The Navy’s Future: Midshipmen Live the Navy Life at Sea Aboard Bonhomme Richard

CORAL SEA

08.25.2017

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyle Carlstrom  

Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7     

Walking the deckplates of the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), Sailors and Marines are familiar with the collar rank insignia of naval officers they see every day at sea. Whether it is the single gold bar of an ensign, the dual silver bars of a lieutenant, or the silver star of an admiral, identifying a naval officer is normally simple on a Navy vessel. What may not be as recognizable, however, is the rank insignia of an eagle with a fouled anchor worn on the collar of what appear to be junior officers. Those who wear this particular shiny insignia are not commissioned officers, but Navy midshipmen - college students either in the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) or attending the Naval Academy who are destined to be the Navy’s future leaders.

In order to get an idea of the “world” or environment they one day may be operating, living and working in, midshipmen are sent to the fleet to learn from junior officers, chiefs and enlisted Sailors for a summer tour which can vary from a few days to a few weeks. The experiences they take away from their time underway are designed to help mold them into successful leaders.

“Midshipman is a rank in the Navy,” said Lt. Cmdr. John Kadz, Bonhomme Richard’s assistant air department officer. “It’s a rank where students in college can be in the Navy and go through summer training programs out in the fleet which prepare them to be naval officers and upon completion of college they receive a Navy commission. Midshipmen go out to the fleet each summer after their freshman year until their commissioning.”

According to Kadz, midshipmen are provided with a rare opportunity few ever get - living at sea amongst the men and women who make up the Navy and Marine Corps.

“Midshipmen will get sent to various ships, squadrons and Marine units all around the world,” explained Kadz. “Many usually go stateside, but they can also travel overseas and see what we’re doing out here in real-time and our day-to-day operations. The intent is to hopefully expose them to different types of jobs or warfare communities. Then they go back to their school or to the [Naval] Academy and decide where they want to focus their career, whether it’s as a surface warfare officer (SWO), in aviation, on submarines, with the Marines or even part of the SEALs. It’s these summer tours which help them make that determination based on their experiences.”

While visiting Brisbane, Australia, Bonhomme Richard (BHR) received five midshipmen from across the country; Midshipman 1st Class Timothy Kohatsu from the University of New Mexico, Midshipman 2nd Class Brooke Riordan from Vanderbilt University, Midshipman 2nd Class Wills Singley from Boston College, Midshipman 2nd Class Hannah Field from the University of Texas at Austin and Midshipman 2nd Class Sam Gilbert from Boston University. Each are aboard the ship for a summer tour to see what life is like on one of the Navy’s amphibious ships.

“As the coordinator for the midshipmen, I set them up with briefs and the opportunity to see everything the ship has to offer when it comes to our operations,” explained Kadz. “They’ve been all over the ship; down to the fuel pump rooms, the hangar bay, well deck, bridge, primary flight control, the flight deck, medical and more. They got to spend a day with Naval Beach Unit (NBU) 7 and ride an LCAC (landing craft air cushion). Having an opportunity to come to an LHD like BHR is unique because we can do so much and for them to see these multiple functions provide them with an even greater picture of what the Navy and the Marine Corps are capable of.”

For Navy midshipmen, their school life is unique as they separate their time at school; learning the science of navigation and engineering and their military training and drills, summer tours to the fleet, having their regular school curriculum and having a personal life outside of the NROTC and school.

“Visiting different ships and commands has helped me to see how the Navy comes together to work as a team,” said Gilbert. “It has also helped me to decide on what role I might pursue on that team. I wanted to pursue a career in service to my country, and the people who I knew in the Navy seemed to be the kind of people I would like to serve with. I also like the global mission of the Navy, and the travel opportunities it affords.”

Whether attending the Naval Academy or another college as part of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), midshipmen have multiple career paths to choose from including surface, submarine and air. By being able to experience a submarine, destroyer, amphibious ship, carrier and other platforms, midshipmen can best decide what path they would like to pursue.

“The SWO community appeals to me the most,” said Field. “I like the involvement between officers and their Sailors. It is a real opportunity for leadership. I also like all the different mission sets and capabilities, like ballistic missile defense, counter-piracy operations and humanitarian assistance, just to name a few. Before coming aboard BHR, I had only ever been on destroyers to visit. I was not sure what to expect from an amphibious ship. There are so many differences between the two and getting a feel for the size of the crew, day-to-day operations, and overall atmosphere and comparing that to a destroyer’s [atmosphere] will help me make a decision as to what kind of platform I would like to be on.”

The Navy can be a place for anyone joining to learn the skills required to be a team player, but it can also provide the opportunity for a person to personally take initiative and become a more effective leader through independent life lessons.

“I like the fact that because of the nature of our job, we are told what is expected of us, but not how to accomplish it per say,” said Singley. “The idea that the command has the leeway to find innovative ways to accomplish goals, yet is ultimately responsible for doing so, is a positive practice that comes from being at sea away from the top leadership. I think that makes the idea of taking command so much more rewarding.”

Since coming aboard BHR, each Midshipman has shadowed different Sailors, referred to as “running mates,” to learn more about the field of interest they hope to join when arriving in the fleet.

“It’s been a great experience being a running mate,” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Rose Hersom, Riordan’s running mate. “She jumped right in and wanted to know everything she possibly could. Training to be a nurse, she was able to get fantastic firsthand training. One of our corpsman even let her put an IV in him and she did it on the first try. She soaked up everything we gave her.”

As a sophomore, Riordan has her mind set on becoming a nurse and has spent much of her time in the ship’s medical bay, learning from the officers and hospital corpsman.

“I received a limited scholarship that allows less than 10 people to study nursing at a university and commission as an ensign through joining the nurse corps,” said Riordan. “Once I commission, I will be a restricted officer in the Navy. I chose this field because I originally wanted to attend medical school and looked at what type of undergraduate degree I wanted and nursing turned out to be a very practical degree. I immediately feel in love with the ‘nurse’s holistic view’ on patient care. I have also had many aunts who have chosen the career of nursing and they have inspired me to choose the same path they did. Thankfully I listened to them.”

Riordan cited tradition as her reason for joining the Navy.
“I chose Navy because my brother recently graduated from the United States Naval Academy ‘Class of 2017,’” Riordan said with a big smile. “Additionally, I grew up near Whidbey Island where there is plenty of naval influence in the community. Also, my uncle was a well known submariner… so between those three things, I felt like it [naval service] was in my blood.

Upon his fifth year at school, Kohatsu has decided on the submarine force.

“I chose the submarine career field because I think the camaraderie within the submarine crew is extremely close and resembles something like a family,” said Kohatsu. “While I was on USS Alabama two summers back, I was able to witness the camaraderie firsthand. I also was able to see the level of professionalism and how knowledgeable every officer and enlisted were about their job and the boat. Additionally, I am intrigued by the secrecy of the missions and would like to be a part of the secret; and execute missions on either SSGNs or SSNs.”

Kohatsu will also be following a family tradition by serving in the Navy.
“I chose the Navy over the other branches partly because it is a family tradition,” explained Kohatsu. “My grandfather was a senior chief in the Seabees, my father was a P-3 NFO (naval flight officer), my mother works in Yokosuka as the lead political advisor to CNFJ (Commander, Naval Forces Japan), and my brother is a SWO in Yokosuka. It just seemed right to pursue the Navy as well. Additionally, because the Navy has provided me with so much, such as growing up on base and going to DoD schools, I felt it was right to join the service and help give back.”
Kadz has explained to the Midshipmen the experiences they take away from their summer tours could prove to be invaluable, and they could one day be leading junior Sailors they happened to meet while aboard BHR.

“When I was a Midshipman back in 2001, I went to USS Essex, which was FDNF (forward deployed naval forces) at the time in Sasebo,” explained Kadz. “During my time on board, I happened to come across an ABH2 (aviation boatswain’s mate (handling) 2nd class), [Kevin] Johnson. Most on the ship now know him as ABHCS (senior chief aviation boatswain’s mate (handling) Johnson, the DLCPO (departmental leading chief petty officer) for air department, and I’m the mini boss for the ship. In just 16 years time, the two of us have been able to come back to FDNF, meet again and I’m now one of his officers. The people they meet here can become not only their friends, but could one day become one of their Sailors. Although we serve all over the world, the Navy is really a small world.”

Upon completion of their summer tour aboard Bonhomme Richard, Riordan, Singley, Field and Gilbert will return to their schools, continuing their education and NROTC drills and training. For Kohatsu, he will be returning to the University of Mexico to graduate, receive his commission and join the submarine force as a junior naval officer.

Bonhomme Richard, flagship of the BHR ESG, is operating in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to enhance partnerships and be a ready-response force for any type of contingency.

• Date Taken: 08.25.2017
• Date Posted: 08.27.2017 21:14
• Story ID: 246216
• Location: CORAL SEA