Hospital Corpsman Petty Officer First Class Eddie B. Carroll III was honored by the Hampton Roads Chamber as the 2022 Samuel T. Northern Military Citizen of the Year during a Nov. 17 ceremony.
Carroll, who works out of the Navy Medicine Training Support Center – Detachment Portsmouth, has devoted more than 623 volunteer hours to various organizations throughout Hampton Roads between October 2021 and October 2022, dedicating countless hours to the Portsmouth Bruins Pop Warner 6U football program, the YMCA of Portsmouth Youth Basketball program, the Virginia Beach Mustangs 6U football program and has been a volunteer landscaper for the command’s Portsmouth’s Fisher House.
“Through his leadership and guidance while coaching, the athletes excelled while learning lifelong lessons such as teamwork, leadership, perseverance, discipline and sacrifice,” the Chamber said.
The award is named after Northern, who was a local businessman focused on strengthening the bonds between the military and Hampton Roads residents. Since 1955, the Chamber has remembered Northern’s commitment by choosing someone in the local military community who goes above and beyond and volunteers as servants of the community. Military commands based all over Hampton Roads nominate people for the honor, with a group of business and military leaders selecting the winner based on their active and sustained participation in activities that benefit the community.
Here are the other honorees:
Culinary Specialist Petty Officer Second Class (CS2) Jarelle T. Harley, Commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic – CS2 Harley has volunteered over 520 volunteer hours with the USO, the Girl Scouts of the USA and GI Instruction Marine LLC. Petty Officer Harley assisted in saving and raising more than $7,500, supported military service members at the USO by providing snacks and resources for them and helped in the construction of multiple houses as well as the repair upkeep of the Portsmouth Boys and Girls Club.
Engine Man Fireman (ENFN) Adrian A. Hugo, Amphibious Construction Battalion 2 – ENFN Hugo has volunteered 210 hours with organizations such as the Virginia Beach Little League, Virginia Beach Youth Basketball and the National Flag Football League in Virginia Beach.
Builder Petty Officer Third Class (BU3) Raye Lin Klepac, Amphibious Construction Battalion Two – BU3 Klepac has volunteered more than 108 hours supporting organizations like the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Habitat for Humanity and Dominion Derby Girls. Through her work with Habitat for Humanity, she helped with building homes for low-income families in our region and has participated annually in their National Woman’s Day. She also helped promote and publicized recruitment for Dominion Derby Girls, an organization geared towards women’s empowerment and healthy living.
Boatswain’s Mate Petty Officer First Class (BM1) Camillia N. Lee, Amphibious Construction Battalion Two – Throughout the past few years, BM1 Lee has dedicated more than 2,800 hours to organizations including Pop Warner Bennett Creek Football and Cheer Association, Youth Girl Club and Ro Upsilon Tau Military Sorority. Through her work with Pop Warner she ensures every child has a ride to games, meals to eat and equipment on their back. She was also elected to serve as the organization’s treasurer. With the Youth Girl Club she is a mentor and advisor for more than 20 troubled female youths by attending field trips with them and helping to advise them. For Rho Upsilon Military Sorority she organizes group outings and volunteer events for the ladies to participate in.
Information Technology Petty Officer First Class (IT1) Parker Mills, USS McFaul – IT1 Mills volunteers as a first responder and supply Lieutenant for Virginia Beach’s Department of Emergency Medical Services. IT1 Mills averages 48 hours each month of volunteering for them and manages a $22,000 budget, maintains 5 response vehicles, provides protective equipment for 62 fellow volunteer responders and supports more than 8,000 emergency response calls per year.
Aviation Ordnanceman Petty Officer Second Class (AO2) Miko R. Mitchell, Commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic – AO2 Mitchell volunteered 216 hours of her time, assisting in child development and adolescent children, for Creative Hands. She also held food preparation and food sales for Creative Hands to help raise money for field trips.
Aviation Electronics Technician Petty Officer Third Class (AT3) Conner R. O’Leary, Fleet Readiness Center Mid-Atlantic Oceana – Since August 2021, Petty Officer O’Leary has volunteered 1,715 hours as a football coach at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach. During his time coaching, he has positively impacted more 65 students helping them as a mentor and coach, guiding them to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Logistics Specialist Petty Officer Second Class (LS2) John A. Teyhen, Naval Special Warfare Group Two Logistics Support Unit – LS2 Teyhan has dedicated more than 30 hours of his time to volunteering for JEB Little Creek’s Morale Welfare and Recreation 2022 Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Color Run, The Patriotic Festival, Sewell’s Point Elementary School, Virginia Beach Terrain Race, First Landing State Park and Tidewater Striders. A few volunteer activities he conducted with those organization included checking in and disseminating race packets to more than 600 runners, leading a beach cleanup and volunteering at a field day.
Specialist (SPC) Geavanne Guiwaine Williams, 329th Composite Water Craft Company – SPC Williams has volunteered 200 hours creating virtual soldier handbooks so the 7th brigade soldiers could access them virtually. SPC Williams also dedicated 500 hours to creating a website so soldiers could see when they were eligible for a certain rank, allowing them to plan for their career.
Staff Sergeant Jocelyn M. Call; Charlie Company, 1st Battalion-210th Aviation Regiment – Staff Sergeant Call has volunteered more than 120 hours in the last 12 months with the Fort Eustis School Aged Center, Youth Program and with the Cities of Hampton and Newport News. While volunteering, she has spent hours tilling their garden grounds with students and assisted in the cleanup of overgrown brush. Sergeant Call has also volunteered at SAC’s color-run, the Otter Ball, a local charity event that supports the Virginia Living Museum and has supported the Newport News One City Marathon. She has dedicated over 20 hours of her personal time to Unity Through Community, helping to maintain the Bassett and Elmerton Cemeteries in Hampton and has supported these organizations in other ways.
