LINTHICUM, MD, May 1, 2018— NFM Lending is pleased to honor Senior Chief Machinery Technician James E. Sharp, USCG, Retired, as the NFM Salute for May 2018.
Senior Chief Sharp served in the United States Coast Guard from 1985 to 2011. He held many positions throughout his military career, including: Machinery Technician 3rd Class, Pollution Investigator, Boarding Officer, First Class Petty Officer, Machinery Technician Chief, Main Propulsion Senior Chief, and Chief of the Boat. Senior Chief Sharp was stationed primarily between Guam and Hawaii, with shorter stays in Taylor’s Island, MD and Seattle, WA. During his 26-year career, Senior Chief Sharp served on seven United States Coast Guard Cutters (USCGC): CAPE GEORGE, BASSWOOD, ASSATEAGUE, GALVESTON ISLAND, SASSAFRASS, WALNUT, and MIDGETT. He also worked with the Marine Safety Office (MSO) in Guam and the Naval Engineering Support Unit in Honolulu. The ships Senior Chief Sharp served on were involved in various tasks, such as: aids to navigation throughout the Western Pacific; search and rescue; investigating oil pollution incidents; foreign fishing vessel seizures; fishery violations; oil spill recovery; and vessel security, to name a few. Senior Chief Sharp also served in the Persian Gulf for the Iraq War.
Senior Chief Sharp is the recipient of 18 awards and medals, such as: Meritorious Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Coast Guard Commendation Medal.
Senior Chief Sharp retired from active duty in the United States Coast Guard in September of 2011. He worked as a Ship Repair Superintendent for two years before getting picked up by the US Navy at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a Shipbuilding Specialist, acting as Government oversite for contractors on Aircraft Carriers. “I continue to back the US Coast Guard and all the jobs they do,” said Senior Chief Sharp. “Do more with less was always the saying, and we did it and I see that the service continues to do business this way and continues to answer the call and take care of the jobs set before them, Semper Paratus.”
Senior Chief Sharp resides with his wife Connie in Poulsbo, WA and enjoys boating, fishing, clamming, and being outdoors. They have one daughter, Bianca Lei.
Sharp was nominated by his friend, Ted Trumbull.
“As a lifelong friend of Jamie, I was always amazed at the stories he told me of his duties while in the US Coast Guard. As the lesser-known U.S. Military Service, most people would associate it with protecting the waters around the U.S. mainland, but they cover all parts of the world. His 26-year career in the Coast Guard took him all over the world’s waters, patrolling the Pacific water for months on end. He always called me after getting back to port with new stories; he’s shared tales of rescues and pulling people from sinking boats during storms. Though maybe not the headline news type of military action most of us know, the Coast Guard is out there patrolling foreign waters and protecting the USA in ways we never hear about. Jamie was some of the first military to go to Iraq during the Gulf war. I commend him and his service to this country.”
NFM Salute is an initiative in which one military member or Veteran is chosen each month to be honored as the “Salute of the Month.” Salutes are chosen from nominations on the NFM Salute website, www.nfmsalute.com. The “Salute of the Month” will be featured on the website with a brief biography and information about his or her service, and NFM Lending will make a $1,000 donation to a military or Veteran non-profit in the Salute’s name. Senior Chief Sharp chose the Gary Sinise Foundation to receive this month’s donation.
Selected NFM Salutes may choose from one of the following three non-profits: Platoon 22, AnySoldier, and the Gary Sinise Foundation. NFM looks forward to the opportunity to continue to honor military and Veterans through the NFM Salute initiative.
About NFM Lending
NFM Lending is a mortgage lending company currently licensed in 29 states in the U.S. The company was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1998 and this year is celebrating its 20th anniversary. They attribute their success in the mortgage industry to their steadfast commitment to customers and the community. NFM Lending has firmly planted itself in the home loan marketplace as “America’s Common Sense Residential Mortgage Lender.™” For more information about NFM Lending, visit www.nfmlending.com, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.