Keesler navy instructor on hand for State of the union address Published Feb. 3, 2010 By Ed Barker Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs WASHINGTON -- At the invitation of a congressman from Mississippi's 4th District, an instructor from the Keesler Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit attended the State of the Union address given by President Barak Obama to members of Congress Jan. 27 in Washington. Petty Officer 1st Class Clarence Hartenstine, an aviation electronics technician, received the invitation Oct. 13 from Rep. Gene Taylor when Hartenstine received the 2009 Thomas V. Fredian Award for outstanding community service at the annual Salute to the Military at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, Biloxi. "It was kind of a shock when the congressman approached me and invited me to the State of the Union address," Petty Officer Hartenstine said. "I was still focused on winning the Fredian Award, and the invite to Capitol Hill was icing on the cake. I was extremely honored that Rep. Taylor would recognize my community service in that way." "I was honored to have Petty Officer Hartenstine as my guest for the State of the Union," said Representative Taylor. "I truly appreciate his service as well as all of the work he has done for our community." This was the first visit to Capitol Hill for Petty Officer Hartenstine, who's spent much of his career keeping the Navy's frontline fighter aircraft flying. "This was a once-in-a-lifetime, eye-opening experience -- to see the President in person and experience how Congress does business in D.C.," he said. Petty Officer Hartenstine provides technical training and administrative management support for Navy and Marine Corps service members attending Navy schools and consolidated courses located at Keesler. As the general calibration and maintenance school's leading petty officer, he's responsible for 12 joint-service instructors and 78 joint-service and international students at the entry level in matters of military requirements, scholastic achievement and community service. As CNATTU's community service coordinator, Hartenstine advises 218 military and civilian personnel on volunteer opportunities. His commitment to community service resulted in more than 50 events totaling nearly 1,700 hours of volunteer contributions in 2009. He was also selected as the department Sailor of the Quarter for the first quarter of 2009. Hartenstine spends his off-duty hours working with numerous agencies, including supporting Nichols Elementary School, Special Olym-pics, American Heart Association, Boy Scouts of America, the DeSoto National Forest River Cleanup, YMCA and D'Iberville Youth Soccer. "Petty Officer Hartenstine was an outstanding representative for our command and for the Navy during his trip to Capitol Hill," said Lt. Cmdr. Sad Carino, executive officer for CNATTU-Keesler. "We are exceptionally proud of what he's done; he's been able to instill in the staff and students that community service is extremely important to becoming a member of the community, and this recognition was richly deserved."