5th Fleet Sailor Re-enlists at Navy Ball

Photo By NAVCENT Public Affairs | 171013-N-YB753-0305 MANAMA, Bahrain (Oct. 13, 2017) Cmdr. Ron Kish administers the oath of enlistment to his nephew, Air Traffic Controller 1st Class Aaron Kish, during the 2017 Navy Ball in the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Manama, Bahrain. The Navy celebrates its 242nd birthday with this year’s theme being “Sea Power to Protect and Promote.” U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian Morales)  

BAHRAIN

10.13.2017

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Morales 

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet           

Air Traffic Controller 1st Class Aaron Kish, from Tampa, Florida, and assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Task Force (TF) 53, took center stage to repeat the oath of enlistment administered by his uncle, Cmdr. Ronald Kish, officer in charge of Norfolk Air Mobility Command Terminal.

“The Navy Ball is the perfect venue for me to display my commitment to service, and I'm so thrilled my uncle could attend and be my re-enlisting officer,” said Aaron Kish.

Aaron Kish looks at his uncle as more than family. He views him as a mentor and role model. Ronald Kish began his 31-year-long naval career in 1986 when he enlisted. Over the past three decades, he climbed to the rank of petty officer 2nd class before being commissioned in the Navy Supply Corps, earning the unofficial title of “Mustang.” A "Mustang" is an officer who has come "up from the ranks" to earn a commission.
“I want to be a mustang myself, and he helps guide me in making sound decisions,” said Aaron Kish. “He also motivates me to grow.”

Feeling honored and privileged to take part in his nephew’s re-enlistment, Ronald Kish made the trip from Norfolk, Virginia, to Bahrain solely to re-enlist Aaron.

“Looking back, it’s been quite a joy for us to watch you [Aaron] grow from a little toddler to becoming the outstanding young man that you are today,” said Ronald Kish before administering the oath of enlistment. “I will tell you that I know your mom and dad, your grandparents, and the whole family is exceptionally proud of all the things you’ve accomplished, and we look forward to the achievements that are yet to come.”

“I just think it's amazing my uncle re-enlisted me at the Navy Ball in Bahrain,” said Aaron Kish. “It's great to have family that supports you, but we are all part of a Navy family. In my case, I have a two-in-one.”

With “Sea Power to Protect and Promote” as theme for the Navy’s 242nd birthday, the celebration served as an opportunity to honor the proud history of the United States Navy that traces its origins to the Continental Navy and was established on October 13, 1775. That service began when the continental Congress authorized the procurement, fitting out, manning and dispatch of two armed vessels to cruise in search of munitions ships supplying the British Army in America.

The U.S. 5th Fleet honors this tradition with the employment of dozens of ships in its area of operations on any given day. The Navy Birthday Ball was also an opportunity to honor the service of the men and women who make up the greater Navy family who with partners preserve the free flow of commerce throughout the region and provide maritime security.


U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.


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For further questions, please contact U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs Office
011-973-1785-4562 or [e-mail]

• Date Taken: 10.13.2017
• Date Posted: 10.18.2017 02:39
• Story ID: 252049
• Location: BH