Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jamica Johnson | Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Rusty “Ruthless” Turley, from Navy Information...... read more read more
He crawled into the cage like an animal, straight-faced and focused. The look in his eye was raw, hungry. The walk from the dressing room to the ring was the longest stretch of time his challenger, Rolando Gomez, was standing on his feet. The bell rang and within 15 seconds, Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Rusty “Ruthless” Turley, Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Texas Supply Department Leading Petty Officer, showed how he earned the nickname, taking his opponent to the mat, mercilessly punishing him with blow after blow.
“When I fight, they know I’m going to take them down to the floor, unless they've practiced some good defense." said Turley "It's simple, I’m going to wrestle him to the ground and do ground and pound."
Turley, an amateur welterweight mixed martial artist (MMA), is known for dominating his opponents with his specialty in grappling. He started as a wrestler in the sixth grade and added mixed martial arts to his skill set at the age of 14. He had his first amateur fight at 18 prior to joining the Navy, but has since honed his skills and has set his goals on fighting professionally.
“I enlisted in the Navy right out of high school. I felt it would be an honor to serve my country while seeing the world,” said Turley. “I took a break from fighting when I arrived at my first command to really learn my job and balance marriage, family and being deployed. When I transferred to San Antonio, I started back and have been fighting ever since.”
At NIOC Texas, Sailors are given a detailed understanding of the command’s mission and expectations, but they are encouraged to pursue personal and professional goals from the time they check in to the day leave.
“Our primary role is providing cryptologic warfare, signals intelligence and cyber support to U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet” said Capt. Clarence Franklin Jr., NIOC Texas commanding officer. “Although we're composed of mostly linguists, network specialists and a lot of technical ratings, all of our Sailors, to include our yeomen, mass communication specialists, and logisticians like Petty Officer Turley, underpin all of our success.”
NIOC Texas, unique from other major naval commands with the nearest naval vessel more than 200 miles away, has created its own identity in the fleet.
"You don't have to be on a ship to be a great Sailor," said Master Chief Petty Officer Juston Geigley, NIOC Texas Command Master Chief. "Our Sailors are doing great things in mission and in life.
Geigley, one of the Turley's many supporting fans, explained the parallels to MMA and war fighting.
"We tell our Sailors it’s always import to strive to be great because you fight like you train. Although mixed martial arts is a vastly different arena from our daily operations, it takes the same quality of person – someone who understands the sacrifices that come with the fight and is willing to see it through."
Eight to 12 weeks out from a fight, Turley goes into a vigorous regimen, to include watching videos of his opponent, intense cardio sessions, followed by hours of various types of mixed martial arts. He has a team that includes the help of a dietitian, a coach for wrestling, a Muay Thai coach, three coaches for MMA and several sparing partners.
“My morning starts at 6 a.m. I go to work, give it my all, then I go straight to the gym,” said Turley. “I just think of myself as a fighter or a warrior. No matter what has come my way, I push forward. I may stumble and fall, but I will continue to press on.”
In Turley's most recent fight, he won in round three, ending it with a knockout punch.
With a record of three wins and one loss, Turley said he learned more about himself from his loss, than he ever could have from winning.
“No matter how good you think you are, there is always someone out there training to be better than you. My loss was due to my lack of training,” said Turley. “It’s humiliating and disappointing. I knew I could have won, and I knew I should have trained better. Never again will I lose due to a lack of training.”
Turley plans to separate from the Navy at the end of his current enlistment, but he's not going without one more fight. He has begun training for his first professional fight, scheduled for August 2019.
“All Sailors aren’t going to do twenty years. Some are going to do four, some 10,” said Franklin. “I encourage them to all be thinking about what they want to do post Navy, while they do what they want to do while in the service. Petty Officer Turley, for example, has done a great job as our logistic specialist, but he’s also pursuing what he wants to do post Navy career.”
NIOC Texas is responsible for executing information and cryptologic operations help to protect the nation, safeguard U.S. interests and preserve global influence. For more information about NIOC Texas visit https://www.navy.mil/local/nioctx/
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2019 16:13 |
| Story ID: | 323151 |
| Location: | FRUITA , COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Three Rounds: A Fight for Honor, Family and Self, by PO1 Jamica Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
