Antonia Samuelu (right), wife of U.S. Coast Guard  Petty Officer First Class Poyer Samuelu II (left) pictured here after Samuelu II received his Navy Sea League Service Award during a Dec. 9 luncheon award ceremony at the Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu.

Petty Officer First Class Samuelu II, based at the Coast Guard Station in Hilo, Hawai’i, was among  six Coast Guard officers who received the award. He is  the son of Virginia and Poyer Samuelu Jr.

By working hard and being given this award Samuelu hopes to be a role model for other Samoans who are  serving in the U.S. Armed Forces as well as young Samoans that are not quite decisive on their career path. He suggests that youngsters not yet decided on which military branch to join look at the Coast Guard.

“The Coast Guard offers the same benefits as any other Military branch. Although we are the smallest branch in the military we have just as big of a job as the other branches,” said the Samoana High School graduate in a previous Samoa News interview. “It is an excellent career path.”