MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Petty Officer 3rd Class Tyreke Kaigler, a native of Victorville, California, recently participated in Exercise MILAN 2024 while serving the U.S. Navy aboard USS Halsey in the Bay of Bengal.
Kaigler graduated from Riverside Preparatory High School in 2020.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Victorville.
“There are two quotes I learned growing up in my hometown that I stick to still to this day,” said Kaigler. “One is from Delores Williams, the founder of an organization called Millionaire Mind Kids. She told me to always ‘Walk through my door of greatness.’ The other comes from my basketball coach; we called him ‘Coach Mac.’ He would always tell us, ‘You have pretenders and you have your real ones. Which one are you going to be?’ Those quotes influenced a lot of who I am today and without those mentors, I wouldn’t be on the path I’m on now.”
Kaigler joined the Navy three years ago. Today, Kaigler serves as an operations specialist.
“I joined the Navy to find a career for myself,” said Kaigler. “Being an operations specialist gives me a multitude of job skills to use whether I stay in or get out. Being a person who can control links and be a major asset to the tactical warfare side of the Navy makes me realize the bigger picture of the Navy’s mission.”
Halsey, a guided-missile destroyer, joined ships, aircraft and military forces from India and other nations for the exercise in February. MILAN, which means “meeting” in Hindi, saw its highest participation this year with more than 50 countries taking part, according to Navy officials. This is the second time U.S. forces have participated in the exercise led by the Indian Navy.
MILAN 2024 focused on strengthening military ties to contribute toward a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific, Navy officials said. The exercise included a phase at sea where ships focused on high-end tactical training, maneuvering drills, air-defense exercises, submarine familiarization, multinational replenishment-at-sea, communications drills, gunnery exercises and joint warfighting scenarios.
“The role I played was being the lead Tactical Information Coordinator,” said Kaigler. “In doing that, I provided links with multiple nations included in the exercise. Doing this not only improved the warfare capabilities that we can utilize, but it shows the cohesiveness between other countries to improve warfighting capabilities with allied nations.”
With 90% 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 recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Kaigler serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.”
Kaigler can take pride in serving America through military service.
“Serving in the Navy means a lot,” said Kaigler. “Not only has it given me a career that I enjoy and want to continue progressing in, but it also lets me serve a bigger purpose for this country and lets the people at home be at ease, knowing they shouldn’t worry about their safety.”