Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class David Wyscaver
SILVERDALE, Wash. – A 1999 Colegio Bautista De Caguas High School graduate and Puerto Rico native is presently engaged in a critical mission for the security of the United States: deterring nuclear war.
As an electronics technician, Serrano is responsible for the navigation of the ship and providing navigation data for the strategic missile launch.
“We're responsible for all kinds of equipment and I enjoy the challenge of making sure it's all ready to go,” Serrano said.
Serrano draws from lessons learned growing up in Puerto Rico.
“All my family has been in the military, so the responsibility I was taught has paid off because I've been able to do my job correctly,” Serrano said.
The Navy’s ballistic missile submarines, often referred to informally as “boomers,” serve as undetectable launch platforms for intercontinental ballistic missiles. They are designed specifically for stealth, extended patrols and the precise delivery of missiles, and they are the only survivable leg of the nation’s strategic nuclear forces, which also include land-based missiles and aircraft.
As long as nuclear weapons remain in the hands of potential adversaries, the nation’s nuclear forces provide a safe, secure and credible deterrent to the threat of nuclear attack. The Navy’s continuous at-sea deployment of submarines like USS Pennsylvania provides the ability to mount an assured response.
As effective as the Ohio-class submarines have been over their decades-long lifetimes, the fleet is aging, with the oldest submarines now more than 30 years old, well past their planned service lives.
A new and effective successor is critical to national security, and the Navy is well into the process of designing and fielding a more advanced ballistic missile submarine, which will provide the necessary sea-based nuclear deterrence into the 2080s and beyond.
Submarine sailors are some of the most highly trained and skilled people in the Navy. The training is highly technical, and each crew has to be able to operate, maintain, and repair every system or piece of equipment on board. Regardless of their specialty, everyone also has to learn how everything on the submarine works and how to respond in emergencies to become “qualified in submarines” and earn the right to wear the coveted gold or silver dolphins on their uniforms.
"The men and women from across our nation who volunteer for military service embody the fundamental values of honor, courage and sacrifice that are the bedrock of our republic," said Rear Adm. Blake Converse, Commander, Submarine Group Nine. "They protect and defend America from above, below, and across the world's oceans. The entire nation should be extremely proud of the hard work that these sailors do every single day to support the critical mission of the Navy and the submarine force."
“I did some math and realized that I spend about 75 percent of my time together with the crew, it's like a big family in the best sense of the word,” Serrano said. "If a casualty happens, all differences go aside and we pull together."
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Serrano and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, one that will provide a critical component of the Navy the nation needs.
“The Navy has given me the opportunity to defend what we are as a country, to sacrifice some of my life so my friends and family are safe,” Serrano said.