A Lawrence native has been recognized by the U.S. Navy for his work with sexual assault prevention and response.
According to an announcement from the Navy, USS Boxer Sailor Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Jayson Salgado was named the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Unit Victim Advocate of the Year during an April 3 ceremony at Naval Base San Diego.
The event was held to bring awareness to Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month and to recognize outstanding SAPR awareness and advocate response from sailors across the waterfront.
“(Salgado) has been chosen because he goes above and beyond this call of duty not only for the SAPR program and for the support he provides to USS Boxer Sailors, but also to the installation as a whole,” said Kristin Kammermeier, the Installation Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Fleet and Family Support Center, NBSD.
According to the announcement, Salgado delivered 35 hours of SAPR training, was active in FY22 Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month events and has taken on a caseload while balancing his work as a ship-based IC.
“I’ve been doing SAPR UVA work since August of 2021, and since then, I’ve conducted training for a plethora of [command indoctrination]classes and taught the annual training for Boxer,” Salgado said in the announcement. “The main reason that I wanted to be a SAPR UVA was to give survivors the opportunity to regain control of their lives. I love helping people and assisting them with whatever I can.”
Since the establishment of the Joint Task Force for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, more than 1,000,000 service members have received training, and sexual assault program offices have been established at all major installations, according to the announcement.
Boxer is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship commissioned Feb. 11, 1995, and is the sixth ship to bear the name. Boxer’s crew is made up of approximately 1,200 officers and enlisted personnel, and can accommodate up to 1,800 Marines.
