ALAMEDA, Calif. — The California Maritime Academy received the Above and Beyond Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve state committee today at the Academy in Vallejo.
The award recognizes employers at a local level who provide support and cooperation with their employees who serve the nation.
A Coast Guard reservist, Petty Officer 3rd Class Blaine Meserve-Nibley, a marine science technician assigned to the Pacific Strike Team in Novato and a student at the Academy, nominated the school to receive the award after returning from a one-month deployment to New Jersey following Hurricane Sandy.
During the hurricane response, Meserve-Nibley was part of a team that responded to pollution threats from debris and boats that washed ashore after the storm.
“While deployed, you worry about everything at home, but the staff provided support and made everything easier,” said Meserve-Nibley. “I didn’t have to worry about school and was able to focus on the work that needed to be done.”
Meserve-Nibley missed six classes while deployed, but the school allowed him to make up the classes through extensions on assignments and finals.
Carlos Trevino, the California area chairman for ESGR, said few employers receive this award, and they are nominated by employees who appreciate how they were treated while activated for military duty.
“Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units,” said Trevino.
The award was accepted by the California Maritime Academy president, retired Navy Adm. Thomas Cropper, who said he was personally honored.
“It is a testament how our faculty step up and help our students stay on track,” said Cropper.
ESGR is an operational committee for the Department of Defense who promote cooperation and understanding between the reserve component service members and their civilian employers. For more information click here.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Blaine Nibley, with the National Strike Force’s Pacific Strike Team, records information on a pollution target sheet for the Environmental Response Managment Application, an online mapping application that displays data relevant to emergency response, in Perth Amboy, N.J, Nov. 25, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Andrew Ksenzulak.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Blaine Nibley, with the National Strike Force’s Pacific Strike Team, assesses the damaged area for pollution hazards in South Amboy, N.J., Nov. 24, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Andrew Ksenzulak.
Retired Navy Adm. Thomas Cropper (left), the California Maritime Academy president, accepts the Above and Beyond award from Carlos Tevino, the California area chairman for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at the Academy in Vallejo, Calif. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Loumania Stewart
