LOXLEY, Alabama — Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Matthew Tuten has been chosen as one of three finalists for the 2016 Service Members of the Year for the U.S. Coast Guard through the popular publication, Military Times.

Tuten is a native of Pensacola, Florida, and currently lives in Loxley. He has served 10 years in the USCG, and is currently stationed in Mobile as an electrician supporting 48 Coast Guard vessels from Mississippi to Florida.

“I’ve never seen anybody do as much as he’s done in the past year in my entire military career, with his dedication to the community, to the service," Senior Chief Machinery Technician Douglas Melvin told Navy Times.

Not only does Tuten serve his country, he serves his community as well as a volunteer firefighter in Loxley and an Emergency Medical Technician for MedStar Ambulance Service in Baldwin County, with 20-plus hours a week dedicated to these two undertakings. Tuten goes beyond his duties in the USCG to impact people’s lives in his community, making him a strong candidate for the Coast Guard’s 2016 Service Member of the Year.

“For his ability to be able to turn it on and off at a moment’s notice, for him to be able to switch between the fire department, the EMT and the Coast Guard … for him to be able to use his experience on a collateral duty basis within the Coast Guard and in the community is a big thing for me," Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark Childers, Tuten's engineering officer, told Navy Times.

Please show your support and cast your vote for EM2 Tuten by June 3 by visiting militarytimes.com and clicking on the Service Members of the Year tab.