A local Navy veteran has been honored in Navy Recruiting District Pittsburgh.

Petty Officer First Class Matthew Koll, a graduate of Northgate High School, won Recruiter in Charge [RINC] of the Year honors at Navy Recruiting District Pittsburgh's annual awards banquet in Niagara Falls.

Koll, an eight-year veteran of the United States Navy, is currently one of the recruiters in the North Hills Navy recruiting office for Navy Recruiting District Pittsburgh. The district, which covers Pennsylvania, a majority of New York State, parts of Maryland and West Virginia, is responsible for almost 65,000 square miles of coverage.

"Winning this ward is a tremendous honor," said Koll after the banquet. "Our district is very large and to be named as the RINC of the year over so many people who do their job very well…it's humbling."

The North Hills Navy recruiting station received and processed 46 U.S. Navy recruits this past calendar year. The average in the U.S. Navy for a station this size is approximately 40 personnel per year.

This honor isn't the first in Koll's career. He also recently was named Sailor of the Quarter for the recruiting district, and received the Volunteer Service Medal for his activity in the community. Regularly volunteering at after-school programs, ceremonial details and programs for special needs children throughout the city, Koll sees it as part of his duty to give back to the area where he grew up.

"The Navy has completely changed my life. It opened my eyes to the world and let me experience so many different cultures. The great leaders that I have worked for helped develop my character and make a man out of me at a very young age. I could not imagine where I would be without their leadership and mentoring, and for that I am forever grateful," said Koll.

Koll continued: "The biggest and most rewarding thing about recruiting, and recruiting well like my station does, is that you help so many people. Lots of kids come into the office and they are looking for a higher purpose, to be part of something bigger than themselves. A lot of them are looking for training and really have a long term vision of what it means to be an American, and they all have a long vision into what they want for their future."