Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class CHRISTIAN ESKELUND | CARIBBEAN SEA (June 21, 2015) Aboard the Mexican Navy ship ARM Independencia (P-163),...... read more read more
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By Mass Communication Special 1st Class Dan Meaney and Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Christian Eskelund, Navy Public Affairs Support Element East
BELIZE CITY, Belize - Lt. Cmdr. Ross Sickler, a U.S. Navy Reservist, was selected by Southern Command Headquarters to serve aboard a Mexican navy ship during Tradewinds 2015 because of his unique experience with the Caribbean.
He was the obvious choice for this mission.
"Because of his superior multi-language capabilities,"said Capt. Richard Rodriguez, Navy Reserve Southern Command commanding officer. "And because of his expertise in understanding Latin culture."
As a former enlisted cryptologic technician, Sickler spent the first 10 years of his Navy career in the Caribbean as a ship rider providing direct support to Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF South). JIATF South conducts interagency and international detection and monitoring operations, facilitating the interdiction of illicit trafficking and other narco-terrorist threats in support of national and partner nation security.
Embarked during Tradewinds 2015 as a ship rider aboard the Mexican navy ship ARM Independencia (P-163), Sickler provided direct support to the captain, serving as cultural attache and interpreter. It was a challenging assignment.
Sickler was tasked not only with aiding the Mexican captain and his crew by clearly communicating the details of all the maritime training events throughout the exercise, he was responsible for transmitting, interpreting, recording and clarifying all interaction between the Independencia and the other (English speaking) vessels involved in maritime phase II of the Tradewinds 2015 Exercise.
It was a hectic pace, with visit, board, search and seizure exercises, gunnery exercises, helicopter flight operations and precision maneuvering between U.S., Belize, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica and the United Kingdom ships.
“This was a great opportunity and experience to work with the Mexican navy and to ride aboard the ship for six days," said Sickler. "To learn from them and how they operate was an amazing experience that I’ll never forget."
He earned a bachelor’s degree with a minor in Spanish literature and a master’s degree in business administration. Enlisting in 1993, and earning a commission in 2004, Sickler has now spent years researching language demographics - a field of study that has given him a unique perspective on the importance of Tradewinds.
"Tradewinds is a young but essential multinational exercise to ensure co-operation, build relationships and strengthen ties with incredibly important partners with the United States to increase and ensure security in a very important part of the world," he said, proudly.
Sickler's journey from enlisted to commissioned with two degrees earned along the way has been a long one with many nautical miles riding the waves of the Caribbean Sea but he won't stop riding ships and representing the U.S. Navy while there are still beaches to be discovered in the region.
"I am grateful for this opportunity to represent the U.S. Navy and U.S. Southern Command to the Mexican navy during Tradewinds 15 aboard Mexican navy warship Bicentenario de la Independencia," said Sickler.
Tradewinds is a combined, joint U.S. Southern Command-sponsored exercise and an opportunity for the participating partner nations to come together to enhance regional maritime security.
| Date Taken: | 06.23.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.24.2015 15:53 |
| Story ID: | 167982 |
| Location: | BELIZE CITY, BZ |
| Web Views: | 715 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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