USS Columbia (SSN 771) received the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its last deployment, Sept. 5, just minutes before setting the maneuvering detail and departing for another. Commander, Submarine Squadron 3, Capt. Joseph Tofalo, presented the Meritorious Unit Commendation to Columbia’s crew as they said their goodbyes to their loved ones at Pearl Harbor and prepared to leave for a surge deployment to the Western Pacific. In the award citation, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Cmdr. Gene Sievers, Columbia’s commanding officer, said his crew did an “extraordinary” job keeping the submarine in a ready status, despite returning from the deployment only six months ago. “Normally after you return, you stand down and move into maintenance period,” said Sievers.