Ray Taylor was presented with the Peggy B. Craig award by Rear Adm. Kate Gregory Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Chief of Civil Engineers at a ceremony on Friday.

Taylor enlisted in the Seabees when he was 17 and achieved the rank of Master Chief Constructionman by the time he was 32. Taylor deployed to Vietnam five times with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion SEVEN and Naval Support Activity Saigon.

As a Chief Petty Officer assigned to NSA Saigon, he led the mobile maintenance crew responsible for building advanced tactical support bases. These floating barges provided critical facilities in the South Vietnam delta region.

Taylor retired from active duty  in 1982. He was hired by Engineering Field Activity Northwest and continues to serve NAVFAC Northwest as an engineering technician.

Taylor is the first NAVFAC Northwest employee to receive this award, which was created to recognize employees for 20-plus years of “selfless and dedicated” service to NAVFAC.