Courtesy Photo | 191001-N-XX082-0004 MONTEREY, Calif. (October 1, 2019) Cryptologic Technician...... read more read more
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By Seaman Makinna Olmstead, Information Warfare Training Command Monterey
MONTEREY, Calif. – Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) 1st Class Amy Lavelle is currently serving as the leading petty officer of N34 division at Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Monterey.
The Sailors she leads are all students of the Persian-Farsi and Hebrew languages at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
Lavelle joined the Navy out of Phoenix, Arizona in July 2008. She remembers the pride and excitement of making the commitment to serve her country.
“I had no idea what was in store for me – I actually loved the uncertainty of it,” shared Lavelle.
Her decision to serve was influenced by her family roots in the naval service. Lavelle’s grandfather served in the Navy as a radioman during World War II, and her uncle on submarines in the late ‘60s.
“I loved hearing their sea stories and learning about the Navy,” continued Lavelle. “Their love of country ignited a spark, and I knew I was destined to serve in the U.S. Navy.”
After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and nearing completion in a master’s degree in physical therapy, she met with both officer and enlisted recruiters and made the choice to join the enlisted ranks. As with many Navy linguists, Lavelle finds other cultures and languages fascinating; however, her selection of the cryptologic technician (interpretive) (CTI) rating was influenced by personal experiences as well.
“In college, I was a resident assistant and worked alongside a student from Sarajevo,” Lavelle recalled. “I learned about Serbian culture and language, picked up the basics pretty quickly. I also had a good friend who spent a year in St. Petersburg, Russia, who taught me some rudimentary Russian. From then on, I was hooked on language learning! Naturally, the CTI rating made sense,”
After multiple operational tours, Lavelle returned to IWTC Monterey where she has served not only as a leading petty officer, but also as a military language instructor.
“I wanted to end my enlisted career where it began,” said Lavelle. I recall those early days studying Farsi here clearly. I still remember how bewildered and unsure of myself I felt. Hopefully, I can help our Sailors who are having that experience now.”
As a division leading petty officer, Lavelle has daily interactions with her Sailors, setting the standard for what they will come to expect in their leaders.
“Working with CTI1 Lavelle has been an incredible opportunity,” said Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) 3rd Class Angel Stearns, a recent graduate of the Defense Language Institute. “Every day she exhibits professionalism and a caring spirit. She has been a wonderful example of leadership for not only myself but for every Sailor who walks into her office.”
After her tour at IWTC Monterey is complete, she plans to transition to the Navy Reserve and return to school full-time to complete a master’s degree in psychology, attend medical school and return to active duty as a Navy physician.
Lavelle’s final response in regards to her future? “No matter what, I do know this: I will never not serve my country.”
IWTC Monterey, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of foreign language training to Navy personnel, which prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.
For more on Information Warfare Training Command Monterey, visit https://www.public.navy.mil/netc/centers/ciwt/IWTCmonterey/Default.aspx and http://www.monterey.army.mil/Service_Units/IWTC_Monterey.html, or find them on Facebook.
With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT is recognized as Naval Education and Training Command’s top learning center for the past three years. Training over 21,000 students every year, CIWT delivers trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.
For more news from Center for Information Warfare Training domain, visit www.navy.mil/local/cid/, https://www.public.navy.mil/netc/centers/ciwt/, www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.
| Date Taken: | 10.01.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 10.01.2019 12:08 |
| Story ID: | 344988 |
| Location: | MONTEREY, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 231 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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