Navy League Honors 2004 Professional Excellence Awardees

By PETER E. ATKINSON
Deputy Editor

The Navy League presented its 2004 Sea Service Awards during the Navy League National Convention in San Diego in June. The awards were presented by Navy League National President Sheila M. McNeill, along with officials from the services and organizations the recipients who were able to attend represented.

The following is a list of the awards and the names of the 2004 recipients, along with excerpts from the citations and nominating documents detailing their accomplishments.

§ The John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership
Navy Cmdr. John M. Geragotelis
As commanding officer, Geragotelis directed 26 aircrew and 182 maintenance and support personnel during high-tempo combat operations over Iraq by Air Wing Two and Electronic Attack Squadron 131 in support of Operations Southern Watch and Iraqi Freedom. He was the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses lead for the “Shock and Awe” opening strike of Iraqi Freedom, coordinating more than 20 aircraft supporting 60 coalition aircraft striking targets in or around Baghdad.

§ The Adm. Claude V. Ricketts Award for Inspirational Leadership (E-7 and Above)
Navy Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate Todd D. Robinson
As Leading Chief Petty Officer, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Six Readiness and Training Department, Robinson supported simultaneous Marine Corps and Army operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom. While operating with Regimental Combat Team Five and 3rd Infantry Division under enemy fire, he supervised and destroyed seven antiaircraft weapon systems and 12 mortar batteries assaulting the Euphrates River and Saddam Canal Bridge crossings. For his specific actions, he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor.

§ The Adm. Claude V. Ricketts Award for Inspirational Leadership (E-6 and Below)
Navy Petty Officer Robert P. Kroeger
As food service officer for Galley 535 (Ouellet Hall) at Great Lakes Naval Station, Kroeger ensured the annual service of more than 13 million meals to the Navy’s newest sailors. His commitment led to the establishment of Naval Station Great Lakes’ first Command Training Team. He personally tracked and managed 10 departmental training petty officers through the implementation of an in-depth training curriculum encompassing more than 15 naval ratings and 250 Naval Station personnel.

§ The Capt. Winifred Quick Collins Award for Inspirational Leadership, Officer
Navy Reserve Chaplain Lt. Laura J. Bender
As the Battalion Chaplain, 2d Medical Battalion, 2d Force Service Support Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Bender’s vision and inspirational leadership was instrumental to the success of the battalion’s deployment during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
She was deployed with Bravo Surgical Company as company chaplain from February to May 2003. During the war, Bravo Surgical Company traveled 600 miles into Iraq and treated 667 wounded Marines, Coalition Force personnel and 1,200 Iraqi citizens and prisoners of war.
Bender was engaged in every mass casualty situation where she comforted the wounded and administered last rites to the deceased. She was also a key member of the Combat Stress Platoon where she actively assisted in critical incident stress debriefings of all Bravo Surgical Company and wounded personnel during the aftermath of mass casualty situations.

§ The Capt. Winifred Quick Collins Award for Inspirational Leadership, Enlisted
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Paula D. Bruckman
As Ordnance Division Staff Noncommissioned Officer-in-Charge, VMA-223, Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, Bruckman completely restructured individual and division training plans as she tracked computer-based learning for the entire squadron. Her attention to detail resulted in 100 percent munitions accountability with errorless storage compatibility and documentation procedures.

§ The Gen. John A. Lejeune Award for Inspirational Leadership
Marine Corps Capt. Theodore P. Sudmeyer
As commander of 2d Tank Battalion, 2d Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Sudmeyer constantly exhibited the ability to synthesize the disparate elements of task-organized units. He led his battalion across the Kuwait/Iraq border as one of the first two Marine battalions to enter Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, destroying a number of enemy armored vehicles and establishing a blocking position. His aggressive leadership and keen focus helped to quickly turn the tide on a determined enemy.

§ The Gen. Gerald C. Thomas Award for Inspirational Leadership by a Marine
Marine Corps Sgt. Darvin A. White
While serving as Team Leader, 4th Platoon, 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), I Marine Expeditionary Force, White successfully led his team in rigorous pre-deployment training exercises as well as sophisticated missions while deployed in the Western Pacific in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
During the boarding of a vessel suspected of inserting 40 al Qaeda terrorists in the Northern Arabian Gulf, White volunteered to be the lead climber on the first boat. Despite sea swells of more than 10 feet, his actions inspired his entire platoon to accomplish a dangerous and challenging mission.

§ The Rear Adm. William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress
Dr. Allen T. Hjelmfelt
As U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet Center for Naval Analyses representative, Hjelmfelt directed the data collection, reconstruction and analysis of complex air and strike mission databases contributing significantly to naval successes in support of operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and the war on terrorism. His analytical abilities and keen operational insights directly contributed to development of comprehensive war plans and led to the successful management of five carrier strike groups and 35 Tomahawk cruise missile platforms in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

§ The Stephen Decatur Award for Operational Competence
Navy Lt. Marc L. Rouleau
While serving as Brigade Team Officer-in-Charge assigned to U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Rouleau led his team in the successful execution of advanced “nonstandard” bridging concepts in support of I Marine Expeditionary Force Engineer Group. His bridging team built multiple modular steel bridges under critical time constraints across Saddam Canal and the Tigris and Nar Diyalah Rivers, providing alternate access to soldiers and Marines under fire, opening critical logistics support routes and offering a new avenue of commerce for Iraqi people near the crossings.

§ The Gen. Holland M. Smith Award for Operational Competence
Marine Corps Maj. Kenneth M. Woodard
As Operations Officer, Detachment Officer-in-Charge, and Weapons and Tactics Instructor, Marine Attack Squadron 223, Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, Woodard directly affected the success of the Marine Harrier Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He coordinated the integration of the Harrier Force into the combined air forces air component commander campaign plan and later supervised a forward operating base for Harriers deep in enemy territory at An Numaniyah, Iraq, which increased the sortie rates of the Harrier Force, decreased response time and freed tanker assets for other missions.

§ The Vincent T. Hirsch Maritime Award for Outstanding Leadership
Jordan M. Truchan
As president and CEO of American Ship Management LLC and Patriot Contract Services LLC, Truchan has overseen the operation of 24 U.S.-flag ships including 11 American President Lines container vessels, 11 large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off vessels for the Military Sealift Command and two Ready Reserve Force vessels for the Maritime Administration engaged in critical strategic sealift for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other Department of Defense activities worldwide in the war on terrorism.

§ The Adm. Ben Moreell Award for Logistics Competence, Officer
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nathan P. Borchers
Borchers has been a driving force aboard the USS Enterprise. He launched a program to prepare his sailors to be ready to operate effectively as a team aboard the aircraft carrier. He instituted an innovative training program that transformed his sailors into proficient and knowledgeable watch teams while inspiring them to not just maintain the condition of the Enterprise propulsion plant, but improve it. Under his mentorship, the advancement rates for his sailors have risen from approximately half to nearly double the Navy-wide average.

§ The Adm. Ben Moreell Award for Logistics Competence, Enlisted
Marine Corps Sgt. Bryan K. Rogers
As the Container Control Non-Commissioned Officer at the Ash Shuayba Sea Port of Debarkation, Kuwait, and the Non-Commissioned Officer-in-Charge of the Marine Expeditor Team at the Aerial Port of Debarkation, Camp Wolf, Kuwait, Rogers’ detachments received supplies and equipment necessary to build the forces of I Marine Expeditionary Force to the point needed to sustain combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Rogers developed convoy routing procedures that minimized disruptions in the distribution pipeline, ensuring the expedient reception, staging and onward movement of approximately 1,065 convoys.

§ The Honorable J. William Middendorf II Award for Engineering Excellence
Navy Chief Machinist Mate Terrance P. Deboer
Under Deboer’s leadership, USS Florida was awarded three consecutive Submarine Squadron 17 Engineering Excellence awards. His leadership and technical expertise were instrumental in the repair of vital engineering systems while underway, allowing the ship to remain on station. He supervised the completion of more than 20,000 man-hours of complex reactor plant testing during an arduous dry-docking maintenance period, ensuring the ship was 100 percent prepared for a first-ever SSGN refueling overhaul and conversion.

§ The Naval Intelligence Foundation Award for Exceptional Leadership
Navy Cmdr. Eric Andrew Taylor
Under Taylor’s leadership, 21 officers, 87 enlisted sailors and three civilians assigned to USS Kitty Hawk and Carrier Air Wing Five as part of the Kitty Hawk Strike Group Carrier Intelligence Center produced immediate, time-sensitive and detailed intelligence to support more than 1,725 combat sorties during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the advance of V Corps and First Marine Expeditionary Strike Force. The team’s data collection and mission analysis provided the primary mechanism to rate mission effectiveness for air wing operations to the Combined Forces Command and Combined Forces Air Component Command.

§ The Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement
Navy Capt. Sam J. Tangredi
Tangredi’s book, Globalization and Maritime Power, has been called the most significant publication on naval issues of 2003. He is credited with developing a persuasive, compelling explanation of the relationship of naval power to the globalized world economy. His writings have received 10 literary awards, including the U.S. Naval Institute’s Arleigh Burke Essay Prize and honors from the Surface Navy Association and the Naval Submarine League.

§ The Capt. Arthur L. Johnson Award for Inspirational Leadership
Military Sealift Command Civilian Mariner Frederick Cullen III
As second officer (Cargo) onboard fleet oiler USNS John Ericsson, Cullen was a key player as the ship conducted 249 underway replenishments, delivering nearly 100 million gallons of fuel and almost 5,000 pallets of cargo to U.S. and coalition warships during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Cullen was largely responsible for Ericsson’s selection as runner-up for the Military Sealift Command Surface Ship Safety Excellence Award.

§ The Capt. David H. Jarvis Award for Inspirational Leadership
Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Joseph B. Abeyta
During Hurricane Isabel in September 2003, Abeyta led the evacuation team and facilitated the safe, orderly evacuation of 250 active-duty personnel and families from Coast Guard Group Cape Hatteras to safer ground. Abeyta then also guided local response efforts to restore facilities and equipment.
Abeyta assumed command of the group following the death of its Commanding Officer, Lt. Cmdr. John Gerald Homan, in November 2002. While in command, Abeyta assisted first responders, spearheading a grassroots initiative that used wireless personal data assistants to improve search-and-rescue missions.
Because of his leadership following Homan’s death, Abeyta was left in command of Coast Guard Group Cape Hatteras until the regularly scheduled change of command took place in June.

§ The Able Seaman Oscar Chappell Award for Outstanding Maritime Stewardship
Military Sealift Command Civilian Mariner Angel R. Ortiz
Ortiz was singularly responsible for configuring testing and maintaining equipment for all rigs onboard fast combat support ship USNS Supply, the largest replenishment platform in Military Sealift Command. While deployed, Supply successfully conducted nearly 160 underway replenishments, delivering more than 29 million gallons of fuel and 15,000 pallets of ammunition, cargo and stores.

§ The Douglas A. Munro Award for Inspirational Leadership
Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Timothy H. Cotton
During an exhausting 2,600-hour operational period, Cotton successfully engaged every engineering casualty on USCGC Vashon, enabling the cutter to achieve a 96 percent operational readiness rate. After a catastrophic piston failure, Cotton worked 11 straight days of overtime to overhaul the cutter’s engine. Cotton also supervised an emergency dry-dock to replace corroded hull plating, minimizing the cutter’s down time.