1SG Monekia Denkins

Single mother of an 18-year-old son.

Monekia Denkins arrived in South Korea a formidable figure. Drill sergeant. Twice deployed. Single mom. Diabetic who won’t let that get in the way. Not too tall, but a solid wall of sergeant.

Make that first sergeant.

What she did next inspired more than two dozen of her colleagues, from junior enlisted to Korean soldiers to commanders, to write to Army Times to say she deserves to be Soldier of the Year.

Denkins developed a soldier-civilian mentor program to get members of the company working together and give her soldiers what they need to succeed. She won an award for leading soldiers through a high-pressure inspection that won the unit accolades for flawless results. She re-energized the Family Readiness Group and got everyone, including civilians, involved. In her volunteering, she embraced a nearby orphanage, bringing gifts there for the children and inspiring her soldiers to spend time there each week.

She and the company commander at 201st Signal Company, 41st Signal Battalion, took soldiers on a team-building field trip to a Korean folk village where soldiers got to know the host country and their co-workers. On post, Denkins saw the unit’s workplace had gotten shabby from neglect and she worked to get more than $2 million for renovations to barracks and offices.

Denkins looks for ways for her soldiers and civilians to achieve, leading the unit to repeatedly win the battalion honor company award.

It is not just her individual accomplishments that make her worthy of the Soldier of the Year award, but her “overall leadership” and “her never-quit/failure-is-not-an-option approach,” the battalion’s Command Sgt. Maj. Maurice A. Rambert wrote to Army Times. “She is the type of leader that we as Army professionals scour the ranks for but rarely find.”

Leading soldiers is what first sergeants do; it is part of the role. But soldiers say Denkins sets the standard.

“She showed me what a leader was. … It took me being in the military six years before I finally physically saw what the standard was, and it was 1SG Denkins,” wrote Staff Sgt. Najimah Lewis. “If it wasn’t for her, I would not be in the military today.”

Another soldier said “finishing strong” is her most memorable quote.

“One day 1st Sgt. Denkins told me ‘how will you choose to respond to the challenge in front of you?’ I truly think this one question is the reason 1st Sgt. Denkins stands out above her peers,” wrote Pfc. Keyon Elmore, communication security consultant for the 201st. “Every challenge I see that 1st Sgt. Denkins faces, she … not only starts the mission with a standard of excellence but also finishes the mission strong with that same standard.”

Denkins told Army Times how she sets that standard.

“I put my hand halfway in the air, and say ‘that’s the Army standard.’ We say go above that, and this is our standard,” she said. “Sometimes we’re going to stumble and we’re going to fall. If you stumble and fall a little bit, you’re still above the Army standard.”

She is “a true visionary” and “the legendary one that they teach us about in our officer development courses,” said Capt. Gary W. Jones, commander of the 201st.

A first sergeant may be respected and followed, but this one is also loved, the battalion commander said.

“Her soldiers and civilians love her because of her wisdom, compassion, competitive spirit and ... she always takes care of them no matter what,” wrote Lt. Col. Seena Tucker.

No fear

“A drill sergeant was what I always wanted to be,” said Denkins, whose hometown is Houston. That assignment, plus another as an instructor, laid a foundation for her to become a leader. She lived the Army life with her son, now 18 and planning his future. “He’s been a great son,” she said. “I would lay down my life for him, and that’s the same for my soldiers.”

She has had two tours in the Middle East, the first at Doha, Qatar, from June 2001 to December 2002 and the second to Camp Victory, Iraq, in 2005-2006.

To be there for her soldiers, sometimes Denkins puts her own daily challenges in the background. She is a diabetic who needs daily insulin. She often finds herself “struggling to get through the day,” she said.

Helping soldiers

When Denkins arrived at the 201st at the end of 2009, she found a family readiness group that needed a spark. She got to work, revitalizing the group, bringing in civilians and ensuring the group has resources. Family attendance at events tripled, she said.

She also tackled “one of the biggest challenges we face,” soldiers arriving at the unit unable to perform basic duties because they aren’t commercially certified. For soldiers in MOS 25B, information technology specialist, to do basic functions and get access to Army networks, they must be certified. Denkins developed a mentor program that pairs soldiers with civilian technicians who train them. As a result, more than 20 soldiers have their IT certifications, and they can troubleshoot the hundreds of calls their Network Enterprise Center gets a week.

Another accomplishment in 2010 was getting through a Cyber Command Readiness Inspection that included assessing security of facilities and vulnerability of networks. The inspection found no deficiencies. Denkins was awarded an Impact Army Achievement Medal in July 2010 for leading soldiers through the inspection.

Denkins encourages soldiers to keep going to the orphanage where she goes in support of the battalion chaplain’s Good Neighbor Program and where she brings gifts for holiday parties for the children. In 2010, the soldiers of 201st gave more than 580 hours of volunteer time on and off post.

Denkins will reach 20 years of service in February, but says she’s not ready to retire.

“It’s still in my heart,” she said. “When I feel I can’t help a soldier at all, that’s when it’s time to take the boots off.”

SSG Cesar Seda

Married to Asyadeed; father of three Staff Sgt. Cesar Seda lives to serve.

Seda, 37, helps injured and ill soldiers through long-term medical treatment. He ensures they attend appointments and receive pay, benefits and awards, and he arranges housing and transportation for their families, Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Nelson, his platoon sergeant, wrote nominating Seda for Army Times Soldier of the Year.

Seda’s ability to empathize with wounded soldiers and motivate them to achieve goals inspired a unit motto, “Everyone can do something,” said co-worker and nurse Rebecca Conner in her nomination.

In that spirit, Seda, of Carolina, Puerto Rico, organized an adaptive sports program through U.S. Paralympics and has helped soldiers prepare for the Warrior Games.

His selflessness continues off duty. He flies around the U.S. helping soldiers move into new homes, wrote co-worker Staff Sgt. Dierre Oliver.

An honor graduate of the Advanced Leadership Course, Seda launched Heroes in the Community in Fairbanks, Alaska, so soldiers could learn the meaning of “giving back.” The volunteer program has spent more than 1,000 hours helping youth sports, the Nation Kidney Foundation and the homeless.

“I can honestly say that I have not met, during my 15 years on active duty, a more knowledgeable and self-sacrificing leader,” Nelson wrote.

SGT Brett Turnbough

Married to Bernadette; father of five daughters

When Sgt. Brett Turnbough acts, others follow.

Turnbough, 37, carried himself beyond his rank and served as a leader of peers during a recent series of missions, Col. Charles Bonasera, a National Guard commander, wrote in nominating Turnbough for Army Times Soldier of the Year.

First, Turnbough volunteered to deploy on a pre-deployment exercise in which he ensured day-to-day aviation readiness. He was awarded an Army Commendation Medal for his actions.

On another mission, Turnbough, of Birmingham, Ala., voluntarily corrected deficiencies cited on an aviation inspection. In one case, he raised “petroleum readiness” from 11 percent to 87 percent, Capt. David Goodall, his supervisor, wrote to Army Times. Those actions earned Turnbough an Army Achievement Medal. Turnbough, who has no computer background, identified problems with a computer system used to track the unit’s helicopter maintenance levels, doggedly studied its software and fixed the problems, Goodall wrote. Turnbough’s command sergeant major, Wiley Russell, described the work as “inspiring.” Turnbough is a Warrior Leader Course graduate and former aviation corporal, a rare honor. Turnbough joined the Guard after 9/11 because he wanted to serve his country — and it shows, Goodall wrote.

“He is always there when the unit needs him and always puts the unit first.”

LCDR Michael Files

Unmarried; father was an Air Force staff sergeant

Over the past school year, he had memorized the Cub Scout Promise and mastered the Cub Scout Salute. Now all that stood between first-grader Myles Davis and the Bobcat badge was answering questions from his Cubmaster, Lt. Cmdr. Michael Files.

The Bobcat badge would be Myles’ first, and he was justifiably nervous. “Michael wouldn’t let him quit,” recalled Lt. Dwayne Jackson, a chaplain who occasionally helps Files with the Cub Scouts. “Mike kept on encouraging him ... saying, ‘Hey, you can do it, Myles.’

“He kept affirming Myles,” he continued, “and hey, Myles got it.” Later, in March, Files presented the badge to Myles and two other students before a school assembly. “When he received that badge, he was like ‘Wow, wow,’” Jackson said.

For the past school year, Files, 36, led an after-school Scout group at Randle Highlands Elementary School, a public school in a predominantly minority and underprivileged neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Many students came from single-parent homes and lacked male role models. Files, who has no children, saw the need and stepped up.

For For Files, a human resources professional for the chief of naval personnel and the 2011 Navy Times Sailor of the Year, volunteering is a calling, a chance to inspire kids and colleagues alike.

For “When I think about Michael,” said Roberta Felder, the after-school activities coordinator at Randle Highlands, “I think about him going above and beyond the call of duty with our students, just talking to the boys, teaching them life skills.”

For Files’ volunteering extends well beyond Scouting. He organizes mentoring and diversity awareness events in the Navy Annex where he works; manages an outreach program for his command at a nearby high school; and spearheads projects with other groups, like a care package drive by the United States Junior Chamber, commonly known as the Jaycees. He founded a scholarship foundation and serves as a human rights commissioner for the City of Alexandria, Va., where he lives.

For His ethic is “volunteer, volunteer, volunteer,” Jackson said. “When it comes to volunteering, he’s the total package.”

For Doing a good turn daily

For Files’ most extensive volunteering efforts are in Scouting. He grew up in Boy Scouts and views his pursuit of a naval career as an outgrowth of Scouting — namely from the process of attaining his favorite merit badge.

For “I can go back and say Boy Scouts and more specifically, the Citizenship in the World merit badge, built the foundation for me where I am today,” Files said in a June interview.

For Files graduated from the Naval Academy in 1998, earned a master’s degree in international relations and has lived around the world, including tours in Bahrain and Guam.

For “What I learned in the Boy Scouts is, do a good turn daily,” he said.

For Files has made it a habit over the past decade to volunteer at Cub Scout packs near where he’s been stationed. After Files moved to Washington in late 2008, he connected with Pack 1029 at Randle Highlands.

For Every Monday night during the school year, he led a group of roughly 20 first-, second- and third-graders.

For With the school year over, Files is organizing an overnight summer camp for some of his scouts in August, complete with archery and camping in tents — new experiences for most of the kids.

For In addition, Files is an assistant scoutmaster for another local troop and is a chapter adviser to an Order of the Arrow chapter in McLean, Va. He serves on the Boy Scout national committee and has helped raise money for Scouting groups in the Washington, D.C., area.

For Mentor and organizer

For Colleagues and friends say Files is known for finding openings for volunteers and recruiting for them tirelessly, all without taking much credit himself.

For “He can somehow get everybody involved for a cause and they don’t know that he got them involved,” said Chief Yeoman (SW) Antonio Franklin, a former recruit division commander.

For Files has organized a variety of events at the Navy Annex, including meetings of the African-American employee resource group, a bring-your-child-to-work day and a speed-mentoring session.

For “Everywhere I pretty much go as far as my involvement with diversity, I pretty much always see Lt. Cmdr. Files,” said Senior Chief Intelligence Specialist (SW/AW) Tonya Gray, who manages the Information Dominance Corps diversity program. “He’s always out on deck.”

For Files’ passion for volunteering benefits the command and the Navy, said his boss, Steffanie Easter, the assistant deputy chief of naval operations for manpower, personnel, training and education. She nominated him for the Sailor of the Year award.

For “He serves as a very positive face for the Navy to those who may not be as familiar with us and what we stand for,” Easter said.

For Cmdr. Tim Wadley, the chief of staff for CNP, agreed wholeheartedly. “There’s nothing that he would not do for someone,” he said.

CTN2 Ryan Powell

Engaged to Danielle McAndrew

Whether it’s on the clock or off, Cryptologic Technician (Networks) 2nd Class Ryan Powell always makes helping the people around him a priority.

Powell has logged more than 600 volunteer hours in two years of Navy service — 225 in 2010 alone — for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels and Ronald McDonald House. He also helps junior sailors excel.

“CTN2 Powell always gives a helping hand, no matter how mediocre the work may seem,” CTN3 Jonathan Turner wrote in nominating Powell. “[He is] always willing to show someone around, [and he] helps new people become more comfortable when settling into the command.”

Powell also fought hard last year to have the instructions on automatic advancement become more clearly defined throughout the Navy. His work led to a change in the procedure for time-in-rate calculations that helped nearly 1,000 sailors advance more quickly.

Powell is studying information systems technology at Virginia’s Old Dominion University and is applying for the Seaman to Admiral-21 Program in hopes of becoming a naval officer.

RPC Rafael Barney

Married to Tatiana, expecting their first child; guardian to brother Tony, 15

Friends and fellow sailors say Chief Religious Program Specialist (SW/AW/FMF) Rafael Barney is full of compassion — when he sees someone in need, he’s there to help. Barney, 29, is a Big Brother to five teenagers. He recruited and trained 30 mentors last year to serve as role models to local immigrant students. And he mentors Naval Academy midshipmen.

“When Chief Barney extends himself to others, he does it with all his heart,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Martha Rodriguez, vice president of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Association of Naval Service Officers, wrote in her nominating letter. .

In his role as president of the Washington ANSO chapter, Barney has met with senior military officers, civilian executives and local Hispanic professionals, said 2010 Navy Times Coast Guardsman of the Year Lt. Cmdr. Richard Angelet. Barney also serves as leader of the chief of naval personnel’s Hispanic Employee Resources Group. “Chief Barney exemplifies the very core of the Navy’s values of honor, courage and commitment, and is a staunch champion of those less fortunate in his community,” Angelet wrote. .

SSgt Lindsay Bell

Married to Staff Sgt. Jason Bell, signals analyst with the 3rd Intelligence Squadron, also at Fort Gordon.

Staff Sgt. Lindsay Bell is passionate about helping others.

She took a three-month deployment to the war zone for a fellow airman whose mother fell ill. She feeds the hungry a couple of times a month at a soup kitchen. She has raised thousands of dollars for cancer research. And, day in and day out, she lives by the Air Force’s core values of integrity, service and excellence.

Her dedication and unselfishness inspire her fellow volunteers in the community, her team members, even her superiors at Fort Gordon, Ga.

“Staff Sergeant Bell is an all-around great troop and continually sacrifices for her team members and community,” said Capt. Seth Marin, Bell’s supervisor.

From Tech. Sgt. Louis Benes, who has been both her boss and co-worker: “Staff Sergeant Bell consistently puts others ahead of herself. She can never say no to someone in need.”

For that commitment and caring, both on the job and off the clock, Bell is Air Force Times’ 2011 Airman of the Year.

Bell, 26, sees what she does as nothing extraordinary.

“I’ve always been the type of person that, if someone needs the shirt off my back, I would give it to him,” Bell said in a telephone interview from southwest Asia, just a week before she returned to the U.S. in late June.

“I love helping people.”

‘Stellar example’

Bell almost didn’t join the Air Force. She toyed with being a sailor first.

The decision to join the military was an easy one. It was a way to get a college education without burying her parents in debt. But which service to sign with wasn’t as clear-cut. The Navy made a pitch and Bell considered it — until her dad reminded her about an uncle in the Air Force stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. A visit to the uncle, now retired, and the Air Force Academy in nearby Colorado Springs made up her mind.

“I was in awe,” she said of the trip. “I fell in love.”

Two months to the day after graduating from high school, Bell enlisted in the Air Force. Today, with eight years in, she couldn’t be more confident about her choice.

“I feel like I’m where I need to be,” she said.

Bell, a native of Hayden, Ala., is a national tactical integration analyst with the 31st Intelligence Squadron; she remembers working hard to learn her job but not always having supervisors invested enough to help her get better.

“I had to do a lot on my own,” she said, “and that kind of put a bitter taste in my mouth.”

Instead of giving up, Bell became determined to be the best airman she could be and to be a supportive leader when her time came.

“I think it’s very important to be the one that leads by example,” she said.

Senior Master Sgt. Michael Brown, the 31st’s superintendent, credits Bell with making sure seven airmen completed their career development courses and raising the squadron’s pass rate by 50 percent. The achievement took more than 100 hours of Bell’s off time, he said.

“Staff Sergeant Bell exemplifies what the Air Force asks of its NCOs along with serving as a stellar example of our core values,” Brown said. She “is honest, straightforward and can be counted on to always complete her duties and take care of her airmen.”

Bell praises the airmen she supervises and makes what she does sound easy.

“A lot of the airmen I meet just want to know that someone believes in them,” she said.

‘Perfect volunteer’

One of the honors that Bell received last year from the 31st was Volunteer of the Year, but she hasn’t always been into community service. She came to understand its importance through the Air Force, she said. These days, it’s second nature.

“It’s my niche,” she said.

Bell serves as treasurer of the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group’s Booster Club and has helped raise more than $4,000 for morale activities.

Outside the Air Force, Bell’s pet causes are ending hunger and fighting cancer.

The fight against cancer is a personal one. One of Bell’s uncles has the disease; other family members have died from it.

Every year, Bell makes an effort to participate in Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event. In 2010, Bell organized a unit team, which raised $2,000 for the event.

The hunger fight takes place at the Master’s Table, a soup kitchen run by Golden Harvest Food Bank in downtown Augusta, Ga. Bell is particularly touched by the veterans who stop in.

“It just makes me feel good that I can help them,” she said. “They didn’t have the resources that we have today, and it’s neat to talk to them and hear their stories.”

Bell rounds up airmen from her squadron to lend a hand at the soup kitchen.

“She is an all-around perfect volunteer,” said Tammy Lynn Jackson, Golden Harvest’s volunteer coordinator.

‘Stepping up’

Six months ago, Bell had her doubts about whether she would be in the Air Force today. Foot injuries and an asthma diagnosis sent her before a medical evaluation board. She had more than a few anxious days. All the worrying turned out to be for nothing. She went before the board Feb. 6, received the thumbs up two days later and soon headed off to the war zone.

Bell had been scheduled to deploy in June but decided to push ahead her tour to help the airman with the family emergency.

“I felt like I was going in a couple of months anyway, why not go now,” she said.

Bell caught her husband by surprise — sort of.

“She’s always looking for a new challenge and always wants to help anybody and everybody,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Bell, a signals analyst with the 3rd Intelligence Squadron, also at Fort Gordon.

“She says ‘no’ very seldom,” he said. “I don’t think it’s in her vocabulary.”

Bell said she enjoyed her three-month deployment in southwest Asia because she could see the results of her work.

“I helped protect the lives on the ground every day,” she said. “It’s good to know that something I’ve done has helped someone else.”

A1C Haley Westbrook

Married; hometown is Social Circle, Ga.

Westbrook doesn’t have much time under her belt, but she’s no stranger to responsibility.

Shortly after joining the Air Force, Westbrook deployed to Iraq with the 824th Security Forces Squadron, since renamed the 824th Base Defense Squadron.

In her six months overseas, the Georgia native played two roles: lead convoy driver and weapons custodian.

Behind the wheel, she completed more than 80 combat missions without incident. Her ammunitions work required her to track 50,000 rounds of ammunition and redesign the equipment storage process.

In her off time, Westbook volunteered more than 600 hours at Joint Base Balad. She didn’t care how she helped, doing everything from preparing food to organizing events. At the end of every day, she helped out in the base’s emergency room.

While juggling her work and volunteer responsibilities, Westbrook managed to upgrade her training and earn her associate degree in criminal justice from the Community College of the Air Force.

“She has gone above and beyond the scope of her duties and excelled at every task,” wrote Master Sgt. Aaron W. Winward, Westbrook’s flight chief. “She has dedicated herself to education and to helping community, as well.”

SSgt Kaitlin Morgan

Married; hometown is Jasper, Fla.

Morgan goes above and beyond what’s expected, whether she’s getting airmen ready for the war zone, leading physical training or teaching kids how to play volleyball.

Last year, Morgan was stationed at Misawa Air Base, Japan, where she served as unit deployment manager for the 301st Intelligence Squadron.

Lt. Col. Michael S. Smith, the squadron’s commander, described Morgan as “great” at her job, “defeating logistical hurdles” to ship weapons to six remote desert locations and saving the Air Force money at the same time.

Morgan’s handling of one problem, though, really wowed Smith.

“She identified and resolved a wing-level broken weapons shipment process, narrowly averting a major security violation, and thwarting an international incident,” he wrote in an email.

Off duty, Morgan spent much of her time helping the children — at Misawa, across Japan and around the world. She coached volleyball and organized a tutoring program. She was instrumental in planning a local Special Olympics; served as local president of Operation Eyesight, which helps blind children; and organized a fundraiser that brought in $500 for humanitarian aid to Haiti earthquake victims.

At the end of his email, Smith rattled off example after example of Morgan’s selflessness — baby-sitting for free, acting as a designated driver for five of Misawa’s social events, mentoring her fellow airmen.

“SSgt Morgan reminds us what it takes to get the mission done,” Smith wrote, “and inspires us to do our very best at all times.”

Captain David Coté

Single, 32 years old

Hometown: Bangor, Maine

Education:U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., Class of 2001

MONTEREY, Calif. — Capt. David J. Coté grew up in a New England household big on blue-collar values: hard work, sound education, public service, always do right and help others in need.

So when Coté’s father, terminally ill with renal failure, learned he’d need a kidney transplant, his son moved quickly to help. But first there was a race to run. With $4,000 in pledges riding on his participation in Boston’s 9K Run to Home Base, organized to help veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and brain injuries, Coté wasn’t about to back out.

His dad, Vince Coté, was there to greet him at the finish line: home plate at Fenway Park, the stomping ground for their beloved Boston Red Sox. Two days later, on May 25, 2010, they underwent successful transplant surgery.

The drive to help others, quite simply, is who this man is. Coté, a 32-year-old bachelor who’s been selected for promotion to major, has raised thousands of dollars running in marathons and road races for charities that support wounded combat vets. In his free time, he volunteers to help fellow Marines make sense of the military’s education benefits, such as tuition assistance and the GI Bill.

He also counsels homeless veterans and is enrolled at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif., where he’s researching how the Veterans Affairs Department can better identify former service members most at risk of taking the wrong path before it’s too late. Along with his course work, Coté serves as an assistant scout leader with Boy Scouts and Eagle Scouts, and volunteers with the National Kidney Foundation as a sponsor for prospective donors.

His latest pursuit? Serving as a guide for blind runners. For his relentless drive to improve others’ lives, Coté is the 2011 Marine Corps Times Marine of the Year.

“He is an inspiring role model to others to achieve their fullest potential,” said R.D. Fricker Jr., an associate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. “He embodies the citizen-soldier-scholar, upon which the future success of this country may depend.”

Coté grew up in a tight-knit family in Bangor, Maine. His path into military service began when he received a coveted nomination to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., where he majored in mathematics. At his graduation in 2001, he was so excited during the ceremony that he threw a bear hug on the guest of honor, then-President George W. Bush.

Coté later earned pilot’s wings and flew AH-1W Super Cobras at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He moved on to a wing support group at nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar before spending a yearlong tour in Iraq in 2006.

Not long after his return from theater, Coté wound up working as a legal officer at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. There, he began talking regularly with Marines about their educational benefits. Coté recounts the story of a retiring 30-year sergeant major who hadn’t realized the importance of getting an education until he came face-to-face with the costs associated with retirement. He’d have to get a job, but what was he qualified to do?

To save others from this fate, Coté developed a brief aimed at junior Marines. His “Arm Yourself” presentation has now been delivered more than 50 times on the West Coast.

“I believe in Marines, and what they can do in their life,” Coté said. “I believe it is the senior Marine’s responsibility to look after a younger Marine, like a brother.”

Coté works regularly with the Veterans Village of San Diego, a nonprofit that serves thousands of vets and hosts the annual Stand Down program. It’s a three-day effort that focuses on counseling, medical and dental treatment, legal services and employment training for veterans. They can drop by, get a shower, do their laundry and receive donated clothing and food.

“My heart breaks for them,” he said. “They need somebody to believe in them because they’ve been hurting.”

This prompted the focus of his postgraduate work. While studying in Monterey, Coté hopes to unlock answers to the most pressing questions surrounding veterans’ homelessness

“How can we best intervene?” Coté said. “I think we can find out who are most likely to complete the program.”

He’s now halfway through the two-year curriculum. Once he graduates, it’s anyone’s guess. Coté hasn’t received his next orders yet.

Without a doubt, though, the fitness-related charity work will continue. He’s scheduled to participate in the San Francisco Triathlon on Aug. 21 and Hawaii’s Kauai Marathon in September. When competing, Coté scrawls “kidney donor” on his legs — to raise awareness for organ donation.

Thinking back to the transplant surgery, Coté recalls getting a look at his father afterward and seeing how the pink had returned to a face ashen for too long. The experience was punctuated by a week together in the same hospital room, enabling them to reconnect.

“We were like two soldiers in an infirmary,” he said, chuckling. “We awoke together. We had meals together. … We’re complaining about the nurses together.”

Today, 64-year-old Vince Coté is doing great, his son says. Asked why he does what he does, and gives so much of himself and his time, Coté downplays the notion of any grand motivation. He cites his own good fortune, of having family and friends who’ve shown him the value of life and the importance of helping others.

“It’s not pay-it-forward,” Coté said. “It’s the right thing to do.”