GROTON, Conn. - Lt. Wallis Lawrence, a native of Woodstock, New York, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Submarine Readiness Squadron (SRS) 32 at Naval Submarine Base (NSB) New London.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James Green, Navy Office of Community Outreach |
Lawrence graduated from Winston Preparatory School in 2014. Additionally, Lawrence earned a bachelor’s degree in writing from Ithaca College in 2018.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Woodstock.
“Growing up, I learned the importance of helping those around you,” Lawrence said. “Woodstock is a small town, and I found that people were really good about trying to help where they could. If someone needed help and you were able to help, people were usually able to lend a hand. Try to do with the military and it’s a big standard in the Navy. Everyone is willing to help get the mission done, whatever that might be.”
Lawrence joined the Navy six years ago. Today, Lawrence serves as a public affairs officer.
“I was drawn to the Navy by the opportunity to do something different,” Lawrence said. “When I was a senior in college, everyone was applying for corporate jobs to join the workforce. That didn’t sound like something I wanted to do. I was drawn to the Navy because I didn’t want the typical 9-to-5 desk job. I thought getting paid to see the world would be a pretty sweet deal.”
SRS 32 centralizes administrative and support functions, economizes resources and provides a common pool of experts who provide complete functional support to operational submarines homeported at NSB New London, pre-commissioning unit crews at Electric Boat shipbuilding facility and maintenance period units at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
Known as America’s “Apex Predators,” the Navy’s submarine force operates a large fleet of technologically advanced vessels. These submarines are capable of conducting rapid defensive and offensive operations around the world, in furtherance of U.S. national security. A major component of that maritime security is homeported at NSB New London, known as the “Submarine Capital of the World.”
What began as a naval yard and storage depot in 1868, NSB New London was designated the Navy’s first submarine base in June 1916. The cradle of American submarine warfare, the base is home to the Naval Submarine School and the Submarine Learning Center where more than 27,000 enlisted sailors and officers train each year to serve aboard submarines, and is the homeport of nearly a dozen active fast-attack submarines.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
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.
Lawrence has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“The big thing that stands out is my deployment with USS George H.W. Bush,” Lawrence said. “We have three public affairs officers on the carrier, and I was a brand-new public affairs officer at the time. A huge part of the carrier’s mission is maintaining relationships with allies and increasing the public image. We want people to know where the carrier is. When we do port visits, we let people know. It’s a lot of work, but we got the work done.”
The Navy is no stranger to the big screen, and Lawrence was serving aboard George H.W. Bush in 2023 when the ship played a role in the final installment of Tom Cruise’s spy-action movie franchise.
“We were in the new ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie and had the team out on the carrier,” Lawrence said. “That was a lot of work, but I was really proud to come home and have that under the belt.”
Lawrence serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy means being part of something so much bigger than yourself,” Lawrence said. “You’re not really thinking about yourself, or what’s best for you. The Navy is such a big team, your thinking shifts to what’s best for the Navy, what’s best for the command, what’s best for the mission and what’s going to get what needs to be done, done.”
Lawrence is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank everyone I’ve worked with,” Lawrence added. “It’s a big group of really smart, professional people who are mission-focused and willing to do whatever it takes to get things done. I also want to thank my family for all their support in my career, for raising me well and for helping me achieve my dreams.”