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(Photo by Mass Communication Specialist First Class Amanda Rae Moreno)
Lt(jg) Marcelo Norcini, a Miami native, joined the U.S. Navy for the education opportunities the military offers.
“In high school, I was a swimmer on Miami Swimming,” Norcini said. “At the time, I wanted to graduate and swim for the Naval Academy. I knew I could get a good education there while continuing to do what I love.”
Norcini succeeded doing just that after being accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
Today, Norcini is part of the most innovative tactics at Surface Warfare Officers School (SWOS), located in Newport, RI.
“I enjoy the variety of topics that are taught here at SWOS,” Norcini said. “Specifically, I like getting to learn about the different branches of the military and how they function together to promote surface warfare.”
According to Norcini, the values required to succeed in the military are similar to those found in Miami.
“As a swimmer I learned discipline and mental strength,” he said. “Those skills have made me a better Sailor.”
Norcini, a 2014 graduate of Ransom Everglades High School, is at the school where naval officers learn to serve as surface warfare officers.
“Everyone who joins the Navy is coming from a different place with different life experiences,” he said. “As a surface warfare officer, I help define their strengths, create connections and build a community of Sailors prepared to accomplish their mission.”
The mission of SWOS is to ready sea-bound warriors to serve on surface combatants to fulfill the Navy’s mission maintaining global maritime superiority.
Once service members finish training they are deployed around the world putting their skill set to work aboard Navy ships, such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, amphibious warfare ships, mine warfare ships and littoral combat ships.
Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), led by Rear Adm. Peter Garvin, is the U.S. Navy’s Force Development pillar and largest shore command. Through its “Street to Fleet” focus, NETC recruits civilians and transforms them into skilled warfighters ready to meet the current and future needs of the U.S. Navy.
Serving as a surface warrior requires a combination of dedication and sacrifice, but Norcini believes the accomplishments achieved along the way make the hard work worth it.
“My greatest Navy accomplishment is graduating from the Naval Academy,” he said. “It took a lot of hard work. I’m also proud of watching my Sailors meet their goals and get through difficult times.”
According to the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, during the early days of the Surface Navy, wooden frigates, propelled by sails, would fire cannon balls at enemy ships in an attempt to either sink or capture the ships on the open seas, while modern surface warfare conducts a wide variety of missions — from multiple ship classes — including aviation, damage control and seamanship.
Surface warriors are the backbone of America’s Navy and the most capable surface force in the world, explains the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command: “The United States Navy is known for a colorful and illustrious history with opportunities in numerous warfare communities. But since its inception, the Navy has been known for fighting on the high-seas, and surface warfare remains our heart and soul.”
The future of surface warfare is rapidly changing, according to Navy officials, so the course and materials at Surface Warfare Officer School are constantly evolving to create the most dynamic, lethal, safe and professional warfighting team for the Navy the nation needs.
With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.
According to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, four priorities will focus efforts on sailors, readiness, capabilities and capacity.
“For 245 years, in both calm and rough waters, our Navy has stood the watch to protect the homeland, preserve freedom of the seas, and defend our way of life,” Adm. Gilday said.
“The decisions and investments we make this decade will set the maritime balance of power for the rest of this century. We can accept nothing less than success.”
As Norcini and other surface warriors continue to train, they take pride serving their country in the United States Navy.
“To me, serving in the Navy means protecting the Nation while meeting new people and having the chance to learn and experience things most people never will,” he added.
