SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 2nd Class Creighton Tuggle, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, joined the Navy because he wanted to travel and show his family the world.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown |
Now, three years later, Tuggle serves with the Scorpions of Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM) 49, working with one of the Navy’s most advanced helicopters at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
“It's been very rewarding," said Tuggle. "The people are great. The chain of command is reliable and they want everyone to succeed.”
“It's been very rewarding," said Tuggle. "The people are great. The chain of command is reliable and they want everyone to succeed.”
Tuggle, a 2002 graduate of Kirby High School, is a yeoman with a versatile squadron that’s capable of completing a number of important missions for the Navy with the MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopter.
“I work in administration and human resources," said Tuggle. "I make sure records are up to date, evaluations are well written, awards are processed on time and everything is signed off by the skipper.”
Tuggle credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Memphis.
“I learned to be respectable and honest," said Tuggle. "Sometimes your personality can carry you a long way. Even if you're in a bad mood, smile and say hello—that’s southern hospitality.”
HSM 49's primary mission is to conduct sea control operations in open-ocean and coastal environments as an expeditionary unit. This includes hunting for submarines, searching for surface targets over the horizon and conducting search and rescue operations.
According to Navy officials, the MH-60R is the Navy's new primary maritime dominance helicopter. Greatly enhanced over its predecessors, the MH-60R helicopter features a glass cockpit and significant mission system improvements, which give it unmatched capability as an airborne multi-mission naval platform.
As the U.S. Navy's next generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter, the MH-60R "Romeo" is the cornerstone of the Navy's Helicopter Concept of Operations. Anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare are the MH-60R's primary missions. Secondary missions include search and rescue, medical evacuation, vertical replenishment, naval surface fire support, communications relay, command, control, communications, command and control warfare and non-combat operations.
“Our squadron is always mission ready," said Tuggle. "We deploy with qualified sailors and ready aircraft to complete the mission.”
Serving in the Navy means Tuggle is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
America is a maritime nation, and the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Tuggle is most proud of making rank. He was promoted from seaman recruit to second class in two and a half years and was selected Sailor of the Year two years in a row.
“Competing against my peers, I was number one,” said Tuggle. “It felt good to be recognized for all the hard work we do in the administration department.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Tuggle and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs.
“Besides tradition, I would say honor is what Navy service means to me,” said Tuggle. “Not everyone can serve. I'm one of the few who was able to come through the doors.”