[Seahawk]

Very interesting question, one I had not thought about before.

I have six full rows of ribbons and awards....mainly related to multiple cruises where we did some neat things and the first PGW, which was a ribbon fest, especially since I did some direct work with the Kuwaiti Navy leading up to the Army and Marines doing their thing.

For me there are two. Let me explain.

For me, my Sea Service ribbon with multiple stars meant I went to sea a lot, which I guess was the whole point of becoming a Navy pilot. But I did it, pulled the load and always did what I thought was the right and honorable thing.

The second are those awards I got for the enlisted folks in the various Divisions, Departments and Command I had.

My Grandfather was a Warrant Officer Electrician in the Navy, joining after Pearl Harbor was attacked. Two of his older brothers were already Navy Chiefs at the time, serving on destroyers in the Pacific.

Their mantra to me was always, "sailors first and last", which didn't mean be nice, trust me.

But for the enlisted men and women that worked for me awards matter for promotion points, resume and, frankly, recognition...so I worked it, hard.

That and CAP: Command Advancement Program. Navy guys will know. I always busted my ass on CAP if I had a deserving sailor and I always prevailed.