Recruit Training Command Staff in the Spotlight

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher OGrady | Engineman 2nd Class Michael Viruet poses for a portrait photo at Recruit Training Command. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy's only boot camp. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher M. O'Grady)  

GREAT LAKES, IL, UNITED STATES

12.01.2022

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher OGrady 

U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command

Meet Engineman 2nd Class Michael Viruet! He is currently an instructor at Recruit Training Command (RTC).

“I'm very passionate about teaching,” said Viruet. “I wanted to be a teacher before I joined the Navy, so I transfer that passion over to being an instructor here at RTC.”

Michael attributes that to a significant impact a high school teacher had on him from his hometown Pleasantville, Ohio.

“Ms. Steinhauser, my high school English teacher, was super passionate about teaching” said Viruet. “I love to read, and just like every cliche high school English teacher, she would give me books to read and it really helped me figure myself out. She was extremely supportive of me and provided a safe space for me to be myself, and also grow into who I wanted to be.”

That support and care has been something that Viruet has strived to give recruits in each and every lesson.

“That's the one thing I say to each division at the end of every class as they're leaving, ‘stay motivated.’ Stay motivated, because your motivation is what's going to keep you going through your time in the fleet,” he added. “It's going to push you through deployments, going underway, long working hours, you have to stay motivated. You have to have the end in mind of what you're working towards and why you're doing what you're doing.”

This was a lesson that was hard learned for Viruet as a Sailor.

“When I enlisted, I actually enlisted as a Cryptologic Technician Interpreter (CTI). I spent two years in CTI “A” school learning Arabic,” said Viruet. “I got to the end, I graduated the course, but in order to move out into the fleet, you have to take the Defense Language Proficiency Tests (DLPT) to test your language abilities. I didn't pass my DLPT and they dropped me from being a CTI and I was sent as an undesignated fireman to the fleet.”

Going through the professional apprentice career track program in the Navy showed Viruet what he was really made of.

“I wanted to show everyone that I worked with that I could stay motivated as an undesignated fireman,” he said. “I knew I could offer so much to the Navy and that motivated me. The more motivated someone is to push through, the more other people see you. Then they know that they can rely on you.”

Viruet wants to pass that drive on to all his recruits he teaches.

“We all joined the Navy for a reason,” he said. “Whether it was to serve the country, or we wanted Tuition Assistance or we wanted to travel, we all have a reason. If you keep that in mind, it will keep you motivated to get through anything.”

• Date Taken: 12.01.2022
• Date Posted: 12.01.2022 15:10
• Story ID: 434304
• Location: GREAT LAKES, IL, US