NAVSEA Announces 2025 Active and Reserve Sailors of the Year

NAVSEA Announces 2025 Active and Reserve Sailors of the Year

By Naval Sea Systems Command Corporate Communications

WASHINGTON - Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) announced the active and reserve 2025 Sailors of the Year during a ceremony held at its headquarters April 17.

Navy Diver First Class Andrew D. Turner, representing the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport, was named the Active-Duty Sailor of the Year.

Electronics Technician First Class Carl R. Frost II, representing Navy Reserve SurgeMain Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) - Raleigh, was named the Reserve Sailor of the Year.

"These exceptional recipients reflect the excellence and dedication of Sailors across the Enterprise," said Vice Adm. Jim Downey, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command and Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Industrial Operations. "They stand among 10 extraordinary finalists this year-technical leaders who impact their commands and accelerate Fleet readiness. They are the Warfighters who make our Navy great."

As one of the Navy's premier warfare centers, NUWC Division, Keyport provides advanced technical capabilities that support the Navy's undersea dominance. The center's work encompasses test and evaluation, engineering, and fleet readiness support for submarines, torpedoes, and unmanned systems.

Turner's leadership as the dive locker Leading Petty Officer directly supported this complex mission. Guiding a team of 14 divers through a wide range of critical operations, including site surveys, ship husbandry, and torpedo recovery, he ensured the warfare center could meet its demanding operational requirements.

Turner was also vital to the Navy's only Deep Sea Expeditionary No Decompression (DSEND) demonstration. During this event, he safely supervised 34 complex dives, ensuring the validation of a critical Office of Naval Research capability and helping secure its future funding. Additionally, Turner's mentorship drove the professional development of his team, resulting in the selection of four junior Sailors of the Quarter, two Sailors of the Quarter, and the awarding of 16 Navy achievement medals.

For the Navy Reserves, the Surge Maintenance (SurgeMain) program is a crucial component of the NAVSEA enterprise. Established to provide skilled, supplemental manpower to the nation's public shipyards, SurgeMain Sailors ensure the Navy has the maintenance capacity needed during peak workload periods to get ships back to the fleet on time.

Serving as the Leading Petty Officer and Command Career Counselor for SurgeMain Raleigh, Frost is responsible for the readiness, training, and career guidance of 127 Sailors. Demonstrating outstanding leadership, he was hand-selected to assume the role of Region Training Chief, a billet normally reserved for a Chief Petty Officer.

His proactive mentorship and orchestration of 49 career development boards led to four reenlistments and nine advancements, ensuring vital technical expertise is retained within the reserve force. Frost also put his technical skills directly to work for the fleet during his annual training at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. While aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58), he overhauled critical shipboard equipment, restoring the ship's vital communications suite to full operational status, directly contributing to a successful maintenance availability.

In the days leading up to the ceremony, the finalists representing 10 field activities, shipyards, and reserve units met with NAVSEA and Navy senior leaders and visited locations around the Washington, D.C. area. In addition to Turner and Frost, the finalists included:

Active-Duty Sailor of the Year Finalists

• Engineman First Class Alejandra Baxter, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Norfolk, Virginia
• Hull Technician First Class Trenton Jorgensen, Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Mayport, Florida
• Gas Turbine Systems Technician Mechanical First Class Erica Martinezgomez, Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California
• Gas Turbine Technician First Class Sharlyn Yambogonzalez, Pearl Harbor Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Reserve Sailor of the Year Finalists

• Electrician's Mate First Class Joshua Brown, Navy Reserve, SurgeMain Kitsap, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington
• Boatswain's Mate First Class Nanette Lewis, Navy Reserve, Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Louisville, Kentucky
• Electronics Technician First Class Steven Miedke, Navy Reserve, Northwest Regional Maintenance Center, Fort Worth, Texas
• Yeoman First Class Mary Yosinao, Navy Reserve, Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California
  

The Sailor of the Year program was established by former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo Zumwalt and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Whittet to recognize Sailors who best exemplify the Navy's ideals of professional and personal dedication. The program was later expanded to recognize outstanding Sailors from shore establishments and the Navy Reserve.

Turner and Frost will now go on to represent NAVSEA in the Navy-wide Sailor of the Year competition.