The 2014 Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic (SUBLANT) Senior and Junior Sailors of the Year (SOY) were announced March 5, during a ceremony held at the Pennsylvania House, Naval Station Norfolk. Capt. Blake Converse, SUBLANT chief-of-staff, presided over the ceremony.

Unable to attend because of travel commitments, Vice Adm. Michael Connor, commander, Submarine Force Atlantic, issued the following statement.

"We celebrated excellence today as we honored our sea and shore Sailors of the Year," said Connor. "These elite Sailors and their families ensure the Submarine Force's continued dominance of the undersea domain and provide the foundation of our country's nuclear strategic deterrent. I am honored to share this special day with them. They are an inspiration to all of us."
The 2014 SUBLANT Senior Sea Sailor of the Year was Petty Officer First Class Bradley Monell, a submarines-qualified and nuclear-trained electrician's mate assigned to the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Maryland (SSBN 738), homeported in Kings Bay, Georgia. The 28 year-old was born in Tampa, Florida, and graduated from Riverside High School in 2004. Monell enlisted in the Navy, March 2004.

"I'm completely shell shocked, it's a place that I never thought I would get to," said Monell. "I never go home at the end of the day feeling like I was the super star that day. So to be recognized is just unbelievable, but I wouldn't be here without the support of my chiefs, my Sailors, and of course, my wife. I got the privilege of spending this week with some competitive Sailors and leaders. They gave me a whole new motivation to go back to my boat and be even better than I was before."

Petty Officer First Class Kwelisha Jackson was recognized as the 2014 SUBLANT Senior Shore Sailor of the Year. She is a surface warfare and information dominance warfare qualified information systems technician who was assigned to the Operational Control Center on the staff of Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, during the competitive cycle. She is currently assigned to Commander, Carrier Group 5 in Yokosuka, Japan. A native of San Diego, the 30-year-old Sailor is a 2002 graduate of Point Loma High School, and joined the Navy in November 2003.

"My heart was beating extremely fast, so when I heard my name it was just an overwhelming feeling," said Jackson. "I have learned a lot from all the Sailors competing this week, and getting all the support and mentoring from all the master chiefs, have made the whole experience has been something that I couldn't even imagine. This has definitely prepared me for the next level. I will continue to stay focused and be true to myself."

As the Senior Sea and Shore Sailors of the Year, Monell and Jackson will represent SUBLANT in the Atlantic Fleet Sailor of the Year competition conducted by Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC). The fleet competition will be held later in March with other Atlantic Fleet type command winners. The Atlantic Fleet Sea Sailor of the Year winner from that competition will be meritoriously advanced to chief petty officer, while the Atlantic Fleet Shore Sailor of the Year winner will enter the Chief of Naval Operations competition in Washington, D.C.

The 2014 SUBLANT Junior Sea Sailor of the Year was Petty Officer Second Class Timothy Wright, and the 2014 SUBLANT Junior Shore Sailor of the Year was Petty Officer Second Class Kolbjorn Skaflestad.
Wright is a submarine-qualified sonar technician submarines assigned to the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Toledo (SSN 769), homeported in Groton, Connecticut. Born in Wyoming, Michigan, the 28-year-old Sailor is a 2002 graduate of Wyoming Park High School, and joined the Navy in 2009.

Skaflestad is a submarines-qualified sonar technician submarines assigned to the Naval Submarine Support Facility in New London, Connecticut. Born in Juneau, Alaska, but raised in Hoonah, Alaska, he is a graduate of Hoonah School, and joined the Navy, May 5, 2008.

Force Master Chief Wesley Koshoffer, SUBLANT Force Master Chief, stated that this group of Sailors were special.

"I was extremely impressed with all the Sailors that we interviewed this week," said Koshoffer. "Each of the Sailors, their families, and the commands they represented should be justifiably proud. They are remarkable Sailors

The other candidates for Senior Sea Sailor of the year were Petty Officer First Class Heath Spencer, a submarines-qualified electronics technician assigned to the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS San Juan (SSN 751), homeported in Groton, Connecticut, and Petty Officer First Class Daniel Wayland, a submarines-qualified electronics technician assigned to the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Norfolk (SSN 714), previously home ported in Norfolk, Virginia, but currently undergoing inactivation at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine.

Petty Officer First Class Alexander Kaehr, a submarines-qualified and nuclear-trained electrician's mate assigned to the Navy Regional Maintenance Department, Kings Bay, Georgia, and Petty First Class Alan Lemire, an air warfare-qualified master-at-arms the Naval Submarine Support Center in New London, Connecticut, were the other finalists for Senior Shore Sailor of the Year.

The other candidates for Junior Sea Sailor of the Year were Petty Officer Second Class William Hayes and Petty Officer First Class Ross Lewis. Hayes is a submarines-qualified machinist's mate who was assigned to the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Rhode Island (SSBN 740), homeported in Kings Bay, Georgia, during the competitive cycle. He is currently assigned to the Trident Training Facility, Kings Bay, Georgia. Lewis is a submarine-qualified machinist's mate from the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Montpelier (SSN 765), home ported in Norfolk, Virginia. Lewis was advanced to first class near the end of calendar year 2014.

Finalists for Junior Shore Sailor of the Year were Petty Officer Second Class Shazrika Charles, a yeoman assigned to the headquarters staff at Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic, in Norfolk, Virginia, and Petty Officer Second Class Casey Gore, a surface warfare-qualified hull technician assigned to the Nuclear Regional Maintenance Department, Kings Bay, Georgia.


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