(MILLINGTON, Tenn.) – Navy Midshipman Zachary Dykeman, from Dallas, participated in the 2018 winter Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) ship selection draft as a future member of the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) community.
More than 40 midshipmen from NROTC units around the country chose to serve as surface warfare officers. Each selecting midshipmen are ranked according to their grade point average, aptitude scores and physical fitness.“My two and half years at North Carolina State University has provided a low-stress opportunity for me to grow as a leader and sailor,” Dykeman said. “I have used the time to also establish and grow my family, finances, and experiences as a person.”
According to their rankings, each midshipman provided a preference of ship or homeport to the junior officer detailer at the Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tennessee. If these preferences were available, they were assigned as requested.
"I’m looking forward to finally getting some time at sea,” Dykeman said. “I’m also excited to put my years of education and training to practical use.”
Dykeman, a 2008 L.V. Berkner High School graduate, has selected to serve aboard USS Sterett. He is majoring in mechanical engineering while attending NCSU. Upon graduation, he will receive a commission as a Navy Ensign and report aboard Sterett as a surface warfare officer.
Commissioned in 2008, Sterett is home ported at Naval Base San Diego. Sterett is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer that provides multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. Destroyers can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, expeditionary strike groups, and missile defense action groups.
“I am excited to enter a community with such a wide variety of platforms and personnel to interact with,” Dykemann said.
The midshipmen’s ship selection is not only a major personal milestone but also an important day for the ships in the fleet. Not only do the midshipmen choose where they are going to start their Navy career, but the ship they choose will also gain a motivated, eager, young officer to help lead and improve an already great team, according to Navy officials.
"NROTC units across the country instill essential warfighting fundamentals, professional core competencies, and ethics required in a Navy or Marine Corps officer," said Rear Adm. Mike Bernacchi, Commander, Naval Service Training Command, which includes the NROTC Program. "I am enormously proud of our graduating midshipman for completing this demanding program, and look forward to them joining the fleet."
“I take ownership of every billet I am given,” Dykeman said. “I am committed to leaving my ship a better place than how it was when I arrived.”