DATE: Wednesday, October 8, 1997            TAG: 9710080451

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B12  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: STAFF REPORT 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   36 lines

PETTY OFFICER NAMED MILITARY CITIZEN OF YEAR

A Navy veteran who provides service to Navy helicopters by day and the downtrodden by night will be honored today as the 1997 recipient of the Samuel T. Northern Military Citizen of the Year.

Petty Officer 1st Class James ``Tim'' Crawford, an aviation boatswain's mate (equipmentman), was judged among area military members to have contributed significantly to the Hampton Roads community through civic activities unrelated to military duties.

The award will be presented during a noon luncheon at the Omni Waterside Hotel by the Armed Forces Committee of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Norfolk Division.

Crawford, a native of Frankfort, Ky., who lives with his wife, Karen, in Virginia Beach, is a 19 1/2-year Navy veteran, currently assigned to Helicopter Support Squadron 8.

He was singled out for his volunteer efforts as a Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court-appointed special advocate. Such volunteers work with severely abused children who have been removed from their homes and placed in protective custody.

Crawford has volunteered nearly 150 hours of his off-duty time since May. He also volunteers with the American Heart Association and works with the elderly.

He is scheduled to graduate in January from St. Leo College with a bachelor's degree in both business management and computer information systems. He would like some day to become a lawyer.

``I'm pretty honored, humbled and feel privileged,'' Crawford said Tuesday. ``It's really just an extension of Navy core values: honor, commitment and courage. I know that may sound a bit trite, but . . . part of that is service to others. I enjoy it.''

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