ET1 (AW/SW) Heath Britt 2009 Senior Sailor of the Year The selections of the 2009 Sailors of the Year for Naval Air Station Kingsville have been announced by NAS Kingsville Commanding Officer Capt. Phil Waddingham and Command Master Chief Charlie Ratliff.

Electronics Technician 1st Class (AW/SW) Heath W. Britt, a native of Glenmora, La., was selected as Senior Sailor of the Year for the command.

Britt, 33, is assigned to the NAS Kingsville Air Operations Department and serves as Ground Electronics leading petty officer and 3M Coordinator.

“Petty Officer Britt has my strongest personal recommendation for NAS Kingsville’s Senior Sailor of the year,” said Air Operations Officer Lt. Cmdr. David Anderson.

“He is an exemplary Sailor and role model that is respected, approachable, and well-rounded. Through his actions he inspires junior Sailors, raises the bar for his peers, and is respected by his seniors throughout the command.”

AC2 (AW) Daniel Tarrega 2009 Junior Sailor of the Year Britt’s leadership and management skills have provided uninterrupted support for over 320,000 incident-free flight operations by ensuring 100% operability of two multi-million dollar RADAR systems, 29 navigation aids, and more than 9,000 pieces of communication and support equipment.

Doing a job normally reserved for a Chief Petty Officer or above, Britt also manages maintenance for 13,000 pieces of Air Traffic Control (ATC) gear and air support equipment at three air fields, with a record of accomplishment report of 98.9 percent and a 100 percent accomplishment confidence factor.

His unparalleled leadership helpedthe command’s successful on-time and onbudget completion of the $11.5 million National Airspace Modernization upgrade with no impact on flight operations.

CS3 Erick Soliz 2009 Bluejacket of the Year Britt also served as the 2009 Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization quality assurance assessment coordinator, and his efforts and programs were officially recognized when NAS Kingsville received an “Outstanding” overall score, and he was named “Best Site Inspected” by the senior inspector.

In addition to his many accomplishments and achievements at Ground Electronics,

Britt was recently re-elected to serve a second term as president of the NAS Kingsville First Class Petty Officer’s Association.

A 14-year Navy veteran, Britt reported to NAS Kingsville in July 2007.

He and his wife Beth have two children.

“ET1 Britt is truly the most dedicated, devoted, and talented Petty Officer I have served with in my over 20 years of naval service,” said Anderson.

“He is clearly deserving of the recognition that selection as Sailor of the Year affords.”

The Junior Sailor the Year is Air Traffic Controller 2nd Class Daniel Tarrega, a native of Jackson Heights, Queens, N.Y.

During the past year, Tarrega supervised more than 60 air traffic controllers at one of the Navy’s busiest Approach Control facilities.

He also served as the leading petty officer for the air station’s Color and Honor Guard, which performs at more than 50 events annually throughout South Texas.

With 6 years of Navy service under his belt, Tarrega has his eyes set on making the Navy a career.

“I’m very happy with my Navy career so far,” Tarrega said recently.

“I have experienced more things in the past 6 years than I ever would have if I would have stayed a civilian. In the near future I will transfer from NAS Kingsville and continue my career at NAS Diego Garcia.

“From there, it’s hard to say what will be next. But, I look forward to seeing where the Navy will take me and my family.”

Tarrega has been a top performer for the command during his time on board.

He reported to NAS Kingsville as an E-3 in May 2006.

He was selected for E-4 off the September 2006 exam and advanced to E-5 in 2008.

He admits he is honored to be selected as Sailor of the Quarter/Sailor of the Year.

“It feels good to be selected as Junior Sailor of the Quarter and Sailor of the Year for NAS Kingsville,” Tarrega said.

“I hope I inspire other Sailors to strive and achieve high standards for themselves and their careers in the Navy.”

Tarrega, 30, and his wife Felicia are expecting their first child.

The Bluejacket of the Year is Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Erick Soliz., a native of Pasadena, Texas.

Soliz serves as the NAS Kingsville Bachelor Housing Complex manager.

Soliz reported to NAS Kingsville in January 2009 but made the most of his first year on board.

He facilitated 15 Bachelor Housing and Navy Gateway Inns & Suites (NGI&S) selfhelp projects during the past year, saving the Navy more than $55,000 in labor costs while vastly improving quality of life for command personnel.

He is responsible for the tracking and management of over $700K of furniture and equipment.

In addition, his work ethic and leadership were noted as key to the command receiving a 90- percent grade on the 2009 Commander, Navy Installations Command Resident Satisfaction Survey.

Soliz is also an active member of the NAS Kingsville Junior Enlisted Association, serving as treasurer.

He volunteered more than 30 hours to basewide Community Outreach projects, helping the air station maintain its superb relationship with the local community.

Bachelor Housing Manager and leading chief CSCS (SW) Mike Reed believes that Soliz is well-deserving of the honor.

“CS3 Soliz has been a Minter valuable asset to Bachelor Housing and NGI&S,” Reed said.

“His dedication and reliability far exceeds his pay grade of a Third Class Petty Officer.”

Soliz has already done much to help improve the command’s quality of life, as well as overseeing several short and long range Quality of Life improvement projects worth over $1.2 million, according to Reed.

Soliz also lead a tiger team in performing several maintenance repairs and improvements around the CBQ, saving the Navy another $12,000 in labor costs.

“CS3 Soliz is constantly evaluating his achievements and monitoring his progress throughout the year,” said Reed, “which helps to keep him competitive within the command and the Navy.”

In addition to off-duty involvement with the JEA, Soliz is involved with the Keep Kingsville Beatuiful project (Adopt-a-Spot), and serves as Recycling Petty Officer for Bachelor Housing and NGI&S.

“The one thing that stands out most about CS3 Soliz is that he has the ability to motivate individuals around him and has earned the respect of all,” Reed said.

“That’s a trait that is not common for a 3rd Class Sailor.”

Soliz is honored to be selected by the command.

“I’m just part of a great team at NGI&S,” the Navy honoree said.