Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island -- A Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Marine was awarded the “Beaufort Rotary Military Person of the Year” Wednesday in recognition of his volunteer efforts in the local community.
Lance Cpl. Carlos Silva, a finance technician with Headquarters and Service Battalion and a New York, N.Y. resident, was one of three service members to receive the annual award, which is based on a service member’s performance in their duties and their contributions to the local community.
Each of the commands in the local community; Naval Hospital Beaufort, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, nominate three service members for the award and a board from the Beaufort Rotary Club evaluates each of the nominations and chooses one person from each location.
“The award dates back before I was the commanding general of [MCRD PI] in 1993 to 1995,” said Ret. Lt. Gen. Jack Klimp, a Beaufort Rotary member who oversees the award program. “Each of the three commands [in Beaufort, S.C.] make a unique contribution to the community so the decision was made [two years ago] to give each of the major commands a ‘Military Persons of the Year’ award.”
Klimp added that the winners were recognized for their exemplary service record and commitment to the community they live in.
“They have to be outstanding to start with and then what they contribute to the community is what we look at each year.”
Silva started out volunteering occasionally and after his love of serving grew, he volunteered more frequently until he racked up over 100 hours of community service last year.
His commanding officer, Capt. Matthew Norfleet, noticed how often he had been volunteering and wanted to recognize his efforts by nominating him for the award.
Silva said he acquired his passion for volunteering from his mother’s volunteer efforts in his original home.
“I’ve been volunteering since high school, but the person that made me want to volunteer a lot was my mom,” he said. “She was always doing stuff to help out Puerto Rico, where I’m from.”
He added that helping others also helped him stay busy on weekends where he had no plans.
“On the weekend I would rather go out and volunteer than stay in the barracks and do nothing,” said Silva. “I would rather do something that will keep me occupied and meeting new people, I always try to be social.”
The other two service members awarded were Lance Cpl. Connor Gibson from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Petty Officer 2nd Class Corey Maywald from Naval Hospital Beaufort.