Petty Officers 1st Class Kimberly Gault and Jesse Alling, marine science technicians at Marine Safety Unit Cleveland, display their recent awards for the 2014 Reserve Enlisted Person of the Year and Enlisted Person of the Year, respectively, for Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y., Friday, March 20, 2015, at the Cleveland Moorings Facility.
Gault and Alling received their awards for exceptional mission execution and leadership.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Paul Dragin
Petty Officer 1st Class Kimberly Gault, the 2014 Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y., Reserve Enlisted Person of the Year (center) stands with Master Chief Petty Officer Gary Chalker, the Sector Buffalo command master chief, and Capt. Brian Roche, the commander of Sector Buffalo, at the Cleveland Moorings Facility, Friday, March 20, 2015.
Gault was awarded the REPOY for her exceptional mission execution and leadership at MSU Cleveland.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Paul Dragin.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jesse Alling, a marine science technician at Marine Safety Unit Cleveland, admires his award for the 2014 Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y., Enlisted Person of the Year at the Cleveland Moorings Facility, Friday, March 20, 2015.
Alling received the EPOY for his exceptional mission execution and leadership.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Paul Dragin
Master Chief Petty Officer Gary Chalker, the Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y., command master chief, Petty Officers 1st Class Jesse Alling and Kimberly Gault, marine science technicians at Marine Safety Unit Cleveland, and Capt. Brian Roche, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, join one another for a photo during the 2014 Sector Buffalo Enlisted and Reserve Enlisted Person of the Year ceremony at the Cleveland Moorings Facility, Friday, March 20, 2015.
Alling, the EPOY, and Gault, the REPOY, received their respective awards for their exceptional mission execution and leadership at MSU Cleveland.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Paul Dragin
CLEVELAND — Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, New York, recently honored its Enlisted Person of the Year and Reserve Enlisted Person of the Year during a ceremony held at the Cleveland Moorings Facility on Friday, March 20, 2015.
Petty Officer First Class Jesse Alling, a Marine Science Technician, received the EPOY award and Petty Officer First Class Kimberley Gault, also an MST, received the REPOY award in recognition of their distinguished service for 2014.
Both the EPOY program and the REPOY program are designed to recognize exemplary men and women from the active and reserve enlisted work force. Nominees demonstrate sustained exceptional standards of proficiency and conduct, their military appearance and bearing are consistently impeccable, and they are role models whom all Coast Guard personnel strive to emulate.
Originally from Waterville, Maine, Alling is stationed at Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Cleveland. Alling is recognized as a vital team member who stood port and starboard duty rotation for several months following the transfer of numerous crew members.
In the absence of the unit’s command chief, Alling seamlessly assumed this critical position, capitalizing on the opportunity to develop both as a leader and mentor. As leading petty officer, he was the primary case reviewer for all Incident Management case work.
As one of two qualified container inspectors at the unit, his expert knowledge was critical in the establishment of the first direct-delivery container ship from Europe to the U.S. in the Great Lakes. His in-depth knowledge proved critical as the lead inspector during the first multi-agency strike force operation in the port.
Gault, a native of Georgetown, Texas, is also stationed at MSU Cleveland. She is cited for superior performance of duty while serving as a field activities team leader for the unit.
She served as the lead inspector on multiple facility inspections, reviewing both facility response and security plans, ensuring facilities remained in compliance with federal regulations. Additionally, Gault performed more than 500 hours of pollution response duty and served as the unit’s federal on-scene coordinator representative for federalized pollution cases.
Gault also devotes her time to volunteer work in the local community, representing the Coast Guard at the Great Lakes Science Center for Sea Partners, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Mayor’s Holiday Food Basket Giveaway.
“They stepped forward during a time of considerable strain on the unit and lifted the morale of everyone in the process,” said Chief Petty Officer Trevor Hughes, the MSU Cleveland command chief. “Both Petty Officer Alling and Petty Officer Gault epitomize the Coast Guard’s core values of ‘Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty’ and I am pleased to work alongside them and honor them with these awards.”