NMCB officer earns Combs award

WASHINGTON - Lt. Cmdr. Jason K. Ward of the Gulfport, Miss.-based Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 was named the winner of the 2017 Rear Adm. Lewis B. Combs Award in multiple Jan. 18 award presentations recognizing outstanding performances within the Naval Construction Force. The Combs award, named for the assistant to the chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks during WWII, is presented to the person who has made the most outstanding contribution in perpetuating the legacy of Seabees, Civil Engineer Corps, and Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) accomplishments and traditions. NAVFAC also announced the winners of three other awards. NAVFAC boss Rear Adm. Bret J. Muilenburg, also the chief of civil engineers, recognized the recipients of the Steelworker 2nd Class Robert D. Stethem and Combs awards on behalf of the Civil Engineer Corps-Seabee Historical Foundation. The awards are given by the foundation to “individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Navy and the nation while perpetuating the legacies of Petty Officer Stethem and Rear Admiral Combs,” the admiral said. Construction Mechanic 1st Class Brandon L. Burrow of Underwater Construction Team 1 was the Stethem award recipient. (Source: NAVFAC 01/29/18)