by Kayla Good,
Navy Office of Community Outreach
(MILLINGTON, Tenn.) – Navy Midshipman Sean Edwards from Pearl
River, New York, 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.
“A lot of college kids fall into bad habits in school but
NROTC had the opposite effect on me,” said Edwards. “It made me take
accountability for my actions and always be ready for adversity.”
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.
“Ship selection to
me symbolizes the beginning of a new chapter of my career in the Navy,” said
Edwards. “It’s definitely something I’ve been looking forward to ever since I
got picked up for Advanced Standing.”
Edwards, a 2013 Pearl River High School graduate, has
selected to serve aboard USS Milwaukee. He is majoring in communications while
attending Old Dominion University. Upon graduation, Edwards will receive a
commission as a Navy Ensign and report aboard Milwaukee as a surface warfare
officer.
Milwaukee is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship home-ported in Mayport, Florida.
“I’m excited to meet my sailors and the rest of the wardroom
for the first time,” said Edwards. “But more than anything else I am excited to
go on my first deployment.”
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 going to bring a hard working attitude, a willingness
to learn and accountability,” added Edwards.