Petty Officer 1st Class Josip Pehar, an Oakville resident, recently was recognized as Enlisted Person of the Year by the U. S. Coast Guard Eighth District.

“I’m deeply humbled and honored to have received this award,” Pehar stated in a Coast Guard news release. “I am proud to serve as member of the U.S. military and as a member of Sector Upper Mississippi River. I could not have done this without the assistance of my family, my loving wife and children and my fellow Coast Guardsmen.”

Attending a ceremony in New Orleans, Pehar received the Coast Guard Commendation Medal and a plaque recognizing his outstanding performance from Rear Adm. Roy A. Nash, Coast Guard Eighth District commander.

Pehar joined the Coast Guard in 2003 and since has served at a number of units including: CGC Harry Claiborne, CGC Skipjack and USCG Station Muskegon.

In 2008, Pehar was assigned to Sector Upper Mississippi River in St. Louis, where he serves as a boat coxswain and the unit’s operations and training petty officer, charged with leading security forces, disaster assistance and search and rescue operations.

The Eighth Coast Guard District, headquartered in New Orleans, covers all or part of 26 states throughout the Gulf Coast and heartland of America.