MAYPORT, Florida - A 2009 East Knox High School graduate and Columbus, Ohio, native is serving aboard the future USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), an Arleigh Burke class destroyer homeported in Mayport, Florida.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam Combs is an electronics technician responsible for maintaining and operating the ship’s critical navigation systems. Combs is responsible for equipment that calculates the ship’s heading, pitch, roll, speed over ground, and speed through the water by utilizing GPS and Ring Laser Gyros to accurately track ship’s location and provide pinpoint navigation data to any and all systems onboard. This ranges from navigation gear on the ship’s bridge to navigation hardware in the weapons systems. He says the best part of his job is the people – his shipmates.
"I’ve learned so much from the interactions I’ve had with fellow Sailors,” Combs said. “I’ve still got a long way to go and even more that I want to learn. I’m driven, knowing that these Sailors can help me reach those goals. I believe I have the best chain of command that a new up-and-coming Sailor could have asked for."
Thomas Hudner is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer that provides a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface environments.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the US Navy’s most powerful destroyer fleet. These highly-capable, multi-mission ships conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national security. Ships like USS Thomas Hudner operate forward in every ocean of the world to keep our Nation secure by meeting threats abroad before they can harm us here at home.
Combs has carried lessons learned from his hometown into his military service.
“There are so many, it’s difficult to choose just one,” he said. “If I had to pick, I’d say it’s growing beyond failure. It’s the most difficult lesson and I’ve definitely failed before. It’s nothing I am ashamed of or embarrassed by, failure is a big part of life. We learn from our failures and grow stronger as we overcome each one. We do our best to prepare for it and recover from it but we all fail occasionally. I’ve prepared my whole life for failure so when if and when it comes around, I will not let it slow me down,” said Combs.
The Surface Force is focused on providing lethal, ready, well-trained, and logistically supported surface forces to fight today and in the future. The highly professional men and women serving aboard USS Thomas Hudner are some of our nation’s best and brightest, and are typical of the talented Sailors on duty in our Navy around the world today. They are prepared to go into harm’s way, properly trained, and ready to carry out orders in defense of our nation’s freedom.
“Thomas J. Hudner Jr., a naval aviator who retired as a captain, received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman for displaying uncommon valor during an attack on his element leader, the first African American naval aviator to fly in combat, Ensign Jesse L. Brown,” said Cmdr. Nathan W. Scherry, the ship’s commanding officer. “On May 7, 2012, Secretary of the Navy Mabus announced that DDG 116 would be named in Captain Hudner's honor. Today, as the Navy's finest 300 Sailors crew the 66th Arleigh Burke Class destroyer, they do so with a tremendous amount of honor, pride, and sense of duty. We are extremely honored to be able to carry Captain Hudner's values and legacy forward so that they are never forgotten. We are proud to be able to carry out our missions in defense of our country's freedom and values, and humbled to be part of the Hudner family.”
Combs has strong military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“I had one grandfather who served in the Army, my father served both in the Navy and Army, my brother served in the Navy,” Combs proudly said. “I also had three uncles who served in the Air Force, three uncles served in the Army, and four who served in the Navy, one aunt served in the Air Force, and five cousins served in the Navy and Army.”
Comb’s proudest Navy accomplishment was being meritoriously advanced to petty officer second class (E-5) in July of 2018.
“It meant a lot to me, as it showed how much faith my command has in me and how much they expect of me in the future,” said Combs. “To be acknowledged like that felt better than anything else I’ve done in the military.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s high-tech and lethal surface combatant ships, Combs and other Thomas Hudner Sailors are proud to be part of a warfighting team that he considers family.
“I have more than just the family I had before I joined – I have a military family I’ve built upon since then,” Combs said. “It means pride - pride in what I do and pride in my country. It means everything to me. Family members who served before me made huge accomplishments and I feel obligated to meet and surpass expectations I set for myself.”
Thomas Hudner is the 66th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and the 36th DDG 51 class destroyer built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW). It is the first warship named for U.S. Navy Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Thomas J. Hudner, Jr.
On Dec. 4, 1950, then Lt. j.g.Thomas Hudner and his element leader, Ensign Jesse L. Brown were among a group of six pilots on patrol near the Chosin Reservoir when Brown's F4U Corsair was struck by ground fire from Chinese troops and crashed. In an attempt to save Brown from his burning aircraft, Hudner intentionally crash-landed his own aircraft on a snowy mountain in freezing temperatures to help Brown. In spite of these efforts, Brown died of his injuries and Hudner was forced to evacuate, having also been injured in the landing. Hudner received the Medal of Honor for his actions in trying to save the life of his element leader, shipmate, and friend during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War.
The warship will be officially placed into active service at a December 1 commissioning ceremony in Boston, the nearest harbor to the hometown of its heroic namesake, Fall River, Massachusetts - a fitting tribute to an American hero. The ceremony includes “bringing the ship to life” and other orders rooted in centuries old naval tradition.
For information about the commissioning ceremony, visit https://www.usshudnerddg116.org/.
"I’ve learned so much from the interactions I’ve had with fellow Sailors,” Combs said. “I’ve still got a long way to go and even more that I want to learn. I’m driven, knowing that these Sailors can help me reach those goals. I believe I have the best chain of command that a new up-and-coming Sailor could have asked for."
Thomas Hudner is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer that provides a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface environments.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the US Navy’s most powerful destroyer fleet. These highly-capable, multi-mission ships conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national security. Ships like USS Thomas Hudner operate forward in every ocean of the world to keep our Nation secure by meeting threats abroad before they can harm us here at home.
Combs has carried lessons learned from his hometown into his military service.
“There are so many, it’s difficult to choose just one,” he said. “If I had to pick, I’d say it’s growing beyond failure. It’s the most difficult lesson and I’ve definitely failed before. It’s nothing I am ashamed of or embarrassed by, failure is a big part of life. We learn from our failures and grow stronger as we overcome each one. We do our best to prepare for it and recover from it but we all fail occasionally. I’ve prepared my whole life for failure so when if and when it comes around, I will not let it slow me down,” said Combs.
The Surface Force is focused on providing lethal, ready, well-trained, and logistically supported surface forces to fight today and in the future. The highly professional men and women serving aboard USS Thomas Hudner are some of our nation’s best and brightest, and are typical of the talented Sailors on duty in our Navy around the world today. They are prepared to go into harm’s way, properly trained, and ready to carry out orders in defense of our nation’s freedom.
“Thomas J. Hudner Jr., a naval aviator who retired as a captain, received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman for displaying uncommon valor during an attack on his element leader, the first African American naval aviator to fly in combat, Ensign Jesse L. Brown,” said Cmdr. Nathan W. Scherry, the ship’s commanding officer. “On May 7, 2012, Secretary of the Navy Mabus announced that DDG 116 would be named in Captain Hudner's honor. Today, as the Navy's finest 300 Sailors crew the 66th Arleigh Burke Class destroyer, they do so with a tremendous amount of honor, pride, and sense of duty. We are extremely honored to be able to carry Captain Hudner's values and legacy forward so that they are never forgotten. We are proud to be able to carry out our missions in defense of our country's freedom and values, and humbled to be part of the Hudner family.”
Combs has strong military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“I had one grandfather who served in the Army, my father served both in the Navy and Army, my brother served in the Navy,” Combs proudly said. “I also had three uncles who served in the Air Force, three uncles served in the Army, and four who served in the Navy, one aunt served in the Air Force, and five cousins served in the Navy and Army.”
Comb’s proudest Navy accomplishment was being meritoriously advanced to petty officer second class (E-5) in July of 2018.
“It meant a lot to me, as it showed how much faith my command has in me and how much they expect of me in the future,” said Combs. “To be acknowledged like that felt better than anything else I’ve done in the military.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s high-tech and lethal surface combatant ships, Combs and other Thomas Hudner Sailors are proud to be part of a warfighting team that he considers family.
“I have more than just the family I had before I joined – I have a military family I’ve built upon since then,” Combs said. “It means pride - pride in what I do and pride in my country. It means everything to me. Family members who served before me made huge accomplishments and I feel obligated to meet and surpass expectations I set for myself.”
Thomas Hudner is the 66th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and the 36th DDG 51 class destroyer built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW). It is the first warship named for U.S. Navy Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Thomas J. Hudner, Jr.
On Dec. 4, 1950, then Lt. j.g.Thomas Hudner and his element leader, Ensign Jesse L. Brown were among a group of six pilots on patrol near the Chosin Reservoir when Brown's F4U Corsair was struck by ground fire from Chinese troops and crashed. In an attempt to save Brown from his burning aircraft, Hudner intentionally crash-landed his own aircraft on a snowy mountain in freezing temperatures to help Brown. In spite of these efforts, Brown died of his injuries and Hudner was forced to evacuate, having also been injured in the landing. Hudner received the Medal of Honor for his actions in trying to save the life of his element leader, shipmate, and friend during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War.
The warship will be officially placed into active service at a December 1 commissioning ceremony in Boston, the nearest harbor to the hometown of its heroic namesake, Fall River, Massachusetts - a fitting tribute to an American hero. The ceremony includes “bringing the ship to life” and other orders rooted in centuries old naval tradition.
For information about the commissioning ceremony, visit https://www.usshudnerddg116.org/.