Among his many deployments, Schwartz volunteered in support of the Coast Guard’s parental leave program, allowing new parents to spend time with their families. “In Crisfield, I got to work with the husband of one of the people I was relieving, and he was appreciative for sure,” he said. Schwartz is continuously developing strong relationships with his active duty counterparts, who rely on not just his technical expertise but his mentorship and guidance as well. “Being on the civilian side, we often get our hands on a lot of newer technology before the Coast Guard does,” he said. “For example, there’s no C-school for building automation control systems, which is something I run at the hospital all the time. So the active duty technicians are always eager to learn about it.” In recognition of his devotion to duty, Schwartz was honored as part of the annual State of the Coast Guard Address delivered by Adm. Karl L. Schultz, commandant of the Coast Guard, Feb. 24 at Air Station Clearwater. The vignette on Schwartz also featured testimonials from active duty Coast Guardsman who benefited from his contributions. “These professionals strengthen our readiness posture,” Schultz said in his address. “A ready, robust readiness posture enables us to lead in crisis.” Schwartz’s service affirms that today’s Reserve Component continues to uphold the Coast Guard Reserve values of professionalism, patriotism and preparedness. He looks forward to strengthening the partnership between reservists and active duty Coast Guardsmen who specialize in HVAC/R. “I like deploying,” he said. “As a reservist, that’s the whole point of why I’m here.” � Surprise advancement for Sector NC petty officer Story by Anastasia Devlin A surprise guest attended Sector North Carolina’s drill weekend in December, Rear Adm. Laura Dickey, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District. Dickey called to the front of the room Petty Officer 2nd Class Mack Sobhany, a six-year member of the unit’s inspections division. After joking with him about the North Carolina State and University of North Carolina rivalry, the admiral laughed and said, “How would you feel about being advanced?” “I said, ‘That sounds really good, ma’am!’” Sobhany recalled with a smile. The meritorious advancement program ensures members who display leadership qualities early in their careers are rewarded for their decisiveness and hard work. Sobhany’s supervisor, Lt. Cmdr. Kaitlin Skiver, said that although Sobhany wasn’t scheduled to drill that weekend, he made the seven- hour round trip when the command told him the admiral was planning to recognize him. Sobhany, who works as a senior biologist with the National Institutes of Health, joined the Coast Guard in 2016 and, by 2018, was chosen as the Sector’s reserve enlisted person of the year. Aggressively attacking his qualifications, he certified as a pollution responder, progressed on his port state control examiner quals, and maintained his certification as a boarding team member—an unusual competency for a marine science technician. Amazingly, he’s proficient in four languages and studying another three. When does he sleep? “I don’t play video games,” he said with a laugh. “I guess it’s just about how you manage your time.” Skiver said the MST1 had already been performing at the level of a first class petty officer. He’s helped shipmates prepare their officer packages, sat on boards for both active duty and reservists, and taken time to coach others through their qualification process. He joked about how often times, while helping people with computer issues around the unit, he’d end up working through their container inspection quals with them. “I try to do what I can,” said Sobhany, whose modesty was unmistakable. “The amount of work [Sobhany’s] put in as a reservist, it’s equal to what I’ve seen from active duty guys,” said Skiver, who’d been an active duty officer for nine years. “His hustle is at that level. Why not advance him?” As a scientist in his civilian job, Sobhany helped his shipmates understand the COVID-19 vaccine, and he provided insight into the testing process. He also continued to help his shipmates attain qualifications throughout the pandemic, holding training sessions, making the long drive to the unit to drill for points only. “[Following inspections on Saturdays,] if the other person hasn’t initiated asking, he doesn’t forget that that’s what they’re supposed to be doing Sunday. He sits down with them,” said Skiver, who joked that sometimes trainees can feel like they’re badgering the qualified members. “That’s been critical to us getting as many people qualified as we have as they rotate in and out, both the active duty and the reservists.” His command was glad to be able to advance a petty officer who’s done so much for the unit. “The hardest part in leadership is balancing humility with assertiveness,” said Skiver. “The closer you can balance those two things, the more respected you’re going to be, which is why [his shipmates] were so excited to see him advance—they respect him.” � Issue 1 • 2022 � RESERVIST 25
