DAHLGREN, Va. - Vice Adm. William Hilarides, commander,
Naval Sea Systems Command, presents the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award
to Marie Colitti at an Aug. 11 awards ceremony. Hilarides congratulated Colitti
and nine of her colleagues - James
Morrissett, Troy Bentz, Lorilee Geisweidt, Amanda Cardiel, Steven Sovine, Keith
Manion, Meredith Murray, Jeffery McConnell and Christopher Knowlton - who also
received the award for their impact on the Small Surface Combatant Task Force
last year. "In response to the Secretary of Defense-directed study of a
more lethal and more survivable small surface combatant, these recipients used
their professional expertise to assist in the development of an extraordinary
body of work that establishes the direction for a significant portion of the U.S.
Navy shipbuilding and Force capability that reaches deep into this
century," according to the citation. "The unassailable logic, method,
and results that these recipients exhibited and applied to this task, provided
the Department of the Navy and Department of Defense with the confidence it
needs to make decisions of such high importance." (U.S. Navy photo by Jim Waits/Released)