Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Taylor Jackson | Machinist’s Mate (Nuclear) 1st Class James Ladner, from NTAG Richmoind, is featured...... read more read more
Subscribe
Machinist’s Mate (Nuclear) 1st Class James Ladner grew up on the soccer pitch. From age 5 to 19, he hit the field as a player and took charge as a referee. He envisioned playing at the collegiate level, but life had other plans.
“The college I wanted to go to didn’t have a men’s soccer team, so I chose a different school that would be better suited for my major,” said Ladner. “Unfortunately, that didn’t work out either, and I ended up leaving school altogether.”
Putting soccer and college on hold, Ladner began looking for work in his hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi. After struggling to find steady income, he spoke with his local Navy recruiter. Ladner had little prior knowledge of the Navy before meeting with the recruiter. Because Gulfport is home to the Atlantic Fleet Seabees, he knew about the Navy’s construction element, but the other Navy communities were foreign to him. His recruiter recommended the nuclear program, and Ladner joined the Navy shortly after.
Upon completion of Navy Nuclear Power School, he was designated a nuclear machinist’s mate and reported to the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in Norfolk, Virginia. Following this tour, he was accepted for recruiting orders at Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Richmond, Virginia. Having a break from the rigorous schedule of shipboard reactor maintenance afforded Ladner an opportunity to reconnect with his passion for soccer. For the last year, he has served as a youth soccer coach.
“I originally wanted to join a league as a player when I got here,” said Ladner. “Unfortunately, none of the team schedules really matched well with my work schedule. I still wanted to be part of the game, so I decided coaching would be a good way to not only get back on the field for a little while, but also teach others to love the game as well.”
Ladner serves as leading petty officer for the E-Talent division of NTAG Richmond. His division links potential applicants in the NTAG’s area of responsibility with their local recruiters. His time at the command taught him valuable lessons in leadership that apply both on and off the field.
“There is a lot of overlap between coaching and being a leading petty officer,” said Ladner. “Both jobs involve being able to help your team bring out the best in their abilities, and as the leader, you make a lot of decisions about putting people in a position to succeed.”
Though he will be transferring soon, his leadership has been invaluable to both teams. Thanks to his coaching, his soccer team not only learned to play the game, they also won several of their matches before the season ended. Back at NTAG, the E-Talent team benefited greatly from his unique leadership perspective.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more than what he (Ladner) brings to the table,” said Chief Navy Counselor Kellyanne Ramirez, E-Talent's department leading chief petty officer. “Ladner comes to work and gets things done. He motivates his people and helps me keep our mission running smoothly. I know he will do great things at his next command.”
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Richmond, part of Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, includes 41 recruiting stations responsible for enlisted and officer recruiting in Virginia, Washington, D. C. and parts of Maryland and North Carolina.
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2022 12:49 |
| Story ID: | 422264 |
| Location: | RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NTAG Richmond Sailor Leads Teams On and Off Duty, by PO1 Taylor Jackson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
