Subscribe
ATLANTIC OCEAN – Operation’s Specialist 2nd Class Garrett Byford, from Waco, Texas, and a class of 2015 Midway High School graduate, serves aboard the U.S. Navy Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55). Leyte Gulf is deployed with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10, George H.W. Bush CSG.
Byford’s background is what makes him an asset to his colleagues and friends on Leyte Gulf. He pursued higher education at Oklahoma Baptist University, where he studied physical education and youth ministry. Byford’s creativity and desire to mentor stems from his upbringing and his personal priorities. He’s a proud Waco native who played high school football in one of the United States’ most competitive regions. Byford’s life prior to joining the Navy was filled with leadership, adventure, and a sense of purpose - but there was still something missing.
“I noticed that I didn’t have a direction with my life,” said Byford. “I was stuck at dead end jobs, and I knew I needed a lifestyle change, so I decided to go to a Navy recruiting station in March of 2018. I left for boot camp a few months later on my way to become an operations specialist.”
Operations specialists are essential members in the combat information center aboard U.S. Navy ships. They provide surface, subsurface, and air data within their commands and to the fleet. Their expertise is critical to safely navigate ships, search for and recover personnel, and coordinate with strike group and fleet command staff.
“We can literally do anything,” said Byford. “We work with aircraft and surface vessels. OSs need to be masters in all three general warfare areas.”
The combat information center is the ship’s nerve center. It is manned 24 hours a day and crucial to both the defensive and offensive capability of U.S. Navy vessels. The long hours they can stand watch, combined with living every day so closely with your fellow operations specialists, provides a unique element of daily life. They share a bond with each other that, Byford says, makes him continue to work hard and play hard.
“The OS community is the best part of the job for me,” said Byford. “We are together all the time on watch. It’s crucial for combat to be manned up at all hours of the day. We manage that as well as balancing every other aspect of life aboard a ship, like maintenance, but we all do it and we all embrace it.”
Leyte Gulf has challenged Byford throughout his time on the ship. The ship has also pushed him to rise to the challenge and constantly find purpose in what he does.
“My proudest moment was when I finished our deployment in 2019,” said Byford. “I came into that deployment as a seaman apprentice wondering, ‘can I really do this?’ I knew if I could make it through that deployment then I could do more, and if I could do more then why couldn’t I do the full 20 or more and make this my career?”
The Midway High School graduate summed up the Navy, to him, in one word - family.
“Serving in the Navy to me means family,” said Byford. “I am a very family-oriented guy. Knowing that I am out here doing this means that my little brother and sister can do what they want to do with their lives. Sure, I could be back home coaching and pursuing my music, but that would mean they might have to take my place.”
America’s Battle Cruiser, Leyte Gulf, is vital to national defense and serves as the air defense commander for the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group which recently deployed from Norfolk as part of a planned deployment.
“Leyte Gulf has one of the finest crews on the water front,” said Byford. “We impact national defense because we all operate together so well. Especially when we are forward-deployed. It’s all eyes on us. Our adversaries keep a close eye on us. They know the Ticonderoga-class of warship is one of the most capable warships in the world.”
Leyte Gulf departed Naval Station Norfolk on a scheduled deployment in support of naval operations. Their mission is to maintain maritime stability and security to ensure access, deter aggression, and defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.24.2022 06:18 |
| Story ID: | 427822 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Waco Native Serves Aboard Ticonderoga-Class Guided-Missile Cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), by PO2 Christine Montgomery, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
