SANDY HUFFAKER JR.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician
(Air Warfare) Christopher Becht, recipient of the Adm. Claude V. Ricketts
Award for Inspirational Leadership
(E- 7 and Above), with his daughter,
Sara, and son, Ryu, during a reception
following the Sea Services Awards
presentation.
banner year for the Royal Maces.
The squadron was awarded the
Safety “S,” the Battle “E,” two Golden Anchor Awards and the Rear
Adm. Wade McClusky Award, and
was recognized as having the best
maintenance department in Carrier
Air Wing 5 during the 2006 Aviation
Maintenance Inspection. Becht managed the command’s most challenging deployments in 2006, during which the squadron performed
more than 700 sorties with a more
than 99 percent completion rate.
The Adm. Claude V.
Ricketts Award for
Inspirational Leadership
(E- 6 and Below)
■ NAVY INFORMATION
SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN 1ST
CLASS WOODROW W.
WAGGONER JR.
As the Information Systems Division
leading petty officer aboard USS
Anzio, Waggoner contributed signif-
icantly to the operational effective-
ness of the guided-missile cruiser
and Carrier Strike Group 8 through-
out the year. He led 15 information
systems technicians through a rigorous Predeployment Basic Training
Cycle and during the fall 2006
advancement cycle personally developed, implemented and managed a
study program for Anzio sailors,
directly resulting in the ship’s 38 percent advancement rate. His superior
performance earned him Anzio’s
“Sailor of the Year” and Carrier
Strike Group 8’s “Cruiser Sailor of
the Year” honors.
The Capt. Winifred Quick
Collins Award for
Inspirational Leadership
(Officer)
■ NAVY LT. DESERINE S.
PRICE-JORDAN
While serving as Patrol Squadron
46’s assistant maintenance officer,
Price-Jordan managed 245 sailors
and molded them into a cohesive
maintenance team during an Inter-
Deployment Readiness Cycle and an
expeditionary combat deployment
to Fifth and Seventh Fleets that
spanned four permanent operating
sites and 25 detachments. During
this time, the squadron executed
more than 6,700 mishap-free flight
hours. During combat operations
from four detachment sites in direct
support of Operations Iraqi Freedom
and Enduring Freedom–Philippines,
the squadron achieved a 94-percent
mission completion rate.
SANDY HUFFAKER JR.
Navy Lt. Deserine S. Price-Jordan
receives congratulations from Navy
League National President John A.
Panneton after being presented with
the Capt. Winifred Quick Collins
Award for Inspirational Leadership
(Officer) by Rear Adm. Frank Thorp
IV, chief of information, center.
The Capt. Winifred Quick
Collins Award for
Inspirational Leadership
(Enlisted)
■ NAVY BUILDER 1ST CLASS
TIA F. POTTER
While serving with Mobile Con-
struction Battalion 4, Potter trained
125 personnel for deployment to a
combat environment and was direct-
ly responsible for the welfare and
development of 46 Seabees. While
deployed to Okinawa, Japan, she
oversaw eight construction projects
as battalion quality control inspector,
leading largely inexperienced crews
and ensuring all projects were com-
pleted on time and within budget.
Following the deployment, the bat-
talion began 10 months of training
to prepare for its mission in direct
support of Marine and Navy forces in
Iraq, Afghanistan and Guam. Filling
a position normally assigned to a
chief petty officer, she implemented
an intense training program for her
troops as well as personnel from Air
Detachment 79, helping to develop
squad and fire-team leaders to
ensure they were ready to meet the
challenges of combat leadership.
The Gen. John A. Lejeune
Award for Inspirational
Leadership
■ MARINE CORPS 1ST LT.
JUSTIN T. MILLER
As officer in charge of the Marine
Wing Support Squadron 373 detach-
ment at Forward Operating Base
Camp Korean Village in Iraq, Miller’s
planning and supervision were
instrumental in the successful com-
pletion of two helicopter landing
zone matting projects, which signifi-
cantly enhanced the safety and
capacity of the airfield. Miller was
directly responsible for more than 50
Marines providing aviation ground
support, which included dispensing
more than 1. 2 million gallons of fuel
to more than 400 aircraft and con-
ducting more than 150 counter-
improvised explosive device (IED)
