A Coast Guard reservist assigned to Coast Guard Station Marblehead, Ohio, has been named the 2013 Coast Guard 9th District’s Reserve Enlisted Person of the Year and will be formally recognized at his unit at a later date by a member of the 9th District’s senior staff.
Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Williams, a machinery technician and Columbus, Ohio, native, was named reserve EPOY for the 9th District and will now compete against other enlisted persons of the year from the eight other Coast Guard districts to be named the Coast Guard's Enlisted Person of the Year.
Williams’ expertise and willingness to succeed is evident in his work ethic. He has qualified aboard two separate small boat platforms and as a boarding team member.
“He is a constant inspiration to all of us who serve — demonstrated by his service to our country as a reservist, his service as a firefighter and EMT, and his devotion to his family as a husband and father of 11 children,” said Chief Petty Officer Patrick Howerton, the acting senior enlisted reserve advisor at Station Marblehead. “His enthusiasm and work ethic bring out the best in all of us.”
In 2013, Williams certified as a State of Ohio emergency medical dispatcher, placed third in his division at the Firefighter Combat Challenge held in Lexington, Ky., and was part of a Coast Guard team that participated in the Sandusky Zombie 5K Mud Run.
He is also active within his community, providing fire safety training to school-age children and local businesses. Williams also volunteers with The Ronald McDonald House and is an advisor at the Eastland Career Center for Diesel Mechanic Program.
Stretching from northern New York state to northern Minnesota, the 9th District encompasses the five Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and parts of eight surrounding states, including 6,700 miles of shoreline and 1,500 miles of shared international border with Canada. Out of the 1,700 members in the district who are in the eligible enlisted rates, only one person is chosen as the active-duty and reserve EPOY of the Great Lakes.