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SCW-1 petty officer is Sailor of the Year

  • Published
  • By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jessica R. Vargas
  • SCW-1 Public Affairs Office
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The Naval Air Forces commander announced the 2010 Pacific Sea and Shore Sailors of the Year during a ceremony March 12 at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.

Petty Officer 1st Class Llewellyn Giles, Strategic Communications Wing ONE, based at Tinker, was named the 2010 U.S. Pacific Shore Sailor of the Year.

Petty Officer Giles, a 10-year veteran, is the SCW-1 Security Leading Petty Officer, Integrated Military Customs Inspector, Command Fitness Leader, and President of the First Class Petty Officer Association.

"This is a huge honor," said Petty Officer Giles. "But I am more excited knowing that, for some people, this will provide them with the inspiration and motivation to reach for more and become more."

Launched in 1972 and 1973 by Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, the Sailor of the Year programs are designed to recognize extraordinary Sailors.

"Giles has worked hard and his hard work has been recognized not just by us here at TACAMO, but by the Navy," said SCW-1 Commander Capt. Dwight D. Shepherd. "He is a phenomenal Sailor, leader, and role model who has a solid moral foundation and embraces the Navy core values of honor, courage, commitment."

Petty Officer Giles and eight other finalists, including Petty Officer 1st Class Bill Hembree of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron FOUR who competed for Sea Sailor of the Year, were interviewed by a panel of master chief petty officers where they were evaluated in areas including military bearing, professional performance and leadership.

"They all were outstanding Sailors and definitely made the competition tougher each person brought their own special style," said Petty Officer Giles. "It was truly an honor to be mentioned in the same light as these super star performing Sailors and I believe we all would have been just as happy to see the other person win."

Petty Officer Giles attributes his success to command leadership and will use this accomplishment to inspire his junior Sailors.

"SCW-1 has been ultra supportive of me during this journey, a large portion of this accomplishment can be directly attributed to the mentoring I received up and down the chain of command," said Petty Officer Giles. "For me it doesn't stop with winning this award, the next step is to help another TACAMO Sailor make it to the stage I was just on."

The Naval Air Forces Pacific Sailors of the Year will continue their journey to Hawaii where they will compete for the Pacific Fleet's Sea and Shore Sailors of the Year.