2022 Sailor of the First Quarter recognized

S1 Jaime Santisteban Bazan is congratulated for his Sailor of the First Quarter honour by Capt(N) Jean Ouellet, Commander Canadian Submarine Force.

Kateryna Bandura 
Editor

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The good work of Sailor First Class Jaime Santisteban Bazan has earned him Sailor of the First Quarter honours.

The award recognizes the outstanding achievements of a junior non-commissioned member of a fleet unit.

The HMCS Victoria sonar operator was humble about his recognition.

“I don’t think I’m special. I look around me and everyone is trying to do something for the community. I feel like the light happened to shine on my actions by chance,” he says.

It was his work with the RCMP on a pamphlet to help police officers communicate with hard of hearing drivers during traffic stops that garnered leadership appreciation.

With the help of an RCMP officer acquaintence, he created a pamphlet for 90 officers on the lower mainland to trial.

S1 Santisteban Bazan was also responsible for introducing the Sentinel Program to his unit.

“We had a bit of a morale problem within the Canada Submarine Force. I contacted the chaplain and explained what was going on and asked him to come [talk to the crew]. At first it was going to be a seminar on recognizing symptoms of stress. But it turned into organizing a Sentinel Program within the Canadian Submarine Force, with designated people wearing this special patch.”

Sentinels are people trained by the chaplains to recognize when someone is having problems, and then guide them towards the right resources. They are not qualified mental health professionals, but trusted co-workers.

“The designation doesn’t mean anything if people don’t trust you. So, I’m very happy that some people do come to me,” he says.

For his Sailor of the First Quarter award, he received a coin from the Canadian Fleet Pacific Chief and another coin from the Commander of the Canadian Submarine Force.

He expects to head to Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Quebec in the near future to work as a recruit instructor.