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It all started at a ceremony in Okinawa, Japan, in 2008. At the time, William
“Jon” Dean was an E-3 with a degree in business administration and little clue
how to become an officer. But a fire was lit when Dean watched a Chief Petty
Officer who utilized the Limited Duty Officer (LDO) program gain a commission.
He started his research and made a plan.
Eight years and several deployments later on Sept. 30, 2016, Dean
found himself in the company of friends, family and shipmates in
Decatur, Alabama ready to
receive a new cover, new shoulder boards, and new collar devices. The fire never
went out and the once young E-3 who put on Chief's anchor just a year ago
replicated a ceremony he watched eight years prior to become the newest member
of the Civil Engineer Corps.
Ensign Dean, who has served as the lead Naval Special Warfare/Naval Special
Operations Scout with Navy Recruiting District Nashville, said the moment of his
commissioning was a result of dedication to a singular purpose, but done so at
his pace.
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September 30, 2016 - Cmdr. Todd Sullivan, left, commanding officer
of Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Nashville, administers the Oath of
Office for Chief Petty Officer William Jon Dean during his
commissioning ceremony as a limited duty officer in the Civil
Engineer Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy
Walter)
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“The motto I had from the beginning was that you're not always going to be the
first person out of the gate. You are going to see other Sailors who are
hard-charging and then burn out halfway through a deployment. I tried to be
consistent and work hard and do what I was supposed to do. It paid off,” Dean
said.
His path, like that of the Chief who gained gain his commission in Japan, was
through the LDO program. These men and women serve as technical leaders who are
selected from the enlisted ranks based on merit, technical knowledge and sound
leadership. They are chosen from among the ranks of E-6 to E-9 with eight to 16
years of service. They are not required to have a college degree and yet they
can fill leadership and management positions to the level of Captain.
Along his journey, he was surprised by the unique satisfaction that he found in
his enlisted career as a utilitiesman. In fact, before he joined the ranks of
the Naval Construction Forces (NCF), more commonly called Seebees, he didn't
have much desire for the line of work.
“I never had any aspirations of going into construction but that changed after I
joined the Navy,” he said. “Whether it was laying concrete block, drawing out
blueprints or building an underground sewer branch, I never thought I would do
things like that but now that is what I know I will miss. It won't quite be the
same as when we were listening to music and joking with each and talking about
what we were going to do when we got back from deployment.”
As he looks back, he doesn't speak about awards or honors, but endurance in
distant places as the things that he will carry with him. He starts smiling as
he recalls getting dropped off by a Chinook helicopter in a remote outpost in
Afghanistan. He details how their mission was to turn a mud-walled fort into an
operational basecamp for an incoming U.S. Army Ranger platoon. His face lights
up as he talks about their food drop-offs of potatoes and meat, which they
cooked on ground over charcoal briquettes.
“I loved just being out there, knowing that we were supporting the war in the
sense of building this outpost up for the rangers to do their mission. That is a
memory I will always have,” he said.
Now, his mission is different but he says his experience grants him the ability
to be better as an officer and more capable as a leader.
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September 30, 2016 - Ensign William Jon Dean walks through
ceremonial sideboys at the completion of his commissioning ceremony
as a limited duty officer in the Civil Engineer Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Walter)
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“I think it will be rewarding and challenging. There will be long hours going
forward. But the other thing I look forward to is mentoring the future officers
that are coming in out of the Naval Academy or other commissioning avenues. I
will try to impart the knowledge about being enlisted to them as they move
throughout their career. I look forward to being the person who earns the trust
of the commanding officer as a valued opinion in the wardroom because I have
that enlisted experience,” he said.
Navy Recruiting District Nashville is responsible for recruiting efforts
throughout more than 100,000 square miles of the states of Tennessee, Arkansas,
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky and Virginia.
By U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Walter
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
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