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Every week we will feature a different staff member supporting or assigned to #RTC for our #StaffInTheSpotlight
Meet BM1 Joseph Perry! Petty Officer Perry is a #BoatswainsMate currently supporting the #bootcamp mission at #FortMcCoy
Late last summer, BM1 was in the middle of a two-week ROM, when he got a phone call telling him he had orders to report to RTC as an Individual Augmentee, or IA. In October, he drove with his family to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin and then said his goodbyes as he reported for duty and prepared for what he considers the most unique “deployment” of his 15-year career.
Since the start of the pandemic, RTC has had a 14-day ROM for all incoming recruits at off-site locations. After using local-area hotels, ROM moved to Fort McCoy, a #USArmy base in Wisconsin. This move relied on bringing Sailors such as BM1 Perry back from the fleet to support. Like with so many things during the pandemic, the assignment had a level of uncertainty.
“I heard some things and read a few articles before coming up here about how difficult it was and it had me not looking forward to it. But once I got here, I realized it was easy money. You get into a rhythm just like deployment.”
As a former red rope, returning to RTC in any capacity was something that Perry looked forward to.
“My first time at RTC as an RDC was my favorite time in the Navy. You get to change people’s lives, which I got to see even more so when I went back to the fleet. I saw some of my recruits completed STA-21 packages, they have become third, second and even some first classes. To see that type of growth put a lot of perspective on my life with the impact I had and can have.”
Perry says when he steps back and looks at himself, he has grown up a tremendous amount from the “knucklehead” he was when he first joined. He attributes a lot of that to his time pushing boots as an RDC.
“Some people say the top 10 percent of the Navy come to RTC to be an RDC and I disagree.
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2021 12:49 |
| Photo ID: | 6531022 |
| VIRIN: | 210217-N-PL946-1001 |
| Resolution: | 7065x4710 |
| Size: | 3.37 MB |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 94 |
| Downloads: | 11 |
This work, RTC Social Media Spotlight Posts [Image 18 of 18], by CPO Spencer Fling, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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