JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – James H. “JayBird” Price III has served his country for decades and was recently honored by Rear Admiral Stephen Barnett, commander, Navy Region Hawaii (CNRH), for more than 35 years of continuous service to his country.

Price, CNRH’s current chief disaster response planner, said the people he works for and with – past and present – are his motivation to continue serving his country.

“It is my pleasure to serve my country, my people and my organization,” Price said. “I am passionate about making my position, my organization and my area of ​​responsibility even better than I found it.”

Price has wanted to serve his community for as long as he can remember. In 1987, the young man from Asheboro, North Carolina, decided he wanted to be a police officer. Despite being told he was too young, Price didn’t give up. He went to a U.S. Army recruiting office, where a recruiter told him, “Hey, we’re going to make you a military police officer today. Just sign up, and we’ll send you to Germany too!”

Price, 19, enlisted in the U.S. Army and spent the next 23 years as a military police officer in charge of law enforcement. “I served all over the world and did everything from detective to patrol officer. I even got to be ‘McGruff the police dog’ a few times!” he recalls.

In 2010, Price retired from active duty and joined the civil service as a U.S. Army counterterrorism officer in South Korea.

Price and his wife, Kyung, left Korea in 2016 and went to Hawaii, where Price continued to work for the Army at Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter until 2021, when “my Navy ship came and I joined the Navy Region Hawaii team as an emergency management specialist/planner,” Price said.

Price has received numerous awards and honors from the commands he has served with over the years, but stressed that being part of a team has been his greatest reward.

“It is very rewarding and fun to be able to continue to serve and be part of the team every day … and work daily with all the great Sailors, Soldiers and civilians that are part of the great teams at Navy Region Hawaii and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam,” he added.

“We all do this to better serve our commands, communities and the people who all live here in Hawaii.”