Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Riley | 250601-N-MZ309-1034 TACOMA, Wash. (June 1, 2025) - Yeoman (Submarines) 1st Class...... read more read more
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It’s spring in Washington, and Daniel Teixeira-Pinto is in his garden, tending to a colorful array of budding tulips. The Submarine Group (SUBGRU) 9 Sailor of the Year picked up the hobby after his move from Guam to the significantly less tropical Pacific Northwest.
“Of the three years I was stationed in Guam, I was only on island for about one of them. The rest was underwater,” reflects Teixeira-Pinto, who goes by “Tex” among his friends and coworkers. After three years of operating at the tip of the spear of attack submarine operations, the move to SUBGRU-9—with its focus on persistent presence and strategic deterrence—now affords him the opportunity to foster interests off the boat.
Tex planted the bulbs in the fall, before the looming winter, giving the seasonal flora the period of cold required for a spring bloom. Tulips are unique in that they need a sufficient chilling period for their roots to develop—the dormant bulbs biding their time, preparing for the perfect window to emerge from the dirt into sunlight.
Tex’s life and Navy career have seen their fair share of chilling periods. There was his first tour in Guam, when the attack submarine USS Asheville (SSN 758) was on its second deployment in as many years and the high operational tempo of the Submarine Force was beginning to wear on the junior Sailor.
“I was feeling really down,” Tex recalls. “We were regularly gone or having underways extended. Further, COVID had just started, so everyone was racked with anxiety.”
It was while he was at his lowest Tex received some advice he reflects on frequently. “The [boat’s] doc looked at me and simply said, ‘Tex, stop feeling sorry for yourself.’”
According to Tex, that blunt assessment from the submarine’s independent duty corpsman was precisely what he needed to develop some necessary grit.
“That has stuck with me because the jobs we do are demanding, and they are all difficult for different reasons. It doesn’t get better by complaining about it or dwelling on the negatives. Here is this difficult task—make it happen. I now thrive with those impossible challenges.”
That’s not to say that Tex is insensitive to the acute mental and psychological challenges that accompany a career spent perfecting the art of undersea warfare. Far from it. In addition to his newfound interest in gardening, Tex is also an avid motorcycle rider who began an organization—Ride4Life—that raises awareness and funds for veteran suicide prevention. In May, he completed a six-hour ride around the Olympic National Forest.
Solemnly, Tex reflects on former shipmates who, unlike himself, did not survive their chilling periods to flower again in the spring sunshine.
“I’ve seen the toll that high [operational tempo] has on Sailors, especially young ones that don’t have the personal tools to manage that stress. Just the other week I went to a funeral where the deceased committed suicide, and it was heartbreaking to see the cost on the loved ones left behind. It is a cause that is near and dear to me. It is a very avoidable tragedy that my time in Guam opened my eyes to.”
Tex’s journey to SUBGRU-9 Sailor of the Year began in Pasadena, California, where his family’s socioeconomic status necessitated a less traditional path than some of his peers. According to him, the Navy was a practical option because it presented the best way to provide some financial stability for himself and, critically, his family—as well as broadening his education.
“I knew the GI Bill was really a golden ticket for people who come from a more impoverished background like me,” says Tex. “My original plan was to do four years and get out of the Navy. But as I started using other programs like [tuition assistance], I decided I would reenlist and make this a career.”
The decision is one he never regrets. Not only was the California native able to secure financial stability, but he also found deeper meaning in the Submarine Force—largely due to the close personal relationships he’s developed.
The time in Guam left him with a plethora of experiences that he knows will last a lifetime. Like the cold winter leading to strong roots, the skills Tex developed in the Western Pacific led directly to one of his proudest moments in the Navy.
He was at the end of his tour when his leadership aboard Asheville decided to send Tex ashore early to plan the boat’s change of command ceremony. Sitting in the administration office, fresh off his third deployment, the yeoman was approached by Submarine Squadron 15’s commodore and told that the prospective commanding officer of Asheville needed to be in Okinawa next week.
The problem was, there were no flights going to Japan, or Korea, or even Hawaii. Tex found himself stuck between a necessary task with no conceivable path to success. Ultimately, he was able to use all the skills and connections he had made over the past three years to find a spot for the wayward commander on an Air Force KC-130 transporting Marines from Andersen Air Force Base to Okinawa—demonstrating the unrivaled ingenuity ubiquitous among submarine Sailors.
With the new commanding officer safely aboard his boat in Japan and Tex’s first tour coming to an end, he began preparations to depart the Western Pacific for Washington, where he was soon ensconced in the world of strategic deterrence—a far cry from his fast boat experience.
“From here I can see the emphasis the DOD places on strategic deterrence and how Washington State is the focal point for this part of the nuclear triad. The kid gloves are off, the mission has to happen, and the resources allocated to SSBNs are impressive.”
It was at SUBGRU-9, with its eight ballistic missile submarines, that Tex saw firsthand the dedication to warfighting excellence that forms the foundation of strategic deterrence.
One of the key things he attributes to his success is flexibility. “If you come in with an idea of what you’re going to get done today and you’re not willing to amend your priorities, you need to reevaluate,” he says. “What you think is important that day may not be as important depending on the mission, and those needs come first.”
Another defining Submarine Force trait is teamwork and unit integration—two focus areas of increasing importance since Tex’s teenage years.
“The most valuable resource that you have are the friends that you can ask for help, and that’s not a sign of weakness,” Tex says when asked what advice he would give to his former self. “To let people help you is a sign of strength. It’s an opportunity to foster deeper ties with those you work with and develop closer relationships. And those relationships are what I treasure most now.”
It was one of those relationships—specifically one of his friend’s connections with a Washington-based realtor—that allowed Tex to purchase his first home. The same home where he now lives with his parents, fulfilling his lifelong goal of providing for his family.
It’s spring in Washington, and Tex is outside in his garden as his mother watches with appreciation as her favorite flower—the tulip—emerges from the thawed soil, roots strong from their dormant period.
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2025 13:29 |
| Story ID: | 499417 |
| Location: | SILVERDALE, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, From Pasadena to the Puget Sound: A Submarine Group 9 Sailor Spotlight, by LT Zachary Anderson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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