On February 28, 2008, USS Russell, USS Paul Hamilton, USS Chafee, USS Hopper, USS Lake Erie and other Pearl Harbor-based ships were awarded the Battle “E” award by Commander, Naval Surface Forces. The Battle “E” is annually awarded to ships and crews that present the maximum condition of departmental readiness and superior capability to perform their wartime tasks. The Battle “E” award does not go to the ship itself, but the crew. According to Cmdr. Jeff Weston, Russell’s commanding officer,
“It’s a great honor for the ship, but it’s not the ship that deserves it, it’s the crew. The Battle “E” belongs to the crew and is a compliment to the job they’ve done all year.”
The Battle “E” eligible ships are the best ships throughout the fleet and must maintain a high level of excellence throughout the year. Lt. j.g. Kate Suthers, Russell’s training officer said,
“We’ve had a great year. The crew responded to every challenge and met and exceeded every one of them. The Sailors motivate and look out for each other to ensure that everyone does what they’re supposed to do and that is what helps a ship win the Battle “E”.
The Battle “E” award recognizes sustained superior performance in the following six excellence categories: Maritime warfare, engineering and survivability, command, control, communications and information warfare, logistics management, Commander Naval Surface Force Safety Award and the Efficiency Award.