Bascar, currently assigned to Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo, was selected from among 70 other installation Sailor of the Year recipients and three other finalists.
“To all my family and friends, thank you for always supporting me throughout my career,” Bascar said immediately after being named the shore enterprise’s top Sailor. “To my Sasebo team … you all gave me overwhelming support, knowledge, and trusted me. This is the reason why I am able to stand here today.”
To even compete for the honor, Sailors had to consistently demonstrate superb job performance, contribute to the enhancement of command climate, participate in peer group development events and community service activities, showcase educational accomplishments, and meet physical fitness standards to name a few.
“The CNIC Sailor of the Year represents the best of the best of the Navy’s shore enterprise,” said Vice Adm. Yancy. B Lindsey, commander of Navy Installations Command, during the ceremony. “If there’s any doubt that our nation produces quality men and women to serve in our Armed Forces and especially in our Navy, you don’t need to look any further than the front row of finalists before you today.”
Bascar is a native of Maui, Hawaii, and currently serves as his installation’s emergency management officer (EMO). His leadership of 46 tenant commands as the base’s EMO has been critical to the successful oversight and operation of emergency operations center (EOC). Bascar is the lynchpin managing and directing the CFAS EOC during bilateral exercises that increase readiness to respond to a variety of crises and contingencies in the Indo-Pacific region.
“CNIC is a global enterprise with installations located around the world,” said the shore enterprise’s Force Master Chief Jason Dunn. “These finalists are the cream of the crop of over 20,000 Sailors. In my opinion, they’re all winners, but the real winner is the U.S. Navy, which benefits from their service and their leadership.”
The other 2022 CNIC Sailor of the Year finalists were:
Naval Aircrewmen Helicopter 1st Class John Byers, assigned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, supports 24/7 search and rescue (SAR) and medical evacuation services for over 70 tenant commands. The Whidbey Island SAR unit has the highest usage rate in the Navy with their missions accounting for 67 percent of inland rescues for the Navy. Byers personally flew 228 hours that encompassed 98 sorties, nine of which were rescue missions that saved seven lives. As the SAR leading petty officer, Byers, a native of Arlington, Texas, leads five first class petty officers and 40 Sailors across five work centers and two units in all search and rescue operations.
Air Traffic Controller 1st Class Mary Cline was hand-selected to fill two gapped chief petty officer billets at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans. In her role as training branch chief, Cline, a native of Saugatuck, Mich., is responsible for the planning, execution, and supervision of the facility's training, certification, and standardization program for 48 Sailor and civilian controllers in the air traffic control division. As radar branch chief, she has led, trained, and mentored 48 Sailor and 2 civilian controllers while assisting the air traffic control facility officer in managing matters pertaining to radar operations.
Master-at-Arms 1st Class Kevin Hehrer, a native of Ovid, Mich., currently serves as Navy Submarine Base New London’s operations and training chief, stepping in to fill a critical and vacant billet in the security department. Hehrer leads and directs security activities focused on the protection of high-value and mission critical assets. He supervises day-to-day operations of 224 uniformed police officers, military security force personnel, armed guards, military working dogs, and harbor patrol personnel.
In 1972, the Chief of Naval Operations established the SOY Program to recognize one Sailor who represents the best of the Navy in professional and personal dedication. By 1982, the program was expanded to recognize four Sailors, two serving at sea in the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, a Sailor representing the shore establishments and a Navy Reservist of the Year. In 2020, the CNO further expanded the program to recognize 18 Sailors which will be meritoriously advanced to the rank of chief petty officer.
Commander, Navy Installations Command is responsible for worldwide U.S. Navy shore installation management as the Navy's shore integrator, designing and developing integrated solutions for sustainment and development of Navy shore infrastructure as well as quality of life programs. CNIC oversees 10 Navy regions, 70 bases, and more than 43,000 employees who sustain the fleet, enable the fighter and support the family. Follow CNIC on social media: Facebook, Facebook.com/NavyInstallations; Twitter, @cnichq; and Instagram, @cnichq.