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Capt. Tom Uhl was raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Highlands Ranch, Colorado. His family history of military service going back generations paved the way for him to assume the duties and responsibilities of executive officer of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).
At an early age, he discussed his desire to join the military with his father.
“My dad was a surface warfare officer (SWO), and when I was a young kid, we used to talk about joining the Navy,” said Uhl. “I remember standing in front of my dad’s dresser one day and him asking me, ‘Do you think you want to be in the Navy or Marine Corps when you’re older?’ And like any three or four-year-old who looks up to their father, I said, ‘Yes, dad.’ I knew I wanted to fly, and I knew I wanted to go to the [Naval] Academy from an early age.”
Staying true to his word, Uhl graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering and received the Naval Aviator designation in 2004. Since graduating, Uhl’s diverse career path has enabled him to meet Sailors from all walks of life.
“After I graduated from the Academy and finished flight school, I was selected to fly helicopters, exactly what I wanted,” said Uhl. “I flew the SH-60B for an expeditionary squadron. During that time, there weren’t any SH-60Bs on carriers; we deployed on cruisers, destroyers, and frigates. Later, my community (HSL and later HSM) joined carrier air wings, particularly as we transitioned to the MH-60R.” Following instructor duty in the MH-60R, Uhl headed to Millington to be a detailer.
Uhl’s personal interest in the nuclear power pipeline began during this time in his career after speaking with officers who went through the aviation nuclear power career path. This laid the foundation for his eventual selection as executive officer of an aircraft carrier.
“During my detailing tour, I met a lot of people in the nuclear power pipeline...a lot of carrier commanding officers and executive officers who had done this job,” said Uhl. “I started thinking about the opportunity to lead at a large level aboard the most versatile strategic asset in the world. You can’t beat that. There is no other job like it in the Navy.”
As an aviator embarked as part of an air wing, Uhl served aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) as commanding officer of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 77 with CVW-5.
Uhl wants to apply his experience as a naval aviator to maintaining a mission-ready and lethal aircraft carrier while having a well-trained, well-equipped, and mentally tough group of Sailors. Uhl believes that the aircraft carrier's strength stems from its crew's connection and knowledge.
“During my time as a commanding officer of a squadron, I knew that we as Sailors are the most valuable asset the Navy brings to the table,” said Uhl. “The Navy Sailor is extremely versatile, extremely intelligent, and capable of resolving all sorts of complex issues. I learned from my prior tours that caring for Sailors correlates to mission readiness and success.”
Uhl prioritizes honesty up and down the chain of command. This fosters a crew of highly-trained Sailors trusted to execute the commanding officer’s vision.
“We, as a crew, must individually master our craft,” said Uhl. “Once you have mastered your craft, when the next group of Sailors reports to the ship, we are able to pass on our experience to train them up to a standard that enables a high quality of work. Mastering your craft leads to positive mentorship.”
Uhl expects the crew to care for each other because we, as Shipmates, are our best line of defense.
“The ship personifies excellence, and I’m beyond fortunate to be part of this team. We have a reputation as a workhorse that performs at the highest level, as showcased during the last deployment,” said Uhl. “Be proud to be a Truman Sailor.”
Truman is the flagship of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCGS) and is currently undergoing a planned incremental availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
For more news from Truman, visit www.navy.mil/local.cvn75/, www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, www.twitter.com/usnavy, www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/cvn75/, www.facebook.com/cvn75, www.twitter.com/ussharrystruman, or http://instagram.com/uss_harrys.truman.
| Date Taken: | 02.09.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.08.2023 17:48 |
| Story ID: | 438088 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 434 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Leading Sailors: Truman’s XO, by PO3 Christopher Suarez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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