Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Malcolm Kelley | Navy Counselor 1st Class Madeleine Torres, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, poses for a...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO – Navy Counselor 1st Class Madeleine Torres, a Perth Amboy, New Jersey native, was named amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli’s (LHA 7) Senior Sailor of the Quarter, March 1, 2024
Torres was selected for her outstanding efforts in facilitating Tripoli Sailors’ active duty reenlistments, reserve enlistments, and ensuring Sailors received their selective reenlistment or reserve enlistment bonuses, during a time where the military is struggling to meet recruitment and retention goals.
Torres also trains and mentors Sailors as both an Antiterrorism Training Team (ATTT) member and Damage Control Training Team (DCTT) member.
Torres graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 2002, and went on to pursue a degree in criminal justice before deciding to join the Navy in 2008.
“The company I was working for at the time ended up filing for bankruptcy, and I really had a tough choice to make.” Torres said. “So I went on the internet, clicked on a recruiting ad and put in my information. Soon after, a recruiter called me so I signed up. The rest is history.”
Torres originally enlisted as a Master-at-Arms and served with Navy security forces for more than 10 years. However, while serving at GITMO, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba she found her passion with helping Sailors make informed career decisions.
“I was afforded an opportunity in 2017 to be a career counselor at Guantanamo Bay and fell in love with it,” Torres said. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to cross over to the Navy counselor rating at the time. When I transferred to Spain in 2018, I told my chain of command I intended to convert, then went and got the qualifications I needed to become a Navy counselor.”
Torres then reported to Navy counselor ‘A’ school in June 2021, she successfully completed her training and converted into the rating. In August of 2021, she checked aboard the USS Tripoli.
“As a Navy counselor, we provide resources to Sailors regarding their careers,” Torres said. “Extensions, reenlistments, bonuses, we even help Sailors transfer out of the Navy. The career counselor program is ever-evolving, so we have to keep up with the times in order to keep Sailors well-informed.”
Torres said one of her priorities on the ship has always been training Sailors to be effective at defending the ship and defending others. As an ATTT and DCTT member, Torres teaches Sailors how to combat security threats and how to fight fires, flooding and gas leaks respectively.
“Being a former Master-at-Arms, I take antiterrorism and force protection training very seriously,” Torres said. “One day, one of the Sailors I trained may be the difference between life and death for their shipmates.”
Torres said the proudest moment of her career was seeing her family take advantage of the benefits she had earned over the course of her career.
“I was able to transfer my GI benefits to my son, and he’s now in his second year of college,” Torres said. “We just bought him a car.”
Torres also takes pride in being named Tripoli’s Senior Sailor of the Quarter.
“It makes me feel proud,” Torres said. “It’s been about two years since any of the administration ratings were selected for this award, so it feels good to bring it home for Tripoli’s Executive Department.”
Captain Gary Harrington, commanding officer of the Tripoli, said that experienced Sailors like Torres are indispensable for the Navy’s success.
“I truly believe that the continued success of our Navy, and Tripoli specifically, is due in no small part to the contributions of Sailors like NC1 Torres,” said Harrington. “The Sailors who make up Team Tripoli really are the best the Navy has to offer. We say it all the time, our Navy is nothing without the men and women who serve on the deckplates each and every day.”
Tripoli is an amphibious assault carrier that provides presence and power projection as an integral part of Joint, Interagency and Multinational Maritime Expeditionary Forces. Tripoli also supports Marine Air and Ground Task Force requirements, from small-scale contingency operations and Expeditionary Strike Group operations to forcible entry missions in major theaters of war.
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.09.2024 18:07 |
| Story ID: | 468184 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,231 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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