Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville received the Navy Exchange Service Command's (NEXCOM) Ship's Store Retail and Service Excellence Award for fiscal year 2016.

The nomination formally recognizes the ship's store which stands out the most among other ship's stores of the same class in providing excellent service to the crew.

The award marks the fourth consecutive year Chancellorsville's ship's store has been recognized as "Best in Class" in U.S. 7th Fleet.

Ship's Serviceman 1st Class Francisco Rodriguez, leading petty officer of sales and service (S3) division, leads a team of six Sailors to maintain and run the ship's store.

Upon receiving the award, Rodriguez said, "This is reflective not of my work, but of my Sailors. They are the ones who open up the ship's store, ensure the vending machines are fully stocked and enable the barbershop and laundry services to be available. None of this would be possible without the phenomenal Chancellorsville crew!"

Force Supply Director of Readiness, Cmdr. Mike Jefferson, traveled to Yokosuka, Japan, from San Diego to personally offer his congratulations to Chancellorsville's S3 division. He also took time to address the crew on the immense honor of the award and applauded their efforts in maintaining a standard of excellence despite the demanding forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) schedule.

Chancellorsville's Supply Officer, Lt. Zachary Manriquez, agreed with Cmdr. Jefferson, and said, "This award is a testament to the great SHs (ship's servicemen) we have in Chancellorsville. This is a prime example of them supporting the warfighter while conducting FDNF operations."

During the ceremony, the S3 Division announced they earned a $14,000 profit from the ship's store and vending machines in the first quarter of this fiscal year. All of the money was donated to Chancellorsville's Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) program at the awards ceremony.

Chancellorsville's Disbursing Officer, Lt. j.g. Qilun Zhou said, "We always encourage our crew members to use our services. Our products are cheaper and our services are better, so we save our Sailors money. Ultimately, all of the money goes back to benefit them."

Donations to MWR provide the crew with reduced prices on trips around Japan and other ports, as well as morale-boosting activities such as ice cream parties while underway.

Chancellorsville is assigned to Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5 supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

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