INDIAN HEAD, Md. ─ Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division recognized individuals and teams who made significant contributions to the command’s mission at the annual Honorary Awards ceremony today, which was at the Indian Head Town Pavilion.
This year’s guest of honor was Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr., who was awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Hostage Rescue Force Team Member in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from Dec. 8-9, 2012.
“Today, we’re dutifully celebrating excellence,” said NSWC IHEODTD Commanding Officer Capt. Scott Kraft. “Excellence that is right here amidst us; excellence that spans this extraordinary organization; excellence that manifests in many diverse ways.”
Kraft also touched on the subject of the command’s guidance and priorities this year, “We will, in all things, be characterized by tenacious professionalism and steadfast resolve, vividly remembering the warfighters who depend on us.”
“Today we celebrate our colleagues and recognize them for their innovation, their excellence, for quickly rallying to meet a mission requirement, for saving money for the Navy, and for their commitment and dedication to the Navy, their customers, their community and most importantly to the nation’s warfighters,” said Mr. Ashley Johnson, technical director for NSWC IHEODTD. “The work we do here often flies under the radar but is absolutely critical to our national defense. The power and success of Indian Head is our people – the Navy depends on us to fly farther, hit harder, and save lives.”
Some of the command’s Honorary Awards are named for a significant person from IHEODTD’s history, and honor those past individuals and the recipients today. The command presented 16 awards that recognized more than 100 employees.
Read below for more information on the awards presented at the ceremony, and this year’s recipients.
ROGER M. SMITH TEAM AWARD: Roger Smith, NSWC IHEODTD Technical Director from October 1989 until his death in February 1999, believed the ability to work as a team was the key to continued success. This award recognizes team efforts to improve the command’s performance and effectiveness in providing products and services to meet customer requirements. Presented to the CAD/PAD SJU-17 Under Seat Rocket Motors Team for their work on quickly addressing and fixing an issue grounding 20 F/A 18s stationed overseas. With their swift actions, the jets were back in flying status in less than one week.
SAFETY EXCELLENCE AWARD: This award recognizes an individual or group who made a significant effort to enhance safe work practices in their area. Presented to Ronnie Martin, Corporate Operations Department logistics manager, for his significant contributions to enhance safe work practices including coordinating repairs and participating in inspections of building corrective safety actions.
EXCELLENCE IN SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AWARD: This award recognizes excellence in systems engineering for an individual or group who demonstrate an ability to implement a high degree of technical proficiency in the area of systems engineering practices and procedures resulting in excellent project or initiative outcomes. Significant emphasis is placed on the effective and efficient methods, tools and competency proficiency applied correctly to the effort to impact the outcomes successfully. Presented to Normary Camacho Cardoza, EOD Department, who served as lead on cybersecurity initiatives as part of the Flex-CSR Program. She is also responsible for leading the effort to establish a penetration testing laboratory in EOD Department’s Acquisition and Technology Division.
EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY EXECUTION AWARD: This award recognizes excellence in applying quality program proficiency during execution as it relates to our quality control systems. Excellence in quality is essential to realizing consistent delivery and demand for our products and services. Presented to the MK 154 Launcher Mine Clearing Electrical System Manufacturing Team for their work is assisting the U.S. Marine Corps with an urgent delivery request for mine clearing equipment.
EXCELLENCE IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT AWARD: Project Management is the application of leadership, communication and technical rigor – processes, tools, templates and personnel proficiency – to successfully execute project activities to meet organizational and customer expectations. Behind every high-quality project is a project manager who is responsible for motivating project teams and accomplishing project objectives to safely deliver quality products or services that meet customer technical requirements within budget and schedule using effective and efficient methods to execute this disciplined pillar role. Presented to Andrea Bloomer, Energetics Manufacturing Department technical project manager, for the qualification of a new material to be made at NSWC IHEODTD. This complex project involves the development of a new product and the startup of two large complex facilities.
Lance Corporal T. J. Honeycutt Award for Forward Deployed Service: Lance Corporal T.J. Honeycutt, a Marine from Charles County, Md., lost his life to an improvised explosive device attack while on patrol. This award recognizes a civilian employee who, within the past year, has deployed to a combat zone or other forward-deployed location to provide direct support to the warfighter in support of the command’s mission. Presented to Archie “Wayne” Humfleet, Systems Integration Department, Guns Division technician, for his outstanding and timely work on Close-in Weapons Systems while deployed to the USS Bataan, which was supporting military operations near the Arabian Peninsula.
INTERNAL CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD: This award recognizes an individual, organizational unit or team who has provided excellent service to internal customers. We have one individual and one team recipient this year. Presented to Lori McFarland, Human Resources Division staffing and classification specialist, for consistently providing exemplary customer service. Her professionalism, responsiveness and timeliness while working with other department supervisors ensures all of their staffing and classification needs are met.
Also presented to Susan Tanner and Degas Legal, Corporate Business Office Division, for their superior performance and customer service in the success of the command’s iNAVSEA website. They alone maintain iNAVSEA and are truly dedicated to customer’s needs often working late nights and early mornings.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND DIVERSITY AWARD: This award recognizes the achievements of an individual or group who excelled in extending equal opportunity to those seeking federal employment or by assisting federal employees in achieving their highest potential and productivity. Presented to Amber Knott, research scientist in the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Department, for her commitment to diversity and women’s issues in the workplace. Her efforts reflect her genuine interest in bringing everyone together, with a diverse workforce, to improve the command.
DR. HORST ADOLPH AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PATENT: Dr. Horst Adolph’s 30-year government career began in 1961 and included achieving more than 40 patents and authoring over 90 publications dealing with synthesis and formulation of energetic ingredients used in explosives and propellants. This award recognizes an individual or group of inventors for the most significant and beneficial patent to the Navy and the country. Presented to Rebecca Wilson, Joseph Mannion and Jesse Moran, Research and Technology Division, for their patent on the synthesis and structure of a critical intermediate in the synthesis of a new energetic molecule. This new molecule incorporates a very rare energetic functional group that provides high energy and high density.
CONTINUOUS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AWARD: This award recognizes efforts resulting in significant improvement made to administrative, business, or technical processes accomplished through Lean and/or Six Sigma, yielding benefits in cost, schedule, quality, and/or risk mitigation. We have an individual and a team winner this year. Presented to Steven Possehl, a mechanical engineer in the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Department, who has continuously molded and improved digital x-ray processes over the past year while working toward the goal of making x-ray a completely digital process. His work cut costs, increased output, reduced cycle time and improved production.
Also presented to the Infrastructure Team for completing seven Joint Lean Six Sigma (LSS) events with NAVFAC’s Public Works Department leaders. The combination of the LSS events along with fully implementing and staffing of the Infrastructure Support Group increased the capability and capacity to execute service tickets and shop projects at IHEODTD.
CAPTAIN H. E. LACKEY AWARD FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE: Captain Henry E. Lackey was the 12th commanding officer of the Indian Head Division from 1917-1920. During his tenure, he strove to improve living conditions and addressed a wide range of social problems such as adequate safety, housing, education, and communications. This award is given to an individual or team who, on their own time, provides significant contributions to the community. Presented to Martin Chernoff, Corporate Operations Department chemical engineer, for supporting the community through science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) projects in the Charles County school system, Boys Scouts of America and serving as a religious school teacher and service lay-leader.
A.J. PERK OUTSTANDING OPERATOR/TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD: During his 34-year tenure at the command, A.J. Perk was devoted to providing customers with excellent products and services by “doing the job right.” He was fair, firm, decisive and cared about employee interests. This award recognizes a model employee who serves as an example to others. This year we are honoring two of them. Presented to Enrique Garcia, EOD Department logistics management specialist, for his superb performance as lead shipping coordinator for the U.S. Navy’s foreign military sales program’s EOD tools and equipment.
Also presented to John Harley, a hazardous materials handler in the Energetics Manufacturing Department, for his work in the CAD/PAD Consolidated Stock Point providing time critical deliveries of energetic devices to the fleet within 14 days of an order. He is a model employee who has dedicated 38 years of his career to this command.
ADMIRAL HAROLD R. STARK AWARD FOR INNOVATION: As the Naval Inspector of Ordnance in charge of the Naval Proving Grounds, Dahlgren, Va., and the Naval Powder Factory, Indian Head, Md., Admiral Harold R. Stark became the Chief of Naval Operations in 1939. This award recognizes an individual or group who advances the state-of-the-art in their field of endeavor. Presented to Kenneth Basom, Robert Breaux, Bryan Milani and Wesley Posey, from the Information Management Division, for their collaboration to create the Homemade Explosives Recognition Tool as part of the EOD Tactical Decision Aid. The HME recognition tool is a significant achievement that has led to advancement of HME identification.
JOE L. BROWNING AWARD FOR MANAGERIAL EXCELLENCE: Joe L. Browning was NSWC IHEODTD’s first Technical Director from 1962 - 1975. He was renowned for his innovative approaches to recruiting, motivating and developing personnel. This award recognizes supervisors who demonstrate managerial excellence, practice quality leadership principles, and demonstrate coaching and teaming management skills. Presented to Melissa Milani, Systems Engineering Department, System Safety Branch manager, who developed a knowledge base in supervisory requirements and established routine communication with line management and Labor and Employee Relations to address performance and conduct concerns.
DR. GEORGE W. PATTERSON AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENT: As chief chemist and powder expert, Dr. George Patterson is remembered for his work accomplished during his 41-year tenure, including developing smokeless and flash-less gun powders. This award honors an individual for outstanding technical accomplishment supporting the NSWC IHEODTD mission and advancing some area of technology. Presented to Angel Diaz, EOD Department engineer, for leading the Graphically Layered Aiming System Supported by Orthogonal X-ray (GLASSBOX) effort. GLASSBOX revolutionizes the ability to translate X-ray images into 3-D virtual objects, so EOD technicians can evaluate and dispose of a threat they cannot directly see.
ROBERT B. DASHIELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE: Ensign Robert B. Dashiell was NSWC IHEODTD’s first commanding officer and is known for establishing the facility, including supervision of building and acquisition of staff and materials. He was also a specialist in gun mechanical design and invented the Dashiell rapid-fire breech. This award honors an individual who, within the past year, has made a significant contribution to the command’s mission. Presented to Julie Greaves-Jacko, Contracts Department, for her significant contribution to the mission and operation of the command. She provided outstanding support on top priority construction projects for NSWC IHEODTD while providing excellent and consistent support to EOD Department’s Demonstration and Assessment Team Program multiple-award contract.
NSWC IHEODTD - a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command and part of the Navy's Science and Engineering Enterprise - is the leader in ordnance, energetics, and EOD solutions. The Division focuses on energetics research, development, testing, evaluation, in-service support, and disposal; and provides warfighters solutions to detect, locate, access, identify, render safe, recover, exploit, and dispose of explosive ordnance threats.
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