Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer Ryan Wilber | Chief Petty Officer David Akins, from Cohutta, Ga., assigned to Naval Mobile...... read more read more
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Chief Petty Officer David Akins, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74, Alfa Company, was recently announced as the 2009 Robert Stethem award winner. Akins, currently deployed to Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, received the command's nomination for his exceptional work ethic and leadership in both homeport and contingency environments.
According to the Civil Engineer Corp/Seabee Historical Foundation, The Steelworker 2nd Class Robert D. Stethem Award recognizes outstanding individual moral courage in support of the traditions of the Seabees while in the course of actual operations. Naval Construction Force officers and enlisted are both eligible for the award. In addition to outstanding daily performance, Akins got the opportunity to demonstrate his moral courage while leading a crew outside the wire, working on a mission critical project directly in harm's way.
Akins demonstrated a feeling of humility for being placed in the same category as past award winners, and a spirit of gratitude to the command for putting trust in him to successfully lead some of the battalion's most important missions.
"I feel humbled really. I'm a pretty quiet person. I don't think anything that I do is any more special than anything anybody else does. I just try to do the best I can, make things better on a daily basis and try to learn something every day. It is definitely an honor. I know a few of the past Stethem award winners, and to be put into the same category as one of these guys who has received it in the past is a big honor. I really respect a lot of these guys who have received it in the past," said Akins. "I am extremely proud to have the command's confidence to put me in the positions they put me in that allow me to do my job, to help the command and the guys that work for me."
The announcement came via a telephone call from Chief of Civil Engineers Rear Adm. Wayne Shear, to NMCB 74's Commanding Officer Cmdr. Bruce Nevel. Directly following the conversation, Nevel called Akins over to the command's Tactical Operations Center to deliver the good news.
"His performance has really stood out, because he did one of the few projects outside the wire. The Gypsum Road Project was really the highlight of his performance here. That was a very successful detail, with high visibility. Not only was it outside the wire, which made it dangerous, but it was also critical to the mission for MEB (Marine Expeditionary Brigade), the Marines," said Nevel. "I am very pleased with his performance."
Akins, who was born in Dalton, Ga., but grew up in Cohutta, Ga., joined the Navy at 19 just out of High School. Now married with six children, he has served in the Seabees for just under 17 years, and recalls happily his decision to join the NCF.
"I've always seemed to have a Seabee mindset without knowing what a Seabee was. I kind of grew up with that "can do," get it done, fix it, make it work kind of attitude. I'm definitely glad I chose the way I went. I've had a tremendous amount of fun and good experiences since I've been in the Seabees," said Akins. "You couldn't ask for a better organization to work for, or a better group of guys and girls to work with."
Akins will complete an historic Afghanistan deployment and return to the battalion's homeport in Gulfport, Miss., as Alfa Company's 2nd Platoon Chief.
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2010 17:18 |
| Story ID: | 46266 |
| Location: | CAMP KRUTKE, AF |
| Web Views: | 787 |
| Downloads: | 548 |
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