The USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) Sailor of the Year (SOY) was selected as a finalist for the Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMNAVAIRPAC) 2013 Sea SOY.

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel) 1st Class Anthony Johnson from Lubbock, Texas, will represent Stennis during the finalist recognition week at Naval Station North Island Feb. 7-15.

“The whole experience is extremely surreal,” said Johnson, the leading petty officer for Air department’s V-2 division. “I feel extremely honored to continue to represent Stennis.”

Stennis’ Command Master Chief Trenton Schmidt said Johnson is the right choice as SOY and praised him for his proven leadership.

“The Sailor of the Year program is designed to recognize the best of the Navy, and ABF1 is just that,” said Stennis’ Command Master Chief Trenton Schmidt. “He [Johnson] epitomizes what we expect of our First Class Petty Officers and embodies everything that we want in a sailor. I could not be more proud of him representing Stennis as our Sailor of the Year.”

If selected as COMNAVAIRPAC 2013 Sea SOY, Johnson will advance to the U.S. Pacific Fleet SOY competition.

“He (Johnson) is a perfect choice and a perfect candidate for the award,” said Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Brandon Barr, from Social Circle, Ga. “He sets a great example in the department.”

Former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo Zumwalt and former Master Chief Petty Officer of Navy John Whittet established the Sailor of the Year program in 1972 to recognize those who best represent the group of dedicated and professional Sailors from each command and ultimately the Fleet.

Stennis is currently undergoing a Docking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

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