EVERETT, Wash. - Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Serio, from Honolulu, Hawaii, serves the U.S. Navy aboard Naval Station Everett in the Pacific Northwest.
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| Photo by Alvin Plexico |
Serio graduated from Moanalua High School in 2014.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Honolulu.
“The most important lesson I learned from my hometown that applies in the Navy is ‘aloha,’” said Serio. “The word ‘aloha’ means respect, family and love. It has many definitions. I apply aloha in the Navy by treating everyone how I want to be treated. I also show respect up and down the chain of command and show respect to my coworkers. Respect goes a long way.”
Serio joined the Navy 10 years ago. Today, Serio serves as a boatswain’s mate.
“I joined the Navy because growing up in Hawaii was financially difficult,” said Serio. “My best friend, Branson Monico’s, dad served 20 years in the Navy and he inspired me to better my life as well.”
Naval Station Everett, one of only two Navy-owned deep-water ports on the West Coast, is home to the command staffs of Carrier Strike Group 11 and Destroyer Group 9, six U.S. Navy ships and one Coast Guard vessel. The base enhances the nation’s ability to accomplish strategic objectives by supporting U.S. Navy and Coast Guard forces, according to Navy officials.
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.
Serio 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.”
Serio has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“My proudest moment in the Navy happened in 2016 when I was serving aboard my first ship, USS Momsen, and we were in port in San Diego,” said Serio. “USS Cape St. George was across from us and a junior sailor had fallen from a five-tier paint barge, from top to bottom. I was on watch and my proudest moment was asking the Officer of the Deck, ‘Can we go save him?’ He said, ‘Yes, let’s go save him Boats.’”
Serio said they had been training and had a rigid-hull inflatable boat already in the water. Serio recalled grabbing the nearest two boatswain’s mates and a senior chief. They had the boat ready in about a minute before driving it over to the injured sailor. The sailors from Cape St. George couldn’t get a stretcher to where the injured sailor had fallen, Serio said.
“We went over with Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Barientes, Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Fountain and Senior Chief Paez,” said Serio. “We retrieved the injured sailor from the paint barge and brought him ashore where EMTs were waiting to take him.”
Serio said the sailor had been in critical condition but survived.
“That same week we got a letter of appreciation from the captain of Cape St. George,” said Serio. “He was an undesignated seaman who was just working and fell. I’m a boatswain’s mate. That’s my job to paint the ship. That could have been one of my guys. That could have been me. That was the proudest moment of my career. I’ve done many things in my career but that was the most important to me.”
Serio can take pride in serving America through military service.
“To me, serving in the Navy means doing my job and doing the right thing so we can all come home safely with 10 fingers and 10 toes,” said Serio. “It means getting the job done, getting it done right and getting it done safely.”
Serio is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“The main person I want to thank is my old senior chief, retired Boatswain’s Mate Senior Chief Richard Woken,” added Serio. “On the ship and during my time serving under his wing, he was a father figure who taught me life lessons, a boss who taught me my job, and a leader who led from the front and taught me to be the best version of myself at work. I also want to thank my divisional officer, James Cook, who at the time was a lieutenant who came from Army Airborne to be an officer in the Navy. He was the one who kept me mentally healthy. He was there to make sure we had what we needed in our personal and professional lives and was the type of person to put everyone ahead of himself to make sure we were OK. Those two together, Woken and Cook, were the best leaders I’ve had in my 10 years.”
Serio is also thankful for close friends.
“I want to thank my best friend, Branson Monico, because growing up in Hawaii he was a good person, one of my best friends,” said Serio. “He kept me out of trouble and had a good head on his shoulders. We were supposed to join the Navy together but life changed. He’s an officer now in the Army, stationed in Kuwait. We check up on each other. He’s the brother I never had and he made me want to be the best version of myself. I’m proud of him and he was proud of me when I joined.”