MAYPORT, Fla. - Petty Officer 1st Class Hunter Childers, a native of Kannapolis, North Carolina, serves aboard one of the country’s most versatile combat ships, USS St. Louis, operating out of Mayport, Florida.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James Green, Navy Office of Community Outreach |
Childers, a 2014 graduate of North West Cabarrus High School, joined the Navy seven years ago.
“I joined the military because all the males in my family have joined, going all the way back to the Civil War,” said Childers. "I was one of the first from my family to join the Navy and I chose that branch because I wanted to do something different."
Today, Childers relies upon skills and values similar to those found in Kannapolis to succeed in the military.
“Growing up I learned you have to work hard,” said Childers. "Nothing beats someone who will work hard for you and I have carried that lesson with me to the Navy."
These lessons have helped Childers while serving in the Navy.
St. Louis is a fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored surface combatant that operates in near-shore and open-ocean environments, according to Navy officials. Littoral combat ships integrate with joint, combined, manned and unmanned teams to support forward-presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe.
Littoral combat ships are hybrid surface combatants that lead manned-unmanned teams using unmanned aerial systems like the Fire Scout and Expeditionary Ordnance Disposal forces unmanned underwater vehicles. They conduct forward and maritime security missions like the Secretary of Defense Oceania Maritime Security Initiative. The ships also strengthen partnerships through port visits in small island nations like Tahiti and Fiji due to their shallow-depth hull.
According to Navy officials, the path to becoming an LCS sailor is unique and challenging. The culmination of their 18-month training pipeline, sailors qualify on a virtual reality simulator that is nearly identical to the ship. This intense and realistic training pipeline allows sailors to execute their roles and responsibilities immediately upon stepping on board.
With 90 percent of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to trained sailors and a strong Navy.
"Our mission remains timeless - to provide our fellow citizens with nothing less than the very best Navy: fully combat ready at all times, focused on warfighting excellence, and committed to superior leadership at every single level," said Adm. Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations. "This is our calling. And I cannot imagine a calling more worthy."
Serving in the Navy means Childers is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on strengthening alliances, modernizing capabilities, increasing capacities and maintaining military readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“The Navy is important to national defense because we can go anywhere and touch anything,” said Childers.
Childers and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.
“My proudest accomplishment is graduating from Search and Rescue Swimmer school,” said Childers. "A lot of people don't make it through the training, and the thought of being able to help someone in need makes me proud."
As Childers and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy to me is about tradition,” said Childers. "We try to maintain and keep traditions going and that makes me proud. It's about keeping the memory of the people who came before us alive. We are who we are today, because of them."
Childers is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank my parents and grandparents for teaching me hard work and integrity," added Childers. "They taught me that if you say something you need to mean it, and you always need to do the right thing."