Command Master Chief Bruce Forester

Command Master Chief (EW/AW) Bruce Forester is the epitome of the citizen sailor. The aircrewman has balanced his 19-year naval career, including myriad deployments and activations, with decades of service to the Virginia Beach Fire Department.

Forester transitioned to the medical community and completed three deployments with Joint Special Operations Aviation Detachment Arabian Peninsula in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; he tallied 96 high-risk, direct on-target missions and received three Air Medals. He did four combat tours with Naval Special Warfare's Operational Support Team 2, and now serves as the top enlisted sailor for 2nd Navy Expeditionary Logistics Regiment in Williamsburg, Va.

Forester has been a fixture as a long-standing volunteer with the Virginia Beach rescue squad. He's also volunteered with the Fisher House, Chesapeake's 4-H Hippology Study Group, and as a CPR instructor. As a volunteer with a FEMA task force, he has delivered aid in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, the 9/11 attacks and several hurricanes. He was a committee member for Hampton Roads Naval Museum's National Museum of the Surface Navy, has led his Chief Petty Officer Association for multiple years, and helped the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office establish the "Project Life Saver" community program, which monitors elderly citizens who suffer from debilitating illnesses, such as Alzheimer's and dementia.

Notable quote from her nomination: "His commitment and dedication is unmatched, and reflects upon his lifetime actions not only to his Sailors and their families for which he serves, but, to the community for which he lives."