MCAS Cherry Point  –   A civilian employee serving aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point retired in February 2024 after more than four decades of service to Marines and Sailors assigned to the installation and beneficiaries living in the surrounding communities.

Mr. Steve Roy concluded 42 years of service as the Facilities Maintenance Department Supervisor aboard Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point during a celebration held Thursday, February 29, 2024 alongside family and fellow staff.

“Whenever anyone throughout Navy Medicine mentions Naval Hospital or Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point, the next words are quickly ‘Do you know Steve Roy?” said Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, the facility commander.  “He has become the cornerstone of this facility.”

Roy, a graduate of Havelock High School and an HVAC mechanic by trade, started at Naval Hospital Cherry Point on August 10, 1982.  That year, E.T. was the highest grossing film in theaters, the first Compact Discs were produced in Germany and the

Naval Hospital aboard MCAS Cherry Point provided patients full surgical in-patient services and hosted a maternity ward.

Over the next 42 years, Roy served under 19 different commanders in two different facilities, executing over $60 in facility projects.  In 1994, he played a crucial role in the construction of the new base hospital and the facility’s conversion to a health clinic in 2007. 

His expertise enabled the clinic to restore surgical capabilities in 2021 with the installation of a Reverse Osmosis water purification system.  Roy’s continued improvements to sterilization procedures and sterile storage ensured continuation of surgical services.

“With his expert knowledge and his tenacity, Mr. Roy quickly made a name for himself and became known as an innovative thinker,” said Barbabella.  “His hard work and dedication to the job made him a leader at the command, respected by every rank.”

Roy was known throughout the clinic for both his technical expertise and candor.  His duties and responsibilities involved coordinating maintenance with civilian employees and contractors to ensure the facility ran smoothly each day.  Humor in his daily interactions and woven into technical recommendations became affectionately known as “Royisms” by fellow staff members and contractors.

“It’s just been a great ride,” said Roy during the ceremony.  “Right now, there’s such a good crowd here, of people working here [at the clinic] and the Sailors here, the quality has done nothing but go up with the quality of Sailors.”

Cmdr. Kathleen Dagher, Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point’s Director for Administration, presented Roy with a U.S. National Ensign flown over the clinic that morning and previously in locations across the Central Command area of responsibility.

After the ceremony’s conclusion, Roy completed the final task of his 42-year long career by affixing a metal plate onto a plaque dedicating the clinic’s central energy plant in his name.