Joel was nominated by his wife Melissa. Joel has been in the Navy for almost 10 years. He is the hardest working man I have ever met. In his first 6 years, he was deployed 5 times. This caused him to miss the birth of his daughter, as well as missing a lot of her firsts. He is the first to say he doesn’t deserve any recognition but this is the furthest from the truth. Joel has devoted a great deal to his country. And I am very grateful for the all the sacrifices he has made for his family.