The journey to joining the world’s finest Navy begins the same for brave men and women that swear to defend their country. They meet with a recruiter, select a job specialty and eventually ship off to boot camp… and hardly ever think of their Navy recruiter again.
Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Derek Tackett’s journey started exactly that way, except five years later, after “A” school and multiple deployments onboard USS Wasp (LHD 1), he would eventually be assigned to work for his recruiter at Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Ohio River Valley.
Tackett, who is from Catlettsburg, Kentucky and graduated from Boyd County High School, joined the Navy in 2014. He was enrolled in the JROTC program at his local school and met with a recruiter, Navy Counselor 1st Class Jody Mathis, during a routine visit at his school. Tackett, and his twin brother, knew that a career in the Navy was in their future because of the lack of employment in their local economy.
“Chief Mathis and his team of recruiters were very outstanding,” said Tackett. “They were always coming out to the high school and I would see them out and about. I thought ‘Man… that Navy uniform looks awesome.’ We sat down for a quick question and answer session and I knew the deal was done.”
So after graduation, Tackett completed all the necessary paperwork, selected a career path and shipped off to Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois. After “A” school he spent years in Japan onboard the Wasp conducting operational and humanitarian missions throughout the 7th Fleet area of responsibility.
“Seeing our Navy help people in other countries gives me a satisfaction that no other career could ever do,” said Tackett.
After a successful tour on the Wasp, Tackett was up for his next duty assignment and he saw from a mutual Facebook friend, that his recruiter, Mathis, was selected for chief petty officer. He immediately reached out to him to catch up.
Mathis is the leading chief petty officer for the NTAG Ohio River Valley recruiting offices in West Virginia. He was ecstatic when Tackett contacted him and talked about his successes in his naval career thus far. Little did they both know that Tackett’s career path would bring them together once again.
In July 2019, Tackett learned that he was selected to become a recruiter for NTAG Ohio River Valley… and to work for his old recruiter, Chief Mathis.
“I was so excited,” said Mathis. “I immediately reached out to him on social media to make sure he had everything he needed and to congratulate him on his orders.”
In March 2020, Tackett arrived at NTAG Ohio River Valley and was assigned as a Military Entrance Processing Station classifier and accessor under Chief Mathis’ leadership.
“I felt ecstatic when I got here,” said Tackett. “He was a very big factor when I joined the Navy and now I get to show him how much I've grown as a Sailor and to prove to him that the Navy was the right fit for me.”
In the short time Tackett has been with NTAG Ohio River Valley, he assisted in the classification of 26 applicants and provided quality assurance of more than 160 delayed entry program records to correct discrepancies to prevent any shipping day complications.
“I love talking to people about the Navy and what it has to offer them,” said Tackett. “ Whether it's four years or 20… the Navy has something to offer for everyone.”
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, NTAG Ohio River Valley’s mission is to man the Navy fleet with the highest quality Sailors and maintain the Navy’s unchallenged worldwide maritime superiority and ability to win wars, deter aggression and maintain freedom of the seas. NTAG Ohio River Valley operates 56 Talent Acquisition Stations and four Navy Officer Recruiting stations throughout Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia.
For more news from NTAG Ohio River Valley, visit us on the web, http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/pages-nrd/ohio/default.html; and on our Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/NTAGOhioRiverValley.
| Date Taken: | 04.16.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2020 14:05 |
| Story ID: | 367570 |
| Location: | COLUMBUS, OHIO, US |
| Hometown: | CATLETTSBURG, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Recruiting Comes Full Circle for Kentucky Sailor, by Brian Dietrick, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
