A navy reservist has been praised for 15 years of outstanding loyalty and commitment to the reserve forces.

Petty officer Lynn Cook, who first joined the Royal Naval Reserve in January 1999, received a Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificate for Meritorious Service on Tuesday, September 30.

The 46-year-old, who is an IT manager with IBM and lives in Aylesford, first served with HMS Scotia in Edinburgh and was she was deployed to Iraq in 2008, where she served at Basra Airport as a phalanx gunner.

Her performance on this tour earned her two unit awards, best junior rate and best reservist.

In 2009 she transferred to the Medway division of HMS President, based in Chatham, and is now second-in-command and coxswain.

She volunteered for a second mobilisation in 2012 and undertook three months as an operations room supervisor at United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations in Dubai, which tackles pirates.

Petty officer Cook said: “I feel very honoured considering I’ve only lived in Kent for five years. My husband is an Army Reservist and received the same award a few years ago so we now have one each!”

The award was presented by The Lord-Lieutenant of Kent, Viscount De L’Isle MBE, at the Ashford International Hotel.