by Kayla Good,
Navy Office of Community Outreach
(MILLINGTON, Tenn.) – Navy Midshipman John Crowley from Austin,
Texas, participated in the 2017 spring Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps
(NROTC) ship selection draft as a future member of the U.S. Navy’s Surface
Warfare Officer (SWO) community.
More than 280 midshipmen at Navy Reserve Officer Training
Corps (NROTC) units around the country have selected to serve in the Navy as
surface warfare officers. Each selecting midshipman is ranked according to his
or her grade point average, aptitude scores, and physical fitness.
“The experiences I have gained from participating in Navy
ROTC has helped me develop personal responsibility, hone my leadership skills,
and allowed me to attain a higher education,” said Crowley. “I have made
lifelong friends and memories participating in Navy ROTC.”
According to their
rankings, each midshipman provided their 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.
“The SWO ship
selection process allows for midshipmen to actively participate with the ship
selection process, allowing us future SWO officers to get excited about being
in the Navy,” said Crowley.
Crowley, a 2013 Westwood High School graduate, has selected
to serve aboard USS Fort Worth. He is majoring in health economics while attending University
of Oklahoma. Upon graduation, Crowley will receive a commission as a Navy
Ensign and report aboard Fort Worth as a surface warfare officer.
Fort Worth is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship home-ported in San Diego. According
to Navy officials, these ships are a bold departure from traditional Navy shipbuilding
bases on its use of innovative acquisition, construction,
manning, training and operational training.
“Foremost, I am looking forward to finally getting to serve
in the Navy,” said Crowley. “I'm looking forward to getting to work with other
sailors and living in a new location.”
The midshipmen’s selection of their ship is not only a
milestone for them but also an important day for the ships in the fleet. Not
only do the midshipmen choose where they are going to start their Naval career,
but the ship they choose will also gain a motivated, eager, young officer to
help lead and improve an already great team.
While NROTC units are spread out
across the country and vary in size, they all teach midshipmen the values,
standards, abilities and responsibility that it takes to become a Navy officers
and lead this nations sons and daughters in protecting freedom on the seven
seas.
“I am looking to bring hard work, a continuing sense of
learning, and a positive attitude to my first ship,” added Crowley.