Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) announced its December Civilian of the Month in Virginia Beach, Dec. 1.

John Bartels, who retired from the U.S. Navy at the rank of commander in 2005, was humbled by the recognition as top civilian for the month of December.

"It is humbling to be selected, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the warfighter," said Bartels, who hails from Minneapolis, Minn., and is a graduate of Roosevelt High School.

Bartels serves on NECC's Supply Department (N41) team where he goes above and beyond his normal duties to contribute to NECC's readiness overall.

"His hard work, professionalism, and superior technical knowledge have contributed significantly to the NECC mission, identified him as a standout in the N41 Directorate, and established him as a critical member of the NECC Team," said Nancy Harned, Executive Director, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command.

Bartels manages the Government Commercial Purchase Card (GCPC) program for the Type Command, which has an impact throughout the expeditionary force of 19,000.

"The GCPC program provides Navy Expeditionary units the ability to rapidly procure critical spare parts when the wholesale supply system cannot meet their operational needs," said Harned.

Harned emphasized the innovation and forward thinking displayed by Bartels.

"He is passionate about procedural compliance and accountability, and ensures fiscal responsibility for the NECC GCPC program. Because of his work, this program successfully passes all audits and inspections and has been recognized among the best of any Navy Type Command," said Harned.

NECC is an enduring warfighting force providing sea-to-shore and inland operating environment capabilities across the full range of military operations that is focused on delivering combat effective expeditionary forces ready for worldwide operations now and into the future.



For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Navy Expeditionary Combat Command , visit http://www.navy.mil/.