(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist First Class Jesse Hawthorne)
GREAT LAKES, Ill. – Sailors are some of the most highly trained people on the planet, according to Navy officials, and this training requires highly dedicated instructors.
At Naval Education and Training Command in Great Lakes, IL, instructors at advanced technical schools teach Sailors to be highly skilled, operational, and combat ready warfighters, while providing the tools and opportunities for continuous learning and development.
Seaman Annais Roman, a native of Miami, is a student at NETC, learning the necessary skills needed to be an operations specialist.
“We wear many hats in the combat information center,” Roman said. “We maintain communications with other ships at sea and assist in safe navigation with our team on the bridge.”
Students attend advanced technical schools after “boot camp.” They are taught the basic technical knowledge and skills required to be successful in their new careers.
Roman, a 2011 graduate of Hialeah Miami Lakes Senior High School, credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Miami.
“I learned to never stop hustling,” Roman said. “Growing up in the area of Miami where I lived was never easy, and staying determined was the key to achieve your goals. Always work hard and never let hardships in life detour you from your path.”
NETC educates and trains those who serve, providing the tools and opportunities which enable life-long learning, professional and personal growth and development, ensuring fleet readiness and mission accomplishment.
NETC is made up of six commands that provide a continuum of professional education and training in support of Surface Navy requirements that prepare enlisted Sailors and officers to serve at sea, providing apprentice and specialized skills training to 7,500 Sailors a year.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity depends on 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.
Roman plays an important role in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of National Defense Strategy.
“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, Roman is most proud of earning a Military Excellence Award at boot camp.
“This accomplishment pushed me to continue my journey in being the best in what I do,” Roman said.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Roman, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Roman is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My father was a Marine and he raised me and my siblings with the highest standard of values that I wish to use in my life and pass on to my future family,” Roman said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Roman and other Sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving my country’s Navy is an honor,” Roman said. “I proudly serve and owe this duty to protect the future generations as those who have gone before me.”
