by Mass
Communication Specialist 2nd Class Amanda L. Owens, Navy Office of Community
Outreach
(MILLINGTON, Tenn.) – Navy Midshipman Julianne Dahlman from Charleston,
South Carolina, 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.
“Over the past four years during my time at Duke’s NROTC
program, I have made incredible friendships that I will keep for a lifetime,”
said Dahlman. “I have learned how to lead my peers, delegate, plan ahead, deal
with internal Battalion issues, and balance a challenging academic load with my
physical fitness and extracurricular activities.”
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 is very important to me
because it is the first big step in my professional career,” said Dahlman. “It
has led me to intriguing research on the Navy’s history, foreign ports, and
forward deployed ships.”
Dahlman, a 2013 Bishop England High School graduate, has
selected to serve aboard USS Chancellorsville She is majoring in quantitative economics
while attending Duke University. Upon graduation, Dahlman will receive a
commission as a Navy Ensign and report aboard Chancellorsville as a surface warfare
officer.
Chancellorsville is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile destroyer home-ported in Yokosuka, Japan. Modern
U.S. Navy guided-missile cruisers perform primarily in a battle force role
supporting carrier battle groups, amphibious forces or
operating independently and as flagships of surface action
groups.
“I am excited to learn as much as I can from the wardroom
and my division and to finally implement everything that I have studied the
past four years in NROTC,” said Dahlman. “I look forward to making strides
towards getting qualified and creating new professional relationships. I am
eager to see the fleet in action and even travel the world.”
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 will bring to my first ship my strong work ethic and my
desire to learn,” said Dahlman. “I know when I first report, I will know
nothing, but with my focus, excitement, and dependability, I am determined to succeed
and help my ship and division in any way I can.”