answer. Wrong answer. Wrong
answer. Wrong answer!” Klunder
said. “This country is founded on
young people like that.”
To the awardees, he said, “All
the leaders of the sea services are
confident in the young people we
honor here today.”
Helping National President
Daniel B. Branch Jr. present the 2010
Sea Service Awards to their respec-
tive sea service members were
Klunder, Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby,
commander, Military Sealift Com-
mand; Rear Adm. James A. Watson
IV, deputy commander, Coast Guard
Atlantic Area; James Caponiti, assis-
tant administrator, Maritime Admi-
nistration; and J. William Midden-
dorf II, former secretary of the Navy
and U.S. ambassador to the
European Union who has chaired
the Navy League’s Awards Com-
mittee for 33 years.
The following is a list of the
awards and the 2010 recipients,
along with excerpts from the citations and nominating documents
detailing their accomplishments:
KEN GODWIN PHOTOGRAPHY
Navy Capt. John Cordle receives congratulations from, at left, Branch and
J. William Middendorf II, former secretary of the Navy, after being presented with
the John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership.
John Paul Jones Award for
Inspirational Leadership
■ NAVY CAPT. JOHN CORDLE
Cordle led the Ticonderoga-class
guided-missile cruiser USS San
Jacinto through an arduous train-
ing cycle and intensive material
inspection while overcoming sig-
nificant manning and material
shortages. His savvy approach and
positive attitude created a climate
of trust that inspired his Sailors. He
led his crew in turning around a
substandard preventative mainte-
nance program in a five-month
period and overcoming mainte-
nance, manning and funding
shortfalls to achieve the best cruis-
er score in five years from the
Bureau of Inspection and Survey.
San Jacinto faced down all of the
challenges 2009 brought, winning
every excellence award available to
the ship after Cordle’s arrival.
Adm. Claude V. Ricketts
Award for Inspirational
Leadership (E- 7 and
Above)
■ NAVY SPECIAL WARFARE
OPERATOR SENIOR CHIEF
JOSEPH MOLINA
As SEAL Team Seven Echo platoon
leading chief petty officer during
the 2009 deployment cycle,
Molina led his 22-man platoon of
SEAL operators and explosive ord-
nance disposal technicians during
a combat-intensive deployment to
Afghanistan. His platoon conduct-
ed 20 direct-action kinetic engage-
ments against a fierce Taliban
enemy, totaling 359 hours of
troops in contact and resulting in
197 enemy killed in action. His
task unit was responsible for the
capture and destruction of $1.3
billion in enemy weapons, explo-
sives and narcotics. Molina’s
courageous actions under fire
motivated those who fought
alongside him as they provided
continued support to coalition
forces in Afghanistan.
Adm. Claude V. Ricketts
Award for Inspirational
Leadership (E- 6 and Below)
■ NAVY SPECIAL WARFARE
OPERATOR 1ST CLASS JAMES
O. PURDY
As SEAL Team Seven Echo Platoon
fire team leader, leading sniper and
primary breacher, Purdy led four
other SEALs in his platoon during a
combat-intensive deployment to
Afghanistan. Purdy’s management
skills, tactical prowess and ingenuity
directly contributed to its mission
success. His leadership set the exam-
ple for all the enlisted SEALs under
his charge and his courageous
actions under fire were an inspiration
to those who fought alongside him.
Capt. Winifred Quick
Collins Award for
Inspirational Leadership
(Officer)
■ MARINE CORPS MAJ.
LAUREN EDWARDS
While serving with Combat Logistics
Regiment 2, Marine Expeditionary
Brigade-Afghanistan, Edwards was
