GREAT LAKES, Ill. - Sailors are some of the most highly-trained people on the planet, according to Navy officials, and this training requires highly-dedicated instructors.
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| Photo by Lt. Cmdr. Jacob Joy, Navy Office of Community Outreach |
At Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), instructors at advanced technical schools teach sailors to be highly skilled, operational, and combat ready warfighters, while providing the tools and opportunities for continuous learning and development.
Seaman Logan Yates, a native of Lafayette, Oregon, is a student at NETC, learning the necessary skills needed to be a boatswain's mate.
As a boatswain's mate, Yates is responsible for the maintenance, navigation, and piloting and mooring of Navy ships.
Yates, a 2020 McMinnville High School graduate, joined the Navy one year ago.
“I joined the Navy to help and dedicate myself to the team serving our country," said Yates. "I wanted to be a part of a team and help out as much as I can.”
According to Yates, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Lafayette.
“I come from an unconventional, family dynamic," said Yates. "Growing up in my hometown I was taught many things, such as what to do and not to do, and I learned from other people's examples.”
Students attend advanced technical schools after “boot camp.” They are taught the basic technical knowledge and skills required to be successful in their new careers.
NETC educates and trains those who serve, providing the tools and opportunities which enable life-long learning, professional and personal growth and development, ensuring fleet readiness and mission accomplishment.
Made up of six commands, NETC provides a continuum of professional education and training in support of Surface Navy requirements that prepare enlisted sailors and officers to serve at sea, providing apprentice and specialized skills training to 7,500 sailors a year.
With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.
According to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, four priorities will focus efforts on sailors, readiness, capabilities, and capacity.
“For 245 years, in both calm and rough waters, our Navy has stood the watch to protect the homeland, preserve freedom of the seas, and defend our way of life,” said Gilday. “The decisions and investments we make this decade will set the maritime balance of power for the rest of this century. We can accept nothing less than success.”
Serving in the Navy means Yates is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“If it wasn't for our Navy, there would be little between us and empty water, " said Yates. "I'ts key for the integrity of international relations and personal defense. Ninety percent of international trade and traffic happens in the waters. Without the Navy the integrity and sanctity would fall short and fall into squalor, but with it, everything can be secured and everything great can be sustained.”
As Yates and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy means willing to be the 'hard man' I need to be," added Yates. "I can wake up at three in the morning and get the job done, while securing the sanctity of the team and gaining the respect of my peers while completing the objective as well as I can.”