Dedicated service

Seven months in the Middle East, at a joint military base, working 12-hour days, looking after the health and well being of the 130 other Coast Guard members in the unit, doesn’t sound like any ordinary at day the office. Especially when the average day consists of ensuring the members of your unit are healthy, fit and up to date with their physicals, dental work and medical paperwork. Despite the amount of responsibility, Petty Officer 1^st Class William Hilt, a health services technician stationed at Port Security Unit 312 in San Francisco, managed to do all this and more during his deployment in the Middle East, and his efforts didn’t stop there.           

Hilt volunteered his time after work to conduct boardings and safety inspections of tug boats assigned to bring cargo ships loaded with military equipment, as part of a joint Navy and Coast Guard boarding team. He also provided training to other unit personnel and offered guidance for a shipmate interested in switching rates to become a health services technician.

For his tireless efforts, dedication and initiative Hilt was presented with the 2011 Reserve Enlisted Person of the Year award.

The Coast Guard Enlisted Person of the Year and the Reserve Enlisted Person of the Year award are annual awards given to two enlisted Coast Guard members, one active duty, and one active duty reservist, rank E-2 to E-6. Recipients are selected based on their pride, professionalism, and dedication to the Coast Guard core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty. Both are chosen by a panel of Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officers, led by the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard.

            “Hilt exemplifies the Coast Guard’s core values,” said Lt. Erin Bennet, Hilt’s supervisor who submitted him for the award. “We are very proud that one of our own was given this prestigious award, but we all know it’s a team effort. I think Hilt’s reception of this award is also a recognition of his team, his shipmates, and their efforts as well.”

            Bennet cited Hilt’s hard work in preparing his unit to mobilize for deployment to the Middle East, as well as his work during the deployment, which went above and beyond the normal work hours expected of him.

            “I would work in the clinic during the day and then at night I would participate in vetting missions, where we would go out and inspect the tug boats that were waiting to bring the huge cargo ships into port,” said Hilt.

            When Hilt was not conducting vetting missions he would help his shipmates with their studies and training. Hilt also arranged for a fellow petty officer who was interested in becoming a health services technician, to work in the clinic and also provided him with reading material and study guides to give him a better understanding of the rate.

Toward the end of his unit’s seven-month deployment, Hilt helped to ensure the rapid demobilization of his unit. After returning home Hilt helped to completely reorganize the PSU 312 health clinic, including opening the unit’s first over the counter drug pharmacy and acquiring no cost medical and testing equipment for the lab.

Outside the Coast Guard Hilt is a full time student at San Jose State University working toward a bachelors of science in chemistry. Hilt also works for the Monterey County Coroner’s office as a forensic autopsy technician. In his free time Hilt is a Civil War history buff and sometimes travels to local schools to conduct history lessons about what life was like for Civil War soldiers.

            “I’m not really an award kind of guy,” said Hilt. “I just try to do my job and focus on the task at hand, but I am honored and humbled to have received this prestigious award. I know there are a lot of other hard working people out there who were submitted, but I like to think that we’re all focused on the same thing, doing our jobs to the best of our abilities.”