PENSACOLA, Fla. – A 1997 Reno High School graduate and Reno, Nevada, native was announced as the 2018 Military Instructor of the Year finalist, senior enlisted category, for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) in Pensacola at a ceremony onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola at the National Naval Aviation Museum Dec. 5.
Chief Aviation Electronics Technician Colette M. Gabel serves as the Automated Test Equipment Maintenance Training Unit Department leading chief petty officer at the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit North Island, San Diego. She led 15 sailors, nine Marines and two civilian instructors in the delivery of 10,463 hours of instruction through 11 courses, resulting in 162 fleet-ready technicians. She personally provided 1,074 hours of instruction. As a subject matter expert for maintenance readiness, she provided critical feedback for operational testing and course review for the AN/USM-737 Electronic Consolidated Automated Support System (eCASS). Representing the top achievers from a pool of more than 8,000 military members, Gabel received a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for her accomplishments.
“Teaching junior sailors to work and fix the equipment we work on is a very rewarding experience,” said Gabel. “I’m training my reliefs, my future peers and my future Sailors, and seeing them succeed is why I enjoy what I do.”
Gabel is part of the team that takes sailors from “street to fleet” by transforming civilians into highly skilled, operational, and combat-ready warfighters, as well as providing the tools and opportunities for continuous learning and development.
NETC Commander Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad congratulated the finalists for their roles in developing the Navy’s future force and for their contributions to the training and education mission.
“Each of you here today represent the best of the very best in our Navy, making the force development mission a success," said Cozad. “We serve in a great Navy - and that greatness is centered on the initiative, leadership and competitive nature of our people. These sailors and officers illustrate everything that is right about our Navy and continue to represent our greatest advantage over any competitor and our most important means to achieving our desired ends. Everything that each of you does on a daily basis sets the highest bar when it comes to building a talented fleet for the Navy the nation needs, and it manifests through your recruiting and training accomplishments.”
Gabel is also qualified as a Master Training Specialist, which is a designation for demonstrating highly effective teaching skills and a comprehensive understanding of schoolhouse management, as well as for taking a leadership role in mentoring, instructing and evaluating instructors and curriculum. Her mentorship directly contributed to nine Sailors achieving their MTS qualification.
“I am so impressed by the caliber of all of our finalists," said NETC Force Master Chief Karim Cole. "We brought them together at NETC to recognize their tremendous talent and to show them how much we appreciate what they do to train, guide and get our Sailors ready to man the fleet. They all represent a great deal of hard work and sweat that goes into creating a combat credible and lethal Navy and Marine Corps Team."
Gabel earned a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Systems Technologies from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
The NETC IOY program recognize sailors throughout the NETC domain who exhibit attributes, such as sustained superior performance, leadership, mentorship, knowledge and teaching of military history and heritage, self-improvement, command and community involvement, and exemplary military bearing.
Gabel is the spouse of Aaron Gabel of San Diego and the mother of daughters Evelyn and Aurora and son James.
For additional information on the Naval Education and Training Command, visit the NETC website: https://www.netc.navy.mil or http://www.navy.mil/local/cnet/. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/netcpao and Twitter @netcpao.