MONA GHIZ, MARLANT PA
NAVCOM from HMCS St. John’s named Sailor of the Quarter
By Ryan Melanson,
Trident Staff
When the Formation adopted its pandemic posture in mid-March, everyone was asked to do their part to ensure the RCN maintained its readiness and capability. For some, that meant staying home to help limit the spread of COVID-19, but for others, like MS Robert Weston, it was quite the opposite.
As the Information Systems Administrator aboard HMCS St. John’s, MS Weston is responsible for keeping the ship connected – he ensures networks are up and running and cell phones are working properly, among other tasks.
“If a user has an IT problem, they come to me, and I always do my absolute best to rectify that problem,” he said.
When St. John’s learned that the ship would be conducting a hull swap with HMCS Ville de Quebec on shorter notice than usual, he sprang to action, and put in long hours transitioning IT equipment from ship to shore office, which will allow his replacement to hit the ground running.
For that hard work during a difficult and stressful period, MS Weston has been named the Atlantic Fleet’s Sailor of the Quarter for Q2 2020. The award was presented to him by Cmdre Richard Feltham, Commander CANFLTLANT, and Fleet Chief CPO1 Darcy Burd, during a small ceremony on June 26.
“I didn’t even know I was nominated, so it was a complete shock, but I’m happy to be recognized,” he said following the presentation.
Along with his work to help facilitate the hull swap, he was also noted for a number of other achievements, including volunteering to be the fleet-wide OPI for verifying new communication systems, mentoring junior navigators during readiness training, and volunteering in his community during his spare time.
In nominating MS Weston for the Sailor of the Quarter award, his command team lauded him for his work through the pandemic period, and said he helped ensure that St. John’s leadership stayed in regular contact with the Fleet and the ship’s company.
“MS Weston’s superior technical knowledge increased the operational effectiveness of St. John’s during this quarter. His work ethic and positive attitude directly contributed to mission success both at sea and alongside, as well as enhancing the efforts and morale of those around him,” the nomination reads.
MS Weston has been a member of the St. John’s crew since 2018, and while he’s been credited for his strong leadership and for inspiring the junior ranks, he says the team he works with have also contributed a lot to his successes.
“They’re an amazing group of people to work with, they’re quick with a joke, slow to anger, and always ready to do what they need to do with little supervision. I’m grateful to have the section that I have.”
