Instructors of the Year Published Dec. 4, 2017 By Chief Aerographer's Mate Drew Ribar Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Keesler Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- BILOXI, Miss. (NNS) -- Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) Keesler announced its 2017 Sailors and instructors of the year Nov. 16 at the facility's headquarters onboard Keesler Air Force Base. Areographer's Mate 1st Class John Abraham was selected as the CNATTU Keesler Sailor of the Year (SOY), and Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Adrian Pineiro was selected as the command's mid-grade Instructor of the Year (IOY). Abraham is the leading petty officer (LPO) and instructor supervisor at the Aerographer's Mate (AG) "A" school. He also serves as a departmental Command Fitness Leader and coordinates the command's Master Training Specialist (MTS) qualification and the student leadership Red Rope qualification programs. "My successes are the result of working with and for some of the best Sailors in the fleet," said Abraham. "Ensuring that we're able to continue teaching tomorrow's leaders is a motivation, and moving forward and never quitting when things become difficult is something I try to instill in the Sailors we are preparing for duty around the world." Piñeiro is the General Calibration and Maintenance School (GCAMS) LPO. Additionally he serves as a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response victim advocate and as the command's community relations coordinator. The Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce recognized him in October as a recipient of the Thomas V. Fredian Community Leadership Award for sustained superior community involvement. "Instructor duty has been a great opportunity to work with junior enlisted service members and fleet returnees," said Pineiro. "It is a great pleasure to witness a student's 'a-ha' moment when achieving a difficult learning objective. Knowing that I've helped shape the future of the fleet is truly an honor." Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Andrew Tracy, a GCAMS MTS-qualified instructor and testing officer, was chosen as the junior SOY. Tracy was also recognized in April by Biloxi Mayor Andrew Gilich as the military volunteer of the year. Electronics Technician 2nd Class Christopher Madewell was recognized as the junior-grade IOY. Madewell is the instructor supervisor and testing officer for the Meteorological Equipment Maintenance School. CNATTU Keesler is a training unit of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT) located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. CNATT develops, delivers and supports aviation technical training at 28 sites located throughout the continental United States and Japan. CNATT is the largest training center under Naval Education and Training Command and is a technical training agent for the Naval Aviation Enterprise, an organization designed to advance and sustain naval aviation warfighting capabilities at an affordable cost. For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or href='http://www.twitter.com/usnavy'>www.twitter.com/usnavy. For more news from Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnatt/.