District Court for NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, Chief Deputy Clerk William J. Bezzant, Operations Supervisor Timothy V. Wesley and U.S. Air Force Reserve Senior Airman Justin Xu Poo pose for a photo with other members of the court’s administrative staff and officials of Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve during an awarding ceremony at the federal courthouse on Tuesday. (Not in photo: Magistrate Judge Heather L. Kennedy.)
DISTRICT Court for the Northern Mariana Islands Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, Magistrate Judge Heather L. Kennedy, Chief Deputy Clerk William J. Bezzant, and Operations Supervisor Timothy V. Wesley received the Patriot Award on Tuesday for the support they provide to U.S. Air Force Reserve Senior Airman Justin Xu Poon, the federal court’s case administrator.
Guam-CNMI Area Chair Rita A. Sablan, Ed.D., Civilian Aide to the U.S. Secretary of Army Mike Sablan, ESGR Ombudsman Joann Aquino and Employer Outreach Coordinator Rose Igitol handed out the award at the federal courthouse.
Area Chair Sablan said the event was historic because it was the first nomination made in the CNMI by a servicemember from the U.S. Air Force.
Poon said Chief Judge Manglona, Magistrate Judge Kennedy, Chief Deputy Bezzant and Supervisor Wesley have been very supportive when he received his military orders and needed to be away from work for his military duties.
He said Chief Judge Manglona did not want him to worry about work when he was away for military service or training, but he insisted on tele-working while off-island for military duties.
He thanked the chief judge for trusting him and providing him with a flexible schedule. Poon is also grateful for her feedback and guidance, which allows him to perform at a higher level.
As for Magistrate Judge Kennedy, Poon said he feels very comfortable discussing his upcoming training schedules with her. In the past two months while he was off-island for military duties, he said the magistrate judge reminded him to not worry about his court-related work as she did not want him to be distracted from his military duties.
Poon said Operations Supervisor Wesley never gave him a hard time and does not question him about his military duties. Poon said his supervisor is always looking for ways to best accommodate his military and civilian schedule. Poon said Wesley asked him if he would like to take time off prior and after his military duties because Wesley wanted to ensure that Poon was taking care of himself and his family.
Chief Deputy Clerk Bezzant, for his part, researched the different types of leaves that military reservists are qualified for.
Poon said Bezzant provided very detailed information on the types of leave he is allowed to use while he is on military duty. “That means a lot to me, because it is very helpful when I go on long orders,” Poon said.
“All of them went above and beyond. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for being super supportive in every single way. Because of them and every other court staff member, I am able to perform my military duties without worries,” Poon said.
District Court for NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, third right, and U.S. Air Force Reserve Senior Airman Justin Xu Poon, second right, with Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve Guam-CNMI Area Chair Rita A. Sablan, Ed.D., left, Civilian Aide to the U.S. Secretary of Army Mike Sablan, third left, ESGR Ombudsman Joann Aquino, right, and Employer Outreach Coordinator Rose Igitol, second left.
District Court for NMI Operations Supervisor Timothy V. Wesley, third right, and U.S. Air Force Reserve Senior Airman Justin Xu Poon, right, with Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve Guam-CNMI Area Chair Rita A. Sablan, Ed.D., second left, Civilian Aide to the U.S. Secretary of Army Mike Sablan, third left, ESGR Ombudsman Joann Aquino, second right, and Employer Outreach Coordinator Rose Igitol, left.
District Court for NMI Chief Deputy Clerk William J. Bezzant, third right, and U.S. Air Force Reserve Senior Airman Justin Xu Poon, right, with Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve Guam-CNMI Area Chair Rita A. Sablan, Ed.D., left, Civilian Aide to the U.S. Secretary of Army Mike Sablan, third left, ESGR Ombudsman Joann Aquino, second right, and Employer Outreach Coordinator Rose Igitol, second left.
