YOKOSUKA, Japan - Navy Chief Petty Officer Brandon Greene, a 2006 Cedar Shoals High School graduate and native of Athens, Georgia, was recently selected for commissioning as a limited duty officer (LDO); set for May 2020, as an information systems officer.
Greene, is an information systems technician serving at Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet (C7F) in Yokosuka, Japan.
An information systems technician is responsible for operating and maintaining Navy global satellite telecommunications systems, network administration, database management and computer hardware and software implementation.
Greene enlisted in the Navy as a seaman while attending Georgia Southern University and has now served for nine years. Greene arrived to C7F in Oct. 2018 and his previous duty assignments include: USS George Washington, Navy Expeditionary Combat Forces in Bahrain and Naval Air Station Pensacola as an instructor.
When asked what motivates him to serve in the military, Greene said, "I'm in a unique position to be able to mold the youth of the country by teaching them how to take charge and be accountable for their actions. I can't think of any other place where you can put a person that has been out of high school for two years where they will be fully responsible for the well-being of a group of people or a million dollars' worth of equipment. I love to see young people succeed and even more when I helped show them the way. As an instructor, I was in charge of 650 people every day. Every decision I made affected all of them. There aren't many places where you can exercise your judgement and critical thinking skills like in the military."
LDOs are sailors from the enlisted ranks considered very highly skilled in their Navy job, and selected to become a commissioned officer. The LDO communities have designators in the surface, submarine, aviation, information dominance, expeditionary, and general series as well as staff corps communities and serve in a variety of leadership billets within their technical fields, ranging from division officer to commanding officer ashore.
Greene gives advice to young people who might not know what they want to do in life.
"I would say think about your future and don't chase money but chase your happiness," Greene said. "I know it's scary, but don't be afraid to jump out of your comfort zone to achieve something you always wanted. Your attitude is what takes you far in life not necessarily your knowledge. If you are confrontational all of the time they will steer away from you, and you'll never know what opportunities you are missing or connections you aren't making. Be an innovative person and have an open mind to everyone's ideas. Don't worry about what anybody thinks of your decisions because you are the one that has to live with them."
C7F operates in the largest of the U.S. Navy’s numbered fleets. At any given time there are 70-80 ships and submarines, 140 aircraft and approximately 40,000 Sailors and Marines in region. C7F uses both forward-deployed ships from Japan, Singapore, Guam and other locations as well as rotationally-deployed ships from the West Coast to execute military operations across the spectrum, from major combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
An information systems technician is responsible for operating and maintaining Navy global satellite telecommunications systems, network administration, database management and computer hardware and software implementation.
Greene enlisted in the Navy as a seaman while attending Georgia Southern University and has now served for nine years. Greene arrived to C7F in Oct. 2018 and his previous duty assignments include: USS George Washington, Navy Expeditionary Combat Forces in Bahrain and Naval Air Station Pensacola as an instructor.
When asked what motivates him to serve in the military, Greene said, "I'm in a unique position to be able to mold the youth of the country by teaching them how to take charge and be accountable for their actions. I can't think of any other place where you can put a person that has been out of high school for two years where they will be fully responsible for the well-being of a group of people or a million dollars' worth of equipment. I love to see young people succeed and even more when I helped show them the way. As an instructor, I was in charge of 650 people every day. Every decision I made affected all of them. There aren't many places where you can exercise your judgement and critical thinking skills like in the military."
LDOs are sailors from the enlisted ranks considered very highly skilled in their Navy job, and selected to become a commissioned officer. The LDO communities have designators in the surface, submarine, aviation, information dominance, expeditionary, and general series as well as staff corps communities and serve in a variety of leadership billets within their technical fields, ranging from division officer to commanding officer ashore.
Greene gives advice to young people who might not know what they want to do in life.
"I would say think about your future and don't chase money but chase your happiness," Greene said. "I know it's scary, but don't be afraid to jump out of your comfort zone to achieve something you always wanted. Your attitude is what takes you far in life not necessarily your knowledge. If you are confrontational all of the time they will steer away from you, and you'll never know what opportunities you are missing or connections you aren't making. Be an innovative person and have an open mind to everyone's ideas. Don't worry about what anybody thinks of your decisions because you are the one that has to live with them."
C7F operates in the largest of the U.S. Navy’s numbered fleets. At any given time there are 70-80 ships and submarines, 140 aircraft and approximately 40,000 Sailors and Marines in region. C7F uses both forward-deployed ships from Japan, Singapore, Guam and other locations as well as rotationally-deployed ships from the West Coast to execute military operations across the spectrum, from major combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.