SAN DIEGO – Cmdr. Cody Keesee, a native of Amarillo, Texas, serves the U.S. Navy at Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1 operating out of San Diego, California.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Joey Sitter, Navy Office of Community Outreach |
Keesee graduated from Alamo Catholic High School in 1995. Additionally, Keesee earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mississippi in 2007 and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2018.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Amarillo.
“The lessons I carry with me from my childhood are the value of hard work and discipline,” Keesee said. “Spending a lot of time on a farm growing up, I understood there were certain things you had to do every day – things like chores – and if you didn’t do those things, you would be set up for failure. Because of that, following discipline in the Navy wasn’t as difficult as I anticipated.”
Keesee joined the Navy 27 years ago. Today, Keesee serves as a Civil Engineer Corps officer and the operations officer for ACB-1.
“I’d gone to college for a couple of years, but that didn’t work out and I was back in Amarillo,” Keesee said. “I wanted to branch out from Amarillo, see the world and get money to go back to college, so I joined the Navy. A six-year enlistment turned into a 27-year career. I was selected for a commissioning program, and the Navy sent me to finish my undergrad and then to grad school. I’m an electrical engineer. I’ve had a diverse career when you look at what I did on ships when I was enlisted compared to what I did as a surface warfare officer compared to what I’m doing as a civil engineer corps officer. It’s always something different.”
ACB-1’s primary mission is to provide logistics over-the-shore support for Amphibious Ready Group, Marine Expeditionary Force and Maritime Prepositioning Force operations, including ship-to-shore transportation of combat cargo, bulk fuel/water and tactical camp operations.
With a combination of Seabee and fleet rates, ACB-1 is skilled at offloading equipment through Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS) operations, as well as providing camp support, perimeter defense, and limited construction support. Fleet rates qualify as craft masters and deck engineers and are proficient in operating and maintaining INLS. Seabee rates such as builders, steelworkers, electricians, equipment operators, construction mechanics and engineering aides provide construction services. Additional deployable Seabee units include Naval Mobile Construction Battalions, Construction Battalion Maintenance Units, and Underwater Construction Teams, which all make up the U.S. Naval Construction Forces.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Keesee has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I’m most proud of continued leadership positions where I get to continually make an impact on the Seabees and sailors’ lives around me, hopefully positively,” Keesee said. “When I was commissioning, they asked me why I wanted to be an officer. I wanted to make decisions that help the mission and other people. The more senior I am, the more of an impact I have on other people. I’m the operations officer for this command and every operation we plan comes out of my office. That’s something I’m very conscious of, and the responsibility of that is something I don’t take for granted.”
Keesee serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“Being in the Navy means I serve with like-minded individuals who have sacrificed personal freedoms to defend the rest of the country,” Keesee said.
Keesee is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my wife, Capt. Amanda Keesee,” Keesee said. “She’s in the Navy Reserve and we met when we were both stationed in Japan. She’s an inspiration, and as hard as I work, I know she’s probably working harder. I also want to thank the mentors I’ve had who have shaped me into who I’ve become; that list is hundreds of people long at this point.”