SEATTLE — Two Pacific Northwest-based Coast Guard petty officers were chosen as the 2013 Active-Duty enlisted person of the year and Reserve enlisted person of the year for the 13th Coast Guard District during a recognition banquet at Coast Guard Base Seattle, Friday.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jason L. Gale, a boatswain’s mate assigned to Coast Guard Station Quillayute River in La Push, Wash., and Petty Officer 3rd Class Lawrence Mayers, a reservist boatswain’s mate assigned to Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay in Newport, Ore., were selected as the EPOY and REPOY.
Rear Adm. Richard T. Gromlich, commander of the Coast Guard 13th District, presents Petty Officer 1st Class Jason L. Gale, a boatswain’s mate assigned to Coast Guard Station Quillayute River in La Push, Wash., with the 2013 Enlisted Person of the Year award during a ceremonial dinner held at Coast Guard Base Seattle, Mar. 14, 2014. . U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Katelyn Shearer.
This past year, Gale served as Surfman Training Petty Officer, Operations Petty Officer, Tribal Liaison Petty Officer and Fire Arms Instructor at Station Quillayute River. He directly supervised the certification of 12 small boat crewmembers and coxswains, ensuring a proficient crew that executed more than 20 search and rescue missions.
Gale developed a Partnership in Education volunteer effort with the Quileute Tribal elementary school, improving Coast Guard relationships on the reservation. He also used his construction knowledge to supervise self-help construction projects, which saved the Coast Guard thousands of dollars in labor costs while enhancing the habitability of his semi-remote unit.
Mayers has also gone above and beyond the requirements of his billet.
Mayers served as a member of Station Yaquina Bay’s Ceremonial Honor Guard in multiple high-profile engagements in Newport, Ore., an official Coast Guard City. As a small boat crewmember, he performed more than 42 missions and completed nearly 100 underway hours.
Rear Adm. Richard T. Gromlich, commander of the Coast Guard 13th District, presents Petty Officer 3rd Class Lawrence Mayers, a reservist boatswain’s mate assigned to Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay in Newport, Ore., with the 2013 Reserve Enlisted Person of the Year award during a ceremonial dinner held at Coast Guard Base Seattle, Mar. 14, 2014. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Katelyn Shearer.
Mayers, a full-time facilities manager at Oregon State University, is also an active member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He recently earned his third Auxiliary sustained service ribbon for performing 2,250 volunteer service hours. He participates in the Auxiliary’s Recreational Boating Safety Program, teaches boating safety and seamanship skills at Linn Benton College, chairs several Oregon State University advisory boards and assists with children’s ministry at his local church.
Although all Coast Guard men and women perform a variety of missions, including search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, marine safety inspections, protection of fisheries, aids-to-navigation, port security and anti-terrorism patrols, illegal drug and migrant interdiction, and environmental protection, the EPOY program recognizes exceptional men and women in the Coast Guard’s enlisted workforce who are top performers. Considered as the “best and brightest” from the field, these individuals are selected by a panel of senior enlisted members who evaluate each nominee against a set of established criteria that includes performance, work ethics, military bearing, standards of conduct and a strong community service commitment.
These regional winners are eligible for national honors along with their peers from other Coast Guard regions across the nation. The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, Michael P. Leavitt, will recognize the national winners in an award ceremony later this spring.
For more from the event, click the photo.