Photo By Ryan Carter | Norfolk, Va. (March 31, 2022) Military Sealift Command (MSC) Civil Service Mariner and...... read more read more
Military Sealift Command (MSC) Civil Service Mariner (CIVMAR) Morris Williams has never lacked confidence. His positive, can-do attitude has guided him since his days leading the drumline for the George Washington High School Marching Eagles of Danville, Virginia. Now that same spirit has helped him complete a successful journey from entry-level supply utilityman to MSC’s newest chief engineer.
It has been a 17-year climb through the ranks for the Danville native who recently reported aboard USNS Puerto Rico (T-EPF 11). However, the foundation for his determination to achieve success was inspired years before he joined MSC.
“When I was younger, I stayed with my grandparents while my parents worked,” said the chief engineer. “My grandfather who served in World War II. He was a great man who lived to be 111 years old. I watched him as a kid work from sunrise to sunset taking of a huge family at home and his hogs and horses outside. I would ride with him in his truck every day and help him.”
“I just wanted to please my parents and grandparents,” he said. “I didn’t get in a lot of trouble growing up although there was plenty going on around me. I just wanted to make my parents happy and be the best me I can be.”
Williams spent the first few years after high school working back home to support his child. However, when he was 26 years old, he decided to take a chance with MSC. He charted his path for success the very first day in New Employee Orientation (NEO) class when he formed a bond with a few other aspirational CIVMARs.
“There were seven of us in NEO class and we all went to the same ship,” said Williams. “We started doing on-the-job training (OJT) together, fighting to get in time to work with the engineers. We used each other as motivation. One of my friends, and he knows who he is, would always say, ‘we’re doing this job, why not make the most of it.’ That’s how we pushed each other to keep going.”
Staying focused and relentless, Williams spent as much time as he could in the engine rooms learning the trade. In a few years, he reached his first milestone when he officially became an engineer.
“It took me eight years to become a licensed engineer. It was very challenging. I spent nearly two years doing OJT in engineering department while still maintaining my job assignment as a supply utilityman in supply department. Once I got to engineering department, I continued learning during my off time. I just stayed patient,” he said.
Taking advantage of every opportunity presented to him along the way, Williams earned several in-class certifications; including attending refrigeration; damage control and advanced damage control schools.
“Refrigeration was my first trade. I didn’t know if I wanted to be a chief engineer at this time. I wanted to be a third engineer to assist the chief. Once I achieved that, I kept studying and learning different platforms, becoming more knowledgeable,” he said.
With years’ of experience and OJT behind him, Williams successfully challenged the Coast Guard Engineering test to carry on the hawsepiper tradition of mariners to climb the ranks from unlicensed merchant seaman to merchant ship's officer without a traditional maritime college or academy.
Just like he’d done more than 20 years ago leading his high school band, he approached this challenge with confidence to achieve success.
“I’ve always been a self-motivated guy. I always feel if someone else can do something, why can’t I? I always believe in being the best you can be no matter what you do and not getting too comfortable or complacent. That is always how I’ve approached things and how I got to where I am.”
It seems he has no plans of letting up. Williams says he wants to continue to master his trade and serve MSC to the best of his ability.
“I’ve reached the highest management level, but it doesn’t stop. I want to continue to learn every day. If I’m not learning anything new then I’m becoming lazy. I would like to keep striving and advancing. I want to retire as a chief engineer in good standing and bow out gracefully.”
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.05.2022 13:39 |
| Story ID: | 417782 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 599 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, We Are MSC: Mariner Completes Journey from Supply Utility to Chief Engineer, by Hendrick Dickson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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