CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Howard Payne received a Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his exemplary service, April 19.

Payne, a range planner for G 3/5, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Installations West, received the award from the School of Infantry-West for his work throughout 2015.

“I go in and I make contact with a unit,” said Payne. “They’ll tell me what they’re thinking about doing and I write down all the information then sit down with my fellow range planners, supervisor or both, and we develop an acquisition strategy. Basically, we ride the project from conception to completion.”

In 2015, Payne facilitated the development and project completions of Range 210W, Bravo 3, and Range 301 Bravo, which supported the training of tens of thousands Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Foreign Forces attending the School of Infantry – West.

“Through his persistence and attention to detail, Mr. Payne directly processed and supervised several million dollars worth of ground and range programs in direct support of the School of Infantry (West). His immediate response to emerging requirements and the flexibility to coordinate with all agencies involved to ensure support was a model of effectiveness and efficiency,” according to his award citation.

While awards are normally recommended by a contractor a service member’s own unit, Payne’s award was unsolicited, in that it was submitted by a command different from his own.

“I’m a retired Marine, 24 years, an infantryman by trade, so I’ve gotten a lot of awards and ribbons and medals and things like that, but I can honestly say this caught me by surprise,” said Payne. “I felt a little overwhelmed that someone took the time to put pen to paper to recognize me. But, I still feel it is more of a unit award, because of all of the support that I have.”