MONTEREY, Calif. – Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Monterey’s Cryptologic Technician Interpretive 1st Class Theamichaela Coyle won the Shannon M. Kent Award for Language Professional Excellence for 2021, and will go on to compete for the Department of Defense-level award in August.
Vice Adm. Richard J. Cheeseman Jr., chief of naval personnel, officially congratulated Coyle and the other language award winners and thanked them for their ongoing dedication and professionalism in a message earlier this week.
IWTC Monterey’s training manager Cryptologic Technician Interpretive Senior Chief Amos Hoover said, “Petty Officer Coyle’s performance and drive exemplifies what every CTI in the Navy should be striving towards. Her dedication to the training and development of the next generations of cryptologic language analysts and foreign area officers is shown in the quality of the graduates we are sending on to the fleet every month.”
Hoover indicated that there were numerous accomplishments that led to Coyle, who is currently serving at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC), being selected for this honor.
Among those actions, Coyle is an acting assistant chief military language instructor (MLI) of the Chinese-Mandarin schoolhouse for more than 400 joint-service students in the paygrades of seaman recruit to commander. Her mentorship directly led to a 73 percent graduation rate for the Chinese-Mandarin schoolhouse, with 52 percent of the students exceeding graduation standards; a rate double that of the next eight best DLIFLC schoolhouses.
The award Coyle was selected for, the individual category award for Language Professional of the Year (Cryptologic Technician Interpretive rating specific, E-6 and below), was renamed the “Shannon M. Kent Award for Language Professional Excellence” in 2021 in honor of Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician Interpretive Shannon M. Kent, killed in action on Jan. 16, 2019, in Manbij, Syria.
After receiving the award, Coyle said she felt very emotional, and did not believe it at first.
“I felt a great sense of pride especially since the award was renamed to the Shannon M. Kent award for Language Professional Excellence,” said Coyle. “We hold our command quarters at our Shannon M. Kent Navy yard. At the conclusion of every command quarters, we have our battle cry where our XO (executive officer) asks us, ‘Send Who?’ and in unison, we proudly reply, ‘Send Me!’ in honor of Senior Chief Kent.”
Coyle said winning the award means that every day they are getting closer as a team at IWTC Monterey; to striving for excellence and shaping the future of their language community through instilling signature behaviors in junior Sailors and students.
“It means that the sacrifices and hard work that we make on a daily basis are not in vain,” said Coyle. “I say we because this award was a team effort. I am not able to do what I do, day in and day out, without my Navy team, my schoolhouse team, and my family supporting me through everything and allowing me to thrive in my work.”
Coyle said she feels humbled to be competing for the Department of Defense level award and is excited for the opportunity to continue challenge herself the reach the next level.
“This has been only something of my dreams since I joined the Navy to be awarded such an accolade on the Navy level,” said Coyle. “It is a huge honor to be representing the Navy in August.”
With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, Center for Information Warfare Training trains over 26,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. Center for Information Warfare Training also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.