By
Navy Office of Community Outreach
SAN DIEGO – A 2005 Connellsville Area Senior High
School graduate and Connellsville, Pennsylvania native is serving
in the U.S. Navy with Afloat Training Group San Diego.
A Navy gunner’s mate is responsible for running the
division that's in charge of all weapon systems, ammunition, and explosives. He
also leads sailors by mentoring and guiding them.
“If
a job needs to be done, I'm not shy about getting in there myself,” said Tressler. “I lead from the front. I also like seeing my sailors advance.”
The training
group provides dynamic training to Navy and Coast Guard sailors to ensure a
combat ready force capable of performing a broad spectrum of missions,
according to Navy officials. Special emphasis is placed on preparing ships'
training teams, special evolution teams and watch teams to institutionalize the
onboard capability to sustain and improve combat readiness throughout an
employment cycle.
“At this command, we train sailors in the fleet to get them prepared for
deployments,” said Tressler.
Afloat Training
Group San Diego strives to keep sailors’ warfare expertise sharp by maintaining
professional knowledge and skills through a robust training program of
installations and factory training, technical symposiums, informal training and
self-study. By maintaining a group of subject matters experts in different
warfare areas, they prepare ships to be missions ready.
"It’s amazing to hear our sailors’ stories,” said Capt. James Storm, commander of Afloat Training Group San Diego.
“Some of them are working on their PhDs and others are working on their first
degree. I’ve met sailors who grew up in extreme poverty, and now they own their
own home here in Southern California. Serving here at Afloat Training Group is
considered a career enhancing tour because these sailors are recognized
experts. They lay the foundation for successful deployments.”
According to Navy officials, approximately 355 sailors
make up the training group making their jobs highly specialized in
order to
keep each part of the command running smoothly.
As a member of
the Afloat Training Group San Diego, sailors prepare ships to deploy. Tressler
explained they are building a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes. The
trainers know how important it is for the Navy to maintain and uphold
war-fighting capabilities to continue their success on the world’s oceans.
“It's an honor serving in
the Navy,” added
Tressler. “I have a lot of family members who served in the Navy. My grandfather and my great uncle were both in the Navy. My
grandfather was a member of an underwater demolition team, which was the
predecessor to the Navy SEALS.”