Louisville, Kentucky; May 15, 2015: Sergeant Charles E. Christmas III, USMC, Staff Non-Commissioned Officer-in-Charge, Marine Corps Recruiting Station Louisville, Louisville Sub-Station, Louisville, Kentucky, was honored with a Louisville Armed Forces Committee (LAFC) “Patriot Award” during its annual Armed Forces Day Dinner at the Galt House Hotel and Suites. Sergeant Christmas was publicly recognized for his outstanding performance of duty, dedication, professionalism and patriotism, and was congratulated by Vice Admiral Robin R. Braun, U.S. Navy, Chief of Navy Reserve and Commander, Navy Reserve Force, Washington, DC and Mr. Houston Mills, Jr., President, Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Kentucky (MCCCK). Following his enlistment in the Marine Corps in May 2006 and subsequent completion of recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, in August 2006, Sergeant Christmas was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, during which he was promoted to corporal and deployed to Iraq in August 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sergeant Christmas was subsequently ordered to Marine Wing Support Squadron 272 at New River, North Carolina, where he was promoted to his present rank and deployed in March 2011 to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. After graduating from Recruiters School in September 2012, Sergeant Christmas was assigned to Recruiting Station Louisville, Kentucky where he served as a canvassing recruiter for Recruiting Sub Station Louisville North. During Sergeant Christmas’s time serving as a canvassing recruiter he was Rookie Recruiter of Fiscal Year 2013 and Recruiter of the Year for Fiscal Year 2014. As the present time, Sergeant Christmas is the only sergeant serving as a Staff Non Commissioned Officer in Charge at Recruiting Station Louisville. Sergeant Christmas accepted this award before his wife (Denise) and fellow Marines from Marine Corps Recruiting Station Louisville, who were his guests for this traditional formal military dinner dating back to 1919. The MCCCK salutes and congratulates Sergeant Christmas on this prestigious award. Each year during Armed Forces Day celebrations, it is only fitting that we as a united Marine Corps community recognize the contributions of our local Marine Corps active duty and reserve units. During the past year (2014), the Marine Corps Recruiting Station Louisville continued the tradition of identifying and recruiting quality young men and women for service to our nation as United States Marines, while Marine Corps Reserve, Company E, 4th Tank Battalion, Fort Knox, Kentucky and Marine Corps Reserve, Military Police Company A, Lexington, Kentucky, continued to provide vital support to the Marine Corps, as our nation’s Global War on Terror enters its unprecedented 14th year. Since 2008, the Marine Corps community in Kentucky has been responsible, either directly or indirectly, for generating over $556,250 in support of wounded and injured Marines nationwide, through a unique partnership with the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. Photograph (L to R): Maj Donald L. Hotchkiss, USMC, Commanding Officer, Marine Corps Recruiting Station Louisville; Ms. Denise Christmas; Sergeant Charles E. Christmas III, USMC; VADM Robin R. Braun, USN, Chief of Navy Reserve and Commander, Navy Reserve Force; and Mr. Houston Mills, Jr., President, MCCCK. (Photo by Ed Armento, MCCCK)
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