GREAT LAKES, USA — Sailors are some of the most highly trained people on the planet, according to navy officials, and this training requires highly dedicated instructors, staff and support.

At Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), staff oversee 98 per cent of new Navy accessions, including Recruit Training Command, Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps, and Officer Training Command, ensuring officers and sailors enter the fleet tough, disciplined, courageous and trained in five warfighting competencies — firefighting, damage control, seamanship, watchstanding and small arms handling and marksmanship.

Seaman Recruit Kamal Anderson, a native of Jamaica with hometown ties to Port St Lucie, Florida, is serving as a sonar technician, responsible for underwater surveillance and the upkeep of various weapons systems on a submarine.

Anderson, a 2019 graduate of Fort Pierce Central High School in Port St Lucie, Florida, joined the Navy four months ago.

“I joined the Navy to broaden my opportunities in life and to be something that my family would always be proud of,” said Anderson.

He uses skills and values similar to those found in both Jamaica and Port St Lucie to succeed in the Navy.

“One of the most important values that I learned from my hometown is to never give up and to always have grit,” said Anderson.

NSTC’s mission is to transform volunteers into naval service professionals by instilling and reinforcing enduring core values, knowledge, and skills to prepare them for the fleet.

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 is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 per cent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 per cent of all global trade by volume travels by sea. As well, 95 per cent of the world’s international phone and Internet traffic is carried through fibre optic cables that run on the ocean floor.

According to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday, the “Navy has stood the watch to protect the homeland, preserve freedom of the seas, and defend our way of life”.

Serving in the Navy means Anderson is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances, and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

“Our national defence is important because it gives ships safe passage against enemies around the globe,” said Anderson.

As he and other sailors continue to train and perform the missions they are tasked with, they take pride in serving.

“Serving in the navy helps me provide a good structure in life for my daughter,” added Anderson. “I’m setting an example as a role model and ensuring that she grows up in a safe world.”

The above is a lightly edited version of a post from the Navy Office Of Community Outreach, written by Rick Burke.