Courtesy Photo | Chief Petty Officer Jennifer Stubblefield, 2021 Coast Guard Alaska Reserve Enlisted...... read more read more
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Alaska’s 2021 Coast Guard Reserve Enlisted Person of the Year, Chief Petty Officer Jennifer Stubblefied, is a decorated boat driver with two master’s degrees and a 2nd degree blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do. But her passion for sharing knowledge and her drive to help others is what earned her recent REPOY recognition.
As a boat operator at Coast Guard Station Valdez, she’s responsible for helming a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium and leading her crew into dangerous situations to assist the maritime public. In her civilian job as a fire captain at the Alyeska Pipeline Valdez Marine Terminal, she serves as an EMT, a rope rescue master, a training officer and a first aid instructor. She supervises firefighters and works as an on-scene incident commander in emergency situations ranging from fires to spills.
“Jennifer is a passionate advocate for preparedness through training, and she and I have taught multiple classes together at the annual Alaska Fire Conference,” said Dan Grimes, Central Emergency Services Deputy Fire Chief. “Jennifer stands out in her attention to detail, her ability to relate personally to firefighters from different backgrounds and demographics, and her commitment to ensuring that her training courses are relevant and realistic. She is highly respected as a trainer and advocate for Alaska's firefighters, and continues to teach and mentor those she comes in contact with.”
Stubblefield’s ability to perform under pressure and courage to act during emergency situations make her an exceptional Coast Guard boat driver. But she’s best known for her patient and caring leadership style and her contagious positive attitude.
“I have known and worked with Chief Stubblefield for quite a few years,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Danielle Campos, a machinery technician and fellow reservist at Station Valdez. “She is fantastic to work with—such a nice person with the sweetest personality. I love working with her because she knows her job well and over the years has not only become a shipmate that I rely upon and enjoy working with, but also my friend.”
Her hardworking and compassionate nature served Stubblefield well after a special call to action late last summer.
President Biden directed the Department of Homeland Security, August 29, 2021, to lead and coordinate ongoing efforts across the federal government to support vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked alongside Americans in Afghanistan for the past two decades, as they safely resettled in the U.S. Stubblefield answered the call to serve during Operation Allies Welcome, temporarily stepping away from her regular role driving boats in Valdez into a unique short-term position in Washington D.C.
“I had the privilege of serving alongside Stubblefield as a member of the Critical Resource Unit at the Unified Coordination Group during Operation Allies Welcome,” said Cmdr. Jake Ferreira, Stubblefield’s supervisor for the operation. “She is a consummate, caring professional, who did a remarkable job contributing to this tremendous humanitarian incident—the largest mass migration in American history. Hundreds of personnel and equipment resource requests ran through our unit and Stubblefield personally ensured the accuracy and timeliness of our efforts. It was an extremely challenging mission, but it was one made easier knowing she was on our team. Each day, she was focused on making a positive difference and her efforts directly resulted in delivering the vital services that were needed to safely resettle our Afghan allies.”
Stubblefield’s 2021 accolades reflect her ongoing commitment to personal and professional discipline.
She continues to exceed Coast Guard boat crew physical fitness standards, participates in martial arts training, holding a 2nd Degree Black Belt with the American Tae Kwon Do Association. She’s an avid runner, racing more than 30 distance events in her life, including a Coast Guard half-marathon.
She maintains her first responder qualifications and augments her knowledge through memberships with the Alaska Peace Officers Association, Women in Federal Law Enforcement, and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. She keeps abreast of laws and court cases affecting her professions.
She is an active member of the Coast Guard Enlisted Association, planning fundraisers to increase morale and camaraderie.
While on Active Duty for Operational Support orders, Stubblefield qualified as a Traffic Specialist and Watch Supervisor while maintaining coxswain qualifications. The new qualifications helped the Marine Safety Unit Valdez (MSU) Vessel Traffic Center by filling an empty chief petty officer position for six months.
She is a Live Fire/Service Instructor II, National Registry Emergency Trauma Technician, and a CPR/first-aid instructor. She maintains certifications for her civilian job as the Alyeska Pipeline Fire and Rescue training officer and instructor for the State of Alaska.
Stubblefield set up Admire-a-Fire Truck and distributed fire prevention items to children in Valdez to promote fire prevention.
Stubblefield trained all newly reporting active duty and reserve crews in American Red Cross CPR, first aid, epinephrine administration, and the use of asthma inhalers. She teaches the annual boat crew member refresher class and instructs Coast Guard family members upon request, saving Station Valdez $2,500 in instructor fees each year. In order to do this, she funded her own instructor recertification and purchased the instructor materials required for training. Stubblefield has accommodated numerous training requests, certifying roughly 50 Coast Guard personnel in CPR/first aid for members at Station Valdez, Cutter Chandeleur, MSU Valdez, Electronic Support Detachment Valdez, and more than 200 fire and rescue personnel. She created an online fire watch class teaching about 200 personnel, eliminating the need for in-person fire watch training during the pandemic.
Much of Stubblefield’s character can be attributed to her upbringing in the Missouri Bootheel—the very southeasternmost part of the state.
“I grew up in a small home surrounded by cotton, wheat, corn, and melons,” said Stubblefield. “Both sets of my grandparents were farmers, my parents grew up picking cotton, and my brother and I pitched watermelons and cantaloupe for loading onto a trailer. When I was in elementary school, my best friend and I used to jump in the cotton trailers to pack the cotton down. Growing up in a rural farming community, I learned work ethic and value. The neighboring farmer paid me the same as my older brother and his friends. The farmer said that although I was smaller and younger, I worked hard and deserved the same pay. My family often set good examples of working hard and being neighborly.”
Her parents encouraged academic excellence in addition to good old fashioned hard work.
As a result, Stubblefield holds two master's degrees from the University of Maryland Global Campus: a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Technologies and a Master of Business Administration. She is currently enrolled at Capella University in the Doctor of Information Technology program specializing in information assurance and cybersecurity.
But her appetite for action and hands-on experience has always kept Stubblefield busy outside the classroom.
“When I was younger, I worked on a casino riverboat as a security officer and emergency medical technician,” said Stubblefield. “I dispatched on swing shift from the boat's wheelhouse. During one shift, I heard a tug operator on the radio notify another boat that he ran aground while working barges. Later, the tug called me on the radio as he was drifting downstream on the Mississippi River towards my docked riverboat that could contain approximately 600 passengers and 100 crew at a time. I alerted the captain of my vessel and called for assistance for the tug via radio. Another tug boat dropped his barges and caught him within less than a quarter of a mile from my boat. The more I worked in the wheelhouse, the more I wanted to operate the boat.”
That riverboat job eventually led Stubblefield into her Reserve career in the Coast Guard.
“As a boatswain’s mate, I operate a fast boat and help people in vessels that are aground or disabled, have a medical emergency, or have a loved one missing,” she said. “My crew and I can tow the boat in or assist with pumping water off the boat and temporarily repair the damage. We can take passengers or injured people to the nearest port or medical facility. As an emergency medical technician, I can also treat people until they’re placed in a higher level of care. As a law enforcement team member, I have boarded foreign vessels, ferries, and oil tankers and ridden them into port for security purposes. I have also escorted ships by boat to port. I love being a boatswain’s mate because the job demands versatility.”
Stubblefield was on active duty in Valdez for the majority of the pandemic, and did not see her family for almost two years. Her father passed away years ago, and her brother and mother live in Missouri.
“Both of my parents have military medals,” said Stubblefield. “My father was in telecommunications in the Navy. He encouraged me to join the military and attend college. My mother worked as a civilian for the Army Corps of Engineers and deployed to Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Katrina, and several other flood fights. I visited her in New Orleans, during her response to Katrina.”
Stubblefield said it was extremely difficult being away from her mother during the pandemic, and cites her mom as the single greatest influence in her life.
That feeling seems to be mutual.
“Jennifer is a great daughter, an excellent friend, and an all-around good person,” said Stubblefield’s mother, Joanie Dodson. “Jennifer has already accomplished more in her life than I could have ever imagined. She has taken on many challenges and assignments that require lots of work and dedication, whether in the Coast Guard, her pipeline job, or her college classes. Our family and friends are so proud of her and amazed at what she has done. The most admirable thing is her dedication to getting things accomplished and never giving up. She is not afraid to take on a task that’s out of the ordinary and make it work.”
| Date Taken: | 03.27.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.27.2022 16:02 |
| Story ID: | 417258 |
| Location: | VALDEZ, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 842 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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