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From humble beginnings in Kerala, India, a small, rural town along the southern coast of India, one Spirit of Freedom Sailor remembers the journey that led him to the Navy.
Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Akshay Mampilly, from West Orange, New Jersey, a Sailor assigned to combat systems department aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), moved to the United States when he was six years old. He spoke Malayalam, an Indian dialect, but no English.
“My mother told me one day, ‘We’re going to America,’ and when you’re little you only know what you’ve heard and seen,” said Mampilly. “So when I pictured America, all I could imagine was the Statue of Liberty. I thought America was one island, Ellis Island, with a giant statue on it.”
What Mampilly saw instead was a lot more than he could ever imagine.
“Huge cars, huge roads, huge buildings,” said Mampilly. “I’d never seen snow, or people other than my own skin color. It was a huge culture shock to me to see so much that was different.”
Despite the differences in the culture and environment, Mampilly got the hang of things pretty quickly.
“I learned English within the year,” said Mampilly. “But I still had some cultural barriers, like sayings and the way some things are phrased.”
As he adjusted to life in the U.S., Mampilly discovered early on that he was naturally drawn to the sea. He was interested in the flora and fauna of the ocean, and thought that the sight of the water was calming.
“When I was little, I wanted to be a scientist, a marine biologist,” said Mampilly.
Despite working jobs unrelated to the ocean, Mampilly’s love of the deep blue remained, and it was one of the reasons he joined the U.S. Navy in May 2015.
“When I joined the military, the ocean is what drew me,” said Mampilly. “During underways, I would go to the hangar bay and watch the sun set out at sea. Where I grew up in India, it was very close to the sea, and I used to watch the sunset there.”
In addition to the sea, he also chose military service to pursue personal goals.
“I wanted to further my education,” said Mampilly. “I already have a bachelor’s degree, and I’m working on my master’s. Being an immigrant from another country, I love America, and I wanted to help pay back everything that America has done for me. I’m proud to serve in the United States Navy.”
His love for the Navy is evident in his hard work, attention to detail, and commitment to putting 100 percent into every task.
“IC3 Mampilly is a hardworking, dedicated Sailor who not only does what is asked, but strives to go beyond the expected,” said Chief Electronics Technician Joseph Knight, from Jacksonville, Georgia and the leading chief petty officer of the CS8 division aboard Washington. “IC3 Mampilly is a model of military bearing. He goes above and beyond in everything he does, especially following through on tasks he completes.”
With more years of naval service ahead of him, he has one simple goal for his Navy career.
“I used to be a waiter, and there was an old man, a Sailor during WWII, and he would tell me sea stories with a smile on his face, and that’s how I want to be when I’m old,” said Mampilly. “I want to look back at a life full of experiences, with no regrets. I want to look at a life where I did as much as I could have, and the Navy is doing that for me.”
| Date Taken: | 02.18.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2019 13:18 |
| Story ID: | 311215 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, From Rural India to America's Navy, by SN Jack Lepien, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
