From Pit Bull to Fuel Boss

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

02.17.2018

Story by Kenneth D Rodgers 

USS Bataan (LHD 5)

NORFOLK, Virginia- A sweat and adrenaline inducing close call with a pit bull lead Chief Warrant Officer Allen Michael Harris to a career in the Navy where he serves as the fuel maintenance officer aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5).

BOS’N, as he is often referred to, is a New Orleans native and 2000 alumnus of Joseph F. Clark Senior High School. After graduating he did what average high graduates do; he enrolled at Delgado Community College and got a part-time job as a meter reader for the local power company. A career in the military was never a thought until a close encounter with a not-so-friendly pit bull during a routine reading that his life changed in 2001.

“That pit bull’s head was the size of yours and my head combined. So, I ran and that pit chased me for three blocks. I had nothing to jump on, so I finally threw my meter reader at him, which hit him on the nose,” said Harris. “When I got home after that ordeal, I thought to myself there was no future in getting chased by pit bulls for the rest of my life.”

Soon after, Harris enlisted in the Navy and a mere week after signing his contract he was off to Great Lakes, Illinois for recruit training.

As the fuels maintenance officer onboard Bataan, he is in charge of 650,000 gallons of fuel the ship carries while conducting training exercises or while deployed. His responsibilities are essential when it comes to executing missions.

When he’s not keeping aircraft, vehicles and equipment mission ready, his naval career has afforded him the opportunity to earn a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and pursue his dream of becoming a police officer after he retires. When he is not on military duty, he is on duty as a volunteer police officer putting his criminal justice education to practical use.

“I’m a certified police officer in Chesapeake, Virginia. I work around two days a week now and I’ve been for ten years,” said Harris.

When asked how he balances the Navy and his duties as a volunteer police officer he simply said that anything you make your focus and put your heart into, you will find a way to get it done.

So far in his 17-year career, he has faced many ups and downs, but says that one of the things he will never forget was having the privilege of participating in a passing of the line ceremony. This time-honored tradition came about from centuries past when ships crossed the 13th parallel and tested new Sailors to determine whether or not the novices on their first cruise could endure the hardships of life at sea. The culmination of the trials changed the new Sailor, or “pollywog”, into a “trusty shellback.” It is a traditional rite-of-passage ceremony carried out to appease King Neptune, the mythological god of the seas.

“It was a time to reach back in history and take part in some of the traditions that our Navy was founded upon,” said Harris. “This is my most memorable moment in the Navy that allowed me to have fun, yet carry on tradition.”

Harris no longer needs a pit bull to nudge him in the right direction in life and takes these notions to heart while helping mold his junior Sailors with his compassion, and a pay-it forward attitude to make Bataan the exceptional command that it is today.

“Some of the lessons I try to pass down to my junior Sailors, is to always put your best foot forward because you’re always on display,” he said. “I have a lot of cliché phrases I use, such as ‘produce or reduce.’ Basically, it’s an umbrella statement that says to do your job or lose your position. And be where you’re supposed to be on time and in the right uniform, and that perception is reality for most people. You don’t always get a second chance to introduce yourself.”

• Date Taken: 02.17.2018
• Date Posted: 02.20.2018 10:13
• Story ID: 266436
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US
• Hometown: NEW ORLEANS, LA, US