Corpus Christi Clinic Top Sailors Selected for SOQ

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (NNS) -- Three Sailors from Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi (NHCCC) won the overall Sailor of the 3rd Quarter, FY12 competition July 20.

Capt. Gina M. Jaeger, commanding officer, made the announcement.

"Please join me in congratulating these individuals for their selection as SOQ for the overall command competition, it was a very competitive board with an outstanding group of nominees," said Jaeger.

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (Surface Warfare/Fleet Marine Force) Joseph M. Watkins; Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Garrett L. Masters; and Hospitalman Demetreus M. Cooley were selected Senior Sailor, Junior Sailor and Blue Jacket respectively.

Reactions to the news were mixed.

"It felt great, I was blown away," said Cooley, a 3-year Navy veteran from Alabama.

The young Sailor who hopes for advancement to petty officer after the September fleet-wide exam, reported for duty to NHCCC six months ago. He is a member of the command color guard, he volunteers in the community and he is enrolled in college.

Masters, also a 3-year Navy veteran, is from Washington State and he said that he found the competition challenging.

"I knew that I was up against a couple of other Sailors who were of higher pay grades and that it would be difficult. But with hard work, good military bearing and perseverance I knew that anything was possible," said Masters.

One of his Shipmates who worked in the Specialty Clinic with him last year remembers his customer service skills and generosity.

"Masters taught me customer service. He was great with talking to patients, and he was always very generous with helping out my clinic and workload," said Hospitalman Stacie Sprehe. "I am truly not surprised that he was selected for JSOQ because HM3 is always going above and beyond in his career. He is constantly looking to do something more than just the simple task at hand."

Masters is a member of the command color guard and an assistant staff photographer for the public affairs office, and he advanced to petty officer from the September 2011 (cycle 212) Navy-wide petty officer (E4-E6) advancement exam.

The command's senior Sailor is a biomedical repair technician from South Carolina who has been in Navy for nine years, and he said that he was shocked when he heard the news.

"I don't ever get my hopes up because I put my junior Sailors first," said Watkins, who serves the command as Enlisted Advancement Program (EAP) coordinator for exam eligible personnel.

Since assuming that role in January, he mentored 12 volunteer instructors over a 9-day training curriculum, resulting in clinic staff corpsmen advancing 23.2 percent above the Navy-wide average and increasing command advancement by 40 percent from cycle 212 to March 2012 (cycle 215) advancement exam.

Watkins is completing his requirements for an associate degree in Biomedical Engineering and he is a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, helping to build simple, decent, and affordable homes for low-income families in Nueces County.


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