NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – Lauded for his leadership skills as a command career counselor, a Navy diver from China Lake, Calif., was recently recognized as the NAVAIR 2011 Reserve Sailor of the Year in a ceremony at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan.

Navy Diver 1st Class Daniel Griffith received the award May 16 in a surprise ceremony at the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) Headquarters in Afghanistan, where he is deployed on an active-duty tour.

“[Griffith] inspires and supports the junior Sailors to better themselves, both physically and mentally,” said Lt. Cmdr. Randy Hoyt, Griffith’s in-theater officer-in-charge. “He has made my job here easier. [He] is very professional and the Navy core values are words he walks – every minute of every day.”

The mobilized Reservists support and manage certified DoD civilian “artisans” from the Fleet Readiness Centers. While artisans conduct the actual repair, Grifitth manages the day-to-day operations to ensure the artisans are properly equipped and supported, said Hoyt, himself a mobilized Reservist from Griffith’s unit in California.

NAVAIR Reserve Program (NRP) leadership selected Griffith over five other nominees for his work as a command career counselor, fitness leader and a supply coordinator for Detachment Alpha of the Navy Reserve Forward Deployed Combat Repair unit at China Lake, Calif.

Over the course of the year, Griffith raised his detachment’s retention rate to 92 percent in 2011, from 85 percent in 2010, ensuring all 15 qualified Sailors passed their advancement exams. The unit supports in-theater, in-service depot-level repair of primarily Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.

“In the Reserve, sometimes maintaining your records turns into a full-time job,” Griffith said via email from Afghanistan. “I try to alleviate that for my guys and keep up on their retention schedule, making sure to ask and hopefully meet a member’s short-term career goals.”

Chosen as a command leading petty officer, Griffith served as a mentor in his unit, advising his shipmates on careers, health and fitness issues. He instituted the Fitness Enhancement Program, trained two new fitness leaders and encouraged better health among his unit.

In his civilian career, Griffith builds networks for DoD as an information technology specialist with CRL Technologies, based in China Lake. He said the leadership skills and professionalism required in his civilian job boosts his performance in the Navy.

When Griffith found out he had been nominated for the award, he said he was honored, then surprised he won.

“I did not know until I was standing at the front of formation and was told to get to the back,” Griffith said, recalling the day of the announcement. “I knew either my uniform was a wreck or something was going on involving me. I was a ball of nerves … It was a great surprise and I was totally shocked.”

Griffith served on active duty for nine years before suddenly finding himself the sole caretaker of his two children after a divorce. He joined the Navy Reserve to continue serving while remaining close to his family. He has since remarried.

“If it wasn’t for my wife … my military career, at this point, wouldn’t be possible. I owe her everything,” Griffith said, acknowledging his family’s support.

He said many of his shipmates receive similar reinforcement from their families.

“It is awe-inspiring when I think of America’s capacity of love for her troops,” Griffith said. “It motivates you every day to work hard for the oath you have taken and reminds you of the people you are doing it for.”

The NAVAIR Reserve Program has 22 units and 240 officer and enlisted members supporting the command and its associated warfare centers and program executive offices. The program currently has 25 Sailors forward deployed, 58 total for fiscal 2012, providing more than 15,000 man-days of active-duty support to the command each year.