Naval Construction Battalion Center honors employee for 53 years of service
GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- The Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport honored a longtime dining facility employee with a Length of Service award for her 53 years of dedication to serving military personnel.
What started as a job in March of 1973 has become a lifetime of service for Mrs. Peggy Oatis, who was honored with a Length of Service Award for her 53 years of dedication at the Colmer Dining Facility located at the Naval Construction Battalion Center. “Y’all didn’t have to do this, but you did and I thank each and every one of you.”
Over the decades, Mrs. Peggy has welcomed generations of service members with an estimated ten million meals served at the facility during her career. Commanding Officer Captain Tate Metlen said, “I been in the Navy for a while, and she’s been here at this facility for longer than I’ve been alive and she is still excited to come here. The amount of dedication and work ethic. I think all of us can only aspire to be like Mrs. Peggy.”
Despite changes in leadership and food service contractors, Mrs. Peggy has remained committed to her work, setting an example for those around her. Watch Captain Travis Nardine said, “Every day that she comes in it’s almost like it’s her first day and she’s trying to prove herself because she continues to impress me with her work ethic and how on top of things she is. She’s very sharp and she moves around like a 25-year-old. I don’t know how she does it! She’s got better knees than I’ve got.”
With 53 years under her belt and no trouble keeping up with the younger crowd, Mrs. Peggy’s well-deserved award honors more than five decades of service and the countless lives she’s touched along the way.
