Kilmer receives highest Navy award for civilians
BREMERTON — Secretary of the Navy Ray Maybus presented U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer with the Navy's Distinguished Public Service Award during an event Friday at Kitsap Conference Center.
The award, given to people with an exceptional record of public service to the Navy or Marine Corps, is the highest honor a civilian not employed by the Navy can receive.
"I'm proud to fight for our service members, the DOD civilians who support them and our veterans," Kilmer said. "Frankly, I received this on behalf of our amazing community who step up to support the men and women who serve every single day, and I look forward to continuing to be their partner."
Maybus said the award was for Kilmer's advocacy for the resources needed to maintain a strong Navy and Marine Corps.
Kilmer, of Gig Harbor, routinely speaks out about the need to end the across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration, which caused the furlough of many civilian defense workers. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, he's fought to support a fleet of 11 aircraft carriers while fully funding the Ohio-class submarine replacement program. He has also secured funding for construction at key local military installations such as Naval Base Kitsap.
Kilmer successfully obtained a two-year extension on overtime pay for local shipyard workers who travel to Japan to conduct nuclear maintenance on the U.S. aircraft stationed there. He has led a bipartisan effort to roll back DOD cuts to per diem rates for employees who have to do long-term travel for work. After the Office of Personnel Management data breach that left millions of federal employees and their families vulnerable to identity theft Kilmer successfully passed provisions into law to help. Kilmer also passed an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill that ensures that furloughed civilian employees don't lose their security clearance as a result of financial pressure from sequestration.
Source: Kitsap Sun