Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC) Sailor, Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Parent, received the Chief of Naval Operations Gold Disk Technician Award for his work in the Navy and Marine Corps Miniature/Micro-miniature Module Test and Repair (2M/MTR) Program on March 3.
Gold disk developers, considered experts in the 2M/MTR field, are charged with developing standard procedures for repairs to reduce turn-around and provide a cost avoidance to the Navy. The program was designed to encourage fleet personnel to repair circuit card assemblies and electronic modules to improve operational readiness.
"The Gold Disk program is a critical program to the Navy," said Vice Adm. Thomas J. Moore, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command, during the presentation. "It allows us to train our Sailors to fix micro-miniature components at sea. Not only is it saving us money by making sure we can do the work ourselves, but, more importantly, it is delivering readiness on a daily basis which is so critical today."
The Letter of Commendation (LOC) was signed for the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) by Vice Adm. William Lescher, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Integration of Capabilities and Resources, and was presented, along with a monetary award, by Moore at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) West 2020 Conference in San Diego.
"You directly and significantly improved the operational readiness of numerous Surface Force Pacific Fleet units while serving at SWRMC 2M/MTR branch," the citation said. "You were the key contributor to significantly reducing sustainment costs and improving operational availability of these critical systems thus ensuring the Surface Force Pacific Fleet could meet vital Fleet commitments."
In addition to Parent, Petty Officer 1st Class Dewayne Nix, attached to USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), Petty Officer 2nd Class William Ciapponi, attached to USS Princeton (CG 59), and Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher Norberg, attached to USS Dewey (DDG 105), were also selected as a 2M/MTR Technicians for fourth quarter fiscal year 2019. Norberg was attached to SWRMC during the period of performance for the award.
"We are remarkably proud of Petty Officer Parent's skills as an electronics technician in the 2M/MTR field," said Capt. David Hart, SWRMC's commanding officer. "His efforts directly align with the CNO's guidance to provide cost avoidance to the Navy, improve warfighting capabilities and deliver ships back to the fleet on-time."
Parent received the recognition for repairing seventy-one circuit card assemblies to include weapon systems, navigation systems, and communications systems resulting in a significant cost avoidance for the U.S. Navy.
"You are to be congratulated for your exceptional professionalism and superb technical skills," the citation concluded. "Keep up the great work!"