There are very few moments in a young sailor’s life that could possibly be described as having obtained the crowning achievement, and being selected "Sailor of the Year" must indeed be one such moment.
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At the last official command function for the Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC), at the close of last year, AWO1(AW/SW) William G. Halling, son-in-law of Dennis and Debbie Carpenter of Gallatin, was selected as the "Senior Sailor of the Year."
William (Bill) and his wife Amity are presently stationed in Pensacola, Fla. Amity grew up in Jamesport. The Carpenters lived in Perry, Iowa, for a few years before moving back to Gallatin. Amity met Bill in high school at Perry. They have been married five years, and have two sons, Miles, 5, and Mason, who will be two in April.
Petty Officer Halling was selected from a constituency of sailors that could only be described as "the best of the best." Each of the candidates, in their representative groups, had already been selected as the "Sailor of the Year" for their respective departments. In fact, some of the department’s candidates had already been selected as the command’s "Sailor of the Quarter," so the final selection for "Sailor of the Year" had to have been extremely difficult for the designated panelists.
Each candidate was a shining example of the Navy’s core values of "Honor, Courage, and Commitment." Making distinctions between the fine points of personal and professional characteristics, documented in their written "package," is often arduous, but the final selection also includes a personal interview. It is during this process that each candidate has the opportunity to individually distinguish themselves.
AWO1(AW/SW) Halling’s individual distinctions are clearly demonstrated as just some of his many professional attributes include being the AW "A" School’s Leading Petty Officer, the AW Division Testing Officer, the AW Division Curriculum Officer, the Avionics Dept. Assistant Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, and a distinguished member of the Command Assessment Team, to name just a few of the many daily responsibilities of this sailor, leader, and mentor. In addition to his copious professional responsibilities, Petty Officer Halling was also the 2008 Recreation Committee Board Chairman, and the First Class Association’s 2007-2008 Meals On Wheels Coordinator.
The Avionics Training Department commented that "Petty Officer Halling’s dedication to command goals, and devotion to student’s development, are without equal and his command contributions are most impressive in scope and generosity. His forward leaning ideas have lead to several point-papers which have resulted in "real" results that will save the Navy, and this command, both time and money while improving process efficiency and effectiveness."