Marine Science Technician 2nd Jessica Watts

The marine environment off the Massachusetts coast could have no better champion than Marine Science Technician 2nd Class Jessica Watts, her superiors and shipmates say.

"She has earned a reputation for reliability and established herself as one of the best pollution investigators and facility inspectors in the unit," one officer wrote.

She "acted decisively" when responding to a 20,000-gallon diesel oil spill, another officer wrote, and, after a second, 18,000-gallon spill, Watts "directed the immediate response and ensured the recovery of more than 70 percent of the oil, protecting the environment and salvaging the Coast Guard's vital relationship with the community."

She also prevented at least one other oil spill, having identified substandard equipment at an oil facility near Boston and making sure it was replaced to ease the environmental risk.

"She is extremely hardworking, intelligent and innovative and always takes on more than her share to make our unit the best it can be," an officer wrote.