chief Legalman Paul Dunne, legal department leading chief petty officer. “The ship has been lucky to have had such a great LN1 for the last three years.”
This is not Schneider’s first time being considered for Legalman of the Year. He finished as the runner-up in the last cycle and stated that he did not feel like he was particularly close to winning the award.
“I received feedback that I didn’t show enough personality, and I felt the topic didn’t play to my strengths,” said Schneider. “But this year was more of a warfighting theme, and I was able to speak to that a lot more because of what we were doing out on deployment.”
He is not driven by success or recognition; Schneider is driven by a strong sense of compassion and empathy for his fellow sailors. Schneider cares, and he wants to help his shipmates succeed in any way he can.
“Legal is kind of the focal point to a lot of issues, we get a lot of questions and I hate not knowing the answer,” said Schneider. “I want to help people and I can’t do that if I don’t know the answer to their problem.”
Day to day, Schneider is very involved around the ship. In addition to his duties as the Leading Petty Officer of the Legal Department, Schneider serves as his duty section’s Enlisted Section Leader and in his section’s Damage Control Training Team.
“I try to be knowledgeable on different aspects, but at the same time you have to stay humble,” said Schneider. “If you don’t know, you have to be able to say you don’t know, absorb whatever humility comes from that lesson, and move forward.”
This approach has helped Schneider as a leader. Schneider recognizes the need to go above and beyond, not only for his own personal understanding, but so he can help as many of his shipmates as possible along the way.
“I have only been on IKE for six weeks, but I knew right after meeting him that he is someone special,” Dunne said. “He passionately trains his Legalmen to ensure they are set up for success.”
Senior Chief Legalman Katie Holden, departmental leading chief petty officer, says Schneider is the most impressive Sailor she has ever known.
Despite a major achievement, Schneider is not resting on his laurels. With so much to celebrate, Schneider remains focused on his work and his shipmates.
“We make our own world,” said Schneider. “I try to live in the world of; if people need help, I’m going to help as many as I can.”
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.18.2025 15:59 |
| Story ID: | 495692 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, IKE Legalman honored as best in the fleet, by SN Evan Antonisse, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
