By MC2 Michael Ehrlich

Naval War College (NWC) Monterey students earning academic honors during the 2018 Summer Quarter were recognized during a brief ceremony in their honor in the NWC Monterey program offices in Halligan Hall, October 30, 2018.

Graduates earning “with Highest Distinction” honors by completing the JPME program in the top five percent of their class are Army Maj. Michael Crain, Navy Cmdr. George Kulczycki, and Marine Corps Maj. Christopher Perez.

“It’s a nice day to celebrate with the colleagues that we went through the four JPME courses with,” said Kulczycki. “Throughout the whole curriculum, it was great to interact with officers from different services, and to learn from their unique experiences and approaches to the course.”

Graduates earning “with Distinction” honors by completing the JPME program in the top 15 percent of their class are Marine Corps Capt. Ezra Akin, Navy Lts. Bruce Andrews, Timothy Cole and Alexander Daley, Army Majs. Jacob Baker, Bradley Benjamin, William McMurrey and Chi Min, and Army Capt. Andrew Wade.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to recognize the officers that put in a lot of hard work during their courses of study with the Naval War College in Monterey,” said Crain. “I think the experiences and professionalism from the officers of the other branches provided an opportunity to learn from our peers through an academically-rigorous program.”

Through the NPS-NWC partnership, a total of 5,077 officers have earned their Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase I certification since the program’s inception in September 1999.