Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Tristan Lotz | 190118-N-ME396-033 GROTON, Conn. (Jan. 18, 2019) Electronics Technician 2nd Class...... read more read more
GROTON, Conn. – A Sailor assigned to Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE) New London’s Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 8 became the first service member attached to the base to earn the Enlisted Expeditionary Warfare Specialist (EXW) qualification, Jan. 18.
Electronics Technician 2nd Class France Duval, a native of Northampton, Massachusetts, joined the small number of women in the Navy to earn the EXW pin while also becoming the first SUBASE New London Sailor to earn the warfare qualification. Duval’s qualification additionally marked the beginning of the base’s EXW program.
“Duval is actually the first Sailor, overall, to earn the EXW pin here at SUBASE,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mickey Templar, officer-in-charge of CRS 8. “Part of Duval’s new duty is going to be to stand up the program so we can train others to get their qualifications as well.”
Templar also explained the lengths Duval had to go through to get the warfare pin, stating she had to earn an already difficult and time-consuming qualification while on a time crunch due to mobilization.
“Petty Officer Duval did a lot of the work for this qualification while she was on mobilization,” said Templar. “It’s a lengthy process and they only have about nine months on the ground, and the qualification takes about a year to earn, if you’re doing really well. She did everything she could there. Her chiefs out there passed her progress from that theater back to here in Groton so she could continue working on it.”
Duval talked about the training and preliminary qualifications she had to get to receive the EXW pin and the importance of that training.
“You have to get all your weapons qualifications,” said Duval. “You have to know all the parts of the weapons systems. Understanding navigation is also important. It’s also knowing waterborne tactics. It’s about understanding everything we do on the water.”
Duval explained the high-value unit aspect of her duties and the importance of expeditionary warfare readiness overseas, things, Duval added, the Navy has occasionally had to learn the hard way.
“We do waterborne security and static defense,” said Duval. “It’s important to know what is going and how to do your job. We escort the boats when they are leaving or returning to port and static security is protecting a high-value asset. It’s especially important overseas. We started that program after the USS Cole got bombed and we improved our coastal warfare tactics accordingly.”
As the first Sailor onboard SUBASE New London to earn the EXW pin while assigned to the base, Duval’s receipt of the qualification marks the official beginning of the program. That means she will help train other Sailors to earn their pin, using her knowledge.
“Now that I have the pin, my plan going forward is to help others get it,” said Duval. “It’s been a huge learning experience fully understanding what we do in the Riverine community and anyone who gets the pin will understand just how much we do. I really want to help others get trained up so they can pass their qualification board.”
Additionally, Duval shared her thoughts on being one of the few women attached to CSR 8 and one of even fewer women in the Navy who have the EXW qualification. She said she wants to pave the way for other aspiring women to achieve what she has.
“There are few women in the Navy in general,” said Duval. “There are even fewer in the Riverine community because it was only opened to us just recently. For that there are certain hurdles you have to overcome. I don’t want women to be deterred from joining this community. We can do it just like men. I’m training to get my tactical coxswain qualification now. That’s important to me because I want to show other women that it’s possible to do it.”
Duval marked the beginning of a new training program at SUBASE New London and another milestone in women serving their country and pushing the boundaries farther.
| Date Taken: | 01.18.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 01.24.2019 14:24 |
| Story ID: | 308104 |
| Location: | GROTON, CONNECTICUT, US |
| Web Views: | 424 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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