Mayport Naval Station, FL — –
Naval Sea Systems Commander Vice Adm. Thomas J. Moore recently recognized Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC) as a winner of the Retention Excellence Award for fiscal year 2016.
The Retention Excellence Award, also known as the "Golden Anchor award," is presented annually to ships, squadrons, staffs and shore commands that achieved a minimum score of 90 points on their annual Command Career Information Program review in addition to meeting benchmarks that indicate effective programs that strengthen support for Sailors.
SERMC separated itself from its peers by meeting benchmarks that indicate how well SERMC provides superior support to its Sailors who are the “Force Behind The Fleet.”
"Our job is to give Sailors an objective look at what's available in the Navy. The Navy is an enormous organization with a lot of different opportunities," said Navy Counselor Chief Shanika Jones, SERMC Command Career Counselor.
Informing Sailors of the options available and involving their entire Chain of Command is key to maintaining high retention. “This award is attributed to my dedicated Career Development Team, without them I would not be successful as the Command Career Counselor. This signifies the dedication that they all have to either helping their shipmates Stay Navy.” said Jones
As a benefit of winning the Retention Excellence Award, Sailors here were authorized to paint the anchors in front of the building gold as a symbol of distinction. The gold anchors also send a message about the command to the rest of the Navy.
"People will look at those anchors and understand SERMC is an attractive command for Sailors when it comes time to change duty stations," Jones added.
Navy leadership continues to rely on the commitment of Sailors as a cornerstone of fleet readiness to achieve the mission of the Navy. The award-winning contributions of SERMC’s career counselor team not only strengthen SERMC, but also provides experienced and talented Sailors when they return to the fleet.