(MILLINGTON, Tenn.) – Navy Midshipman Leslie Wood, from Jacksonville, Florida, participated in the 2019 spring Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) ship selection draft as a future member of the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) community.
More than 40 midshipmen from NROTC units around the country chose to serve as surface warfare officers. Each selecting midshipmen are ranked according to their grade point average, aptitude scores and physical fitness.
“The NROTC program has given me the confidence to lead those around me and helped to prepare me to lead those in the fleet,” said Wood. “When I entered the program, I was fairly shy but the responsibilities entrusted upon me have helped me to grow not only as a midshipman, but as a person. The relationships I have established with my peers have helped me learn to collaborate with others as opposed to working mostly independently.”
According to their rankings, each midshipman provided a 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.
“Selecting my ship is a moment that I have anticipated since I first entered the program,” said Wood. “While I did research into the other communities, I have always felt that SWO was the right path for me. Selecting my ship means that I am one step closer to commissioning into the Navy, which has been my dream since I was fourteen.”
Wood, a 2015 Allen D. Nease High School graduate, has selected to serve aboard USS Bataan. Wood is majoring in homeland security and emergency management at Savannah State University. Upon graduation, Wood will receive a commission as a Navy Ensign and report aboard Bataan as a surface warfare officer.
Commissioned in 1997, Bataan is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. Modern U.S. Navy amphibious assault ships project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the amphibious ready group or expeditionary strike group. These ships transport and land elements of the Marine expeditionary unit or Marine expeditionary brigade with a combination of aircraft and landing craft.
“On my first ship I am excited to be able to take what I’ve learned in my classes and on summer cruise and put them into action,” said Wood. “I anticipate gaining a lot of knowledge and experience thanks to my fellow junior sailors. I would love to be able to see many different countries as I have never traveled outside of the United States.”
The midshipmen’s ship selection is not only a major personal milestone but also an important day for the ships in the fleet. Not only do the midshipmen choose where they are going to start their Navy career, but the ship they choose will also gain a motivated, eager, young officer to help lead and improve an already great team, according to Navy officials.
"NROTC units across the country instill essential warfighting fundamentals, professional core competencies, and ethics required in a Navy or Marine Corps officer," said Rear Adm. Mike Bernacchi, Commander, Naval Service Training Command, which includes the NROTC Program. "I am enormously proud of our graduating midshipman for completing this demanding program, and look forward to them joining the fleet."
“The NROTC program has given me the confidence to lead those around me and helped to prepare me to lead those in the fleet,” said Wood. “When I entered the program, I was fairly shy but the responsibilities entrusted upon me have helped me to grow not only as a midshipman, but as a person. The relationships I have established with my peers have helped me learn to collaborate with others as opposed to working mostly independently.”
According to their rankings, each midshipman provided a 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.
“Selecting my ship is a moment that I have anticipated since I first entered the program,” said Wood. “While I did research into the other communities, I have always felt that SWO was the right path for me. Selecting my ship means that I am one step closer to commissioning into the Navy, which has been my dream since I was fourteen.”
Wood, a 2015 Allen D. Nease High School graduate, has selected to serve aboard USS Bataan. Wood is majoring in homeland security and emergency management at Savannah State University. Upon graduation, Wood will receive a commission as a Navy Ensign and report aboard Bataan as a surface warfare officer.
Commissioned in 1997, Bataan is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. Modern U.S. Navy amphibious assault ships project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the amphibious ready group or expeditionary strike group. These ships transport and land elements of the Marine expeditionary unit or Marine expeditionary brigade with a combination of aircraft and landing craft.
“On my first ship I am excited to be able to take what I’ve learned in my classes and on summer cruise and put them into action,” said Wood. “I anticipate gaining a lot of knowledge and experience thanks to my fellow junior sailors. I would love to be able to see many different countries as I have never traveled outside of the United States.”
The midshipmen’s ship selection is not only a major personal milestone but also an important day for the ships in the fleet. Not only do the midshipmen choose where they are going to start their Navy career, but the ship they choose will also gain a motivated, eager, young officer to help lead and improve an already great team, according to Navy officials.
"NROTC units across the country instill essential warfighting fundamentals, professional core competencies, and ethics required in a Navy or Marine Corps officer," said Rear Adm. Mike Bernacchi, Commander, Naval Service Training Command, which includes the NROTC Program. "I am enormously proud of our graduating midshipman for completing this demanding program, and look forward to them joining the fleet."
“I feel as though some of my strongest traits are that I genuinely care about those around me, I learn quickly on the job, and I work on things I don’t first succeed at until I am great at them,” added Wood. “While I may not have all of the knowledge when I first get to the ship, I intend to use these traits among others to become a worthy member of the crew.”