Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Stamer | NEW STANTON, Pa. (January 13, 2026) - Machinist’s Mate (Nuclear) 1st Class Elizabeth...... read more read more
PITTSBURGH (February 17, 2026) - Newly promoted Machinist’s Mate (Nuclear) 1st Class Elizabeth King, assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Pittsburgh, who currently recruits out of Navy Recruiting Station (NRS) Greensburg, returned to her hometown as a Sailor. Bringing her fleet experience home, she has the unique opportunity to share her knowledge and experiences she gained while in the Navy to students from where she grew up. In 2019, King joined the Navy and after graduating from Recruit Training Command, she attended three different advanced schools to earn her rating. Nearly two years after joining the Navy, she finally gained the knowledge to become a Machinist’s Mate (Nuclear). She then received orders to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), where she served in the reactor department for three years. King says that her skills are working hard and getting job done fast, and doing things right the first time is the upmost importance in the Navy. Her time stationed aboard an aircraft carrier has built her attention to detail expeditiously, which led her to the role of work center supervisor, and eventually even as the lead educator of USS George H.W. Bush’s quality assurance program. After three years of hard work, and her time on CVN 77 coming to an end, she was given the opportunity to become a recruiter to be closer to home while still serving on active duty. King says while in recruiting, she can connect with students, share her story, and break down the real benefits of being in the Navy, and share that as a Machinist’s Mate (Nuclear), she built the mental toughness to believe she can accomplish any challenge. “It gave me the self-worth knowing I was in the most mentally and physically grueling job that any of the armed forces have to offer,” says King. “To include being a female in a male dominated field.” After six years, she returned to Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, of which she is a graduate of, to give a presentation to students who walk the same halls she once did. She even got to connect with a former teacher who taught her. “Being able to tell students what reality looks like for their peers in college vs the Navy, the expressions are priceless,” says King. “Being the leader in the next generation of Sailors is an awesome opportunity that I am so stoked for!” She understands that time in the Navy is finite, and the next generation of Sailors will soon be here, and the opportunity to find them is now. To be in the position to find the U.S. Navy’s next great Sailor is an experience that recruiters should cherish, she says. “These are America’s great leaders,” says King. “The pure respect outpouring from the community for such a small part of something so large is a great feeling of pride and accomplishment that I think every individual should have the ability to experience.” She wants to offer more to schools than just presentations and hopes to offer a wide variety of tasks and challenge students to get more involved and develop leadership skills even before bootcamp. With her background, she hopes to spark an interest in the Navy that caused her to take the leap of faith to join. “Without recruiters, I wouldn’t have met the leaders, friends, and family that I have today,” says King. NTAG Pittsburgh, part of Navy Recruiting Command, recruits the next generation of Navy Sailors throughout areas in Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, and Maryland.
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.17.2026 15:19 |
| Story ID: | 558262 |
| Location: | PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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