By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Bryan Niegel, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Petty Officer 1st Class Felicito Rustique, Jr., son of Lehigh Acres, Florida, natives, Felicito and Merlinda, was awarded 2024 Enlisted Superior Performer Award during the AFCEA West Conference while representing Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command.
The Enlisted Superior Performer Award is presented by the U.S. Naval Institute and AFCEA International and recognizes the service of those military members who have been selected by their commands for particularly superior service in the past year.
Rustique, a 1996 graduate of Lansing High School, joined the Navy 20 years ago.
“My father served in the Army as enlisted for a full 20 years,” said Rustique. “After college, I was a bit unsure of what to do next, so I joined the Navy as a kind of reset for myself, for the experience and to honor what he had gone through in a similar yet different way.”
Today, Rustique is currently serving as a mass communication specialist.
Rustique relies upon skills and values similar to those found in San Diego to succeed in the military.
“My hometown, being a predominantly military and middle-class community, taught me humility, which has stayed with me during my time in the Navy,” said Rustique.
According to Navy officials Naval Special Warfare Command provides maritime special operations forces to conduct full spectrum operations, unilaterally or with partners, to support national objectives.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Rustique serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the Nation’s prosperity and security.
“We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American People every day,” said Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the Nation needs.”
Rustique has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“During my career, there are a lot of things to be proud of,” said Rustique. “Completing deployments and overseas assignments around the world that allowed me to see and live in different places, all while starting and raising a family and completing a second bachelor’s are some of my proudest accomplishments in the Navy.”
As Rustique and other sailors continue to perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy, to me, means that I’ve been able to contribute to a part of American society positively, while also gaining more substance behind just saying that I am a U.S. citizen,” added Rustique.