Two blocks down the street, take a right, and its on the corner--we all know our way to the neighborhood market. USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75)ship's store was recognized for excellence, June 5, for giving its Sailors a taste of home - even while underway and miles from land.

The "Best Ship's Retail and Services Excellence" award is the highest honor presented to ship's store operations by the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM). Serving as the number one carrier for the east coast and Atlantic Fleet, Truman outperformed all other carriers in the category.

Retired Adm. Robert J. Bianchi, NEXCOM chief executive officer, returned to Truman to present the award. He said it was an honor to recognize Sailors who serve aboard Truman, a ship with a special place in his heart.

"Having served as Truman's third supply officer, from 1999 to 2001, I can tell you that I am beaming with pride to see this great warship earn this coveted award," said Bianchi. "Truman has had a legacy of excellence since she was fist commissioned, and it is great to see that the ship continues to excel today, nearly 14 years after I departed."

Charles Vaughan, NEXCOM vice president, said the award is noteworthy not only for the customer satisfaction quotient, but when compared to other highly qualified carriers using the same criteria, Truman surpassed them all.

"The Truman's ship store motto of 'your ship, your store' means a quality experience on a daily basis, as well as the end result of profit generated for the crew's recreation needs," said Vaughan.

Master Chief Ship's Serviceman W. B. Watson, S-3 division's leading chief petty officer, said when it came to making numbers, Truman brought in groundbreaking revenue.

"We sold more than four million dollars worth of merchandise from the last deployment," said Watson. "The total sales from our shop are directly attributed to the crew."

Ship's Serviceman 2nd Class J. R. Colon, the ship's store work center supervisor, said the success of the store comes from making a connection with the rest of the crew.

"Our name of the game is customer service," said Colon. "We serve with a smile every day, no matter what. The thing is, we are very good at setting aside our personnel affairs and maintaining a professional environment. I think this award goes to show, as a division, we can move past our personal problems and come together as a team."

Vaughan said to compete for the award; all ships are required to pass an inspection. The fleet type commander and NEXCOM evaluate each ship's accountability profile, its sustainability to provide a high level of support using information from the inspection process, operational analysis, customer evaluation of service, and financial reports. Each ship that meets or exceeds benchmark requirements receives an excellence award. From there, NEXCOM's Ship's Store program staff reviews the ships to choose one that stands out as an icon amongst the others.

During the inspection process, the stores are tested on everything from the merchandise to crew satisfaction. Watson said knowledgeable junior Sailors performed their best.

"As the inspector goes into the work center, he is looking through all of our spaces and questioning the junior Sailors," said Watson. "They have level of knowledge questions that they have to answer for part of the inspection. The inspectors love to look for the most junior Sailor in the work center; however, all the Sailors have to be ready to answer questions."

Watson said awards are not won from inspections alone, but from the daily contributions of the Sailors who work tirelessly to exceed the standard.

Colon said he is thankful for his leadership who played a huge part in his Navy career.

"I'm absolutely honored to be working with Master Chief Watson and our entire chain of command," said Colon. "They've been great to me every step of the way and for it to pay off like this, its an absolute honor."
Colon said his time working in Supply has been an enjoyable experience, where he made bonds with the crew that will last a lifetime.

"S-3 ship store operators are the best people to be around," said Colon. "They are a family to me and I would do anything for them. I love my supply family."

For more news from USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), visit www.navy.mil/.