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"We have certainly been blessed here in [Combat Logistics Regiment 35] with some young [noncommissioned officers] that are excellent Marines," said Col. James L. Rubino Jr., regimental commanding officer for CLR-35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. "They are just a large part of Marines that are out there doing phenomenal things for the Marine Corps. They have certainly stood out among their peers and helped increase our operational capabilities as a force in readiness."
Pfc. Herbert A. Littleton Trophy
Comerford, a ground radio intermediate repair operator with Electronics Maintenance Company, CLR-35, was awarded the annual Pfc. Herbert A. Littleton Trophy for his development and installation of communications on Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements in Afghanistan.
The 7-tons were the vehicle of choice to complete the mission in Afghanistan but there was a problem - no radio connections set up between them. The Trenton, N.J., native stepped up and took charge of making it possible for Marines to communicate on the more heavily armored vehicles.
The Littleton Trophy is given to honor noncommissioned officers and staff noncommissioned officers for operational communications excellence and electronics maintenance excellence.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Phillip E. Bush, a communication electronics maintenance chief with 7th Communication Battalion, III MEF Headquarters Group, noticed the 27-year-old's superior operational communications abilities and nominated him for the award.
"He was uncharacteristically confident even as a lance corporal," said Bush. "When he spoke it was as if he ran the place."
Comerford was not alone in his efforts to accomplish his missions. He had the help of three other Marines from his unit; Corporals Sheridan Davis and Danial Laramie and Lance Cpl. Jason Amos also helped in his endeavors. Through teamwork and dedication, they were able to complete the task of setting up the high-powered radio assets in the 7-tons.
"It should have been a team award," said Comerford. "We all work well together. It really was a team effort working and accomplishing the mission while deployed."
Comerford also helped to solve a communication issue involving the mobile trauma units, new to the combat zone at the time, that were used by Navy doctors to medically assist front line operational forces.
The problem was that the medical staff couldn't communicate at all with the frontline, so he was put on the case to solve the problem, according to Comerford. He realized that there was a problem with the polarization of some wiring and the 42-foot cable connecting the trauma unit to its transportation unit was not grounded properly after spending time troubleshooting the equipment.
"After realizing what the problem was it was an easy fix," he said. "I submitted trouble tickets and then we got sent around Helmand Province to fix the mobile trauma units."
Gunnery Sgt. W. H. Yasko, a communications maintenance chief with ELMACO, said he was impressed one of his junior Marines was being recognized for an award.
"It is outstanding that he accomplished an achievement like that," Yasko said. "Cpl. Comerford is an outstanding Marine who knows his job well. He jumps in where the workload is heavy and makes sure his Marines know what to do. He is just where a corporal should be."
Just like everyone else, Comerford came to his first duty station here not knowing what to expect. As a junior Marine, he took the initiative and found a motivated mentor to show him the ropes and help him do his job well.
"Lance Cpl. Tyler Smilie helped me a lot while I was here," said Comerford. "He showed me how to do the paperwork here and gave me a breakdown on how things work. If there is ever a problem, I now know how to fix it."
"He is professional with everybody ... a good leader, always working hard and always making sure junior Marines are getting the job done," said Lance Cpl. Joshua R. Sowders, a generator mechanic for Engineering Co, Maintenance Battalion, CLR-35. . "He will try to let you figure it out on your own and if you can't, that's when he jumps in."
Marine Corps Maintainer of the Year
Carter received the Marine Corps Maintainer of the Year award in May for his leadership abilities and accomplishments as a generator mechanic from April 2009 to March 2010.
The award was presented to the 22-year-old by project managers for Mobile Electric Power, a Department of Defense group that recognizes outstanding maintainers and leaders from each service.
"Cpl. Carter was chosen because he consistently achieves exceptional results and accomplishes the mission," said Master Sgt. Jeffrey W. Staines, the Utilities Maintenance Platoon commander for Engineering Co. "I feel excited that a Marine from our section beat out other Marines from the utilities community Marine Corpswide. It's like your kid hitting a homerun."
Worthy accomplishments for receiving nomination for the award include delivering valuable service and results in challenging/crisis situations, demonstrating skills and abilities above and beyond the nominee's grade or position or recognized as the 'go-to' person for power generation issues or challenges, according to his award citation.
The Troutville, Va., native said, he was honestly surprised he was even selected for the award.
"I actually failed my small engines class when I was in high school, but when I enlisted I chose this [military occupational specialty] because I wanted to do something challenging," said the James River High School graduate. "It has its bad days like everyone else's job but I enjoy taking something that is broken and making it work again."
Carter said he learned basic troubleshooting with generators while attending MOS school at Camp Lejeune, N.C., from February to June 2008.
From there he was sent to his first duty station, Okinawa, where he learned the majority of his troubleshooting and mechanics from his mentor of two years, Sgt. Kevin P. Delancey.
"He had a lot more experience than I did with mechanics being in the fleet longer, so he basically took me under his wing," said Carter.
From there Carter continued to improve his ability to maintain not just generators, but a multitude of other equipment during his two years on island.
Many of Carter's accomplishments included his performance while deployed to Iraq where he cross trained in four additional MOSs, instructed more than 20 Marines on proper generator operations and served as the senior generator mechanic, quality control and floor chief with Utilities Platoon, Combat Logistics Battalion 4, in Baharia, Iraq.
The additional MOSs he cross-trained with included: 1141 electrician, 1161 refrigeration mechanic, 1171 water equipment repair and 1341 heavy equipment operator.
According to Carter, being able to support military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan by keeping generators up and running was one of his biggest accomplishments during his time as a mechanic.
"I just did my job," said Carter, "to the best of my ability."
| Date Taken: | 07.02.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2010 02:49 |
| Story ID: | 52560 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 185 |
| Downloads: | 98 |
This work, Marines from Okinawa awarded for outstanding accomplishments, by TSgt Kentavist Brackin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
