Photo By Todd Hack | Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Southwest Commanding Officer Cmdr. Keith J....... read more read more
CORONADO, Calif. (May 18, 2022) – U.S. Navy change of command ceremonies are steeped in tradition to include a fair bit of pomp and circumstance. Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Southwest put a new spin on an old tradition and held it’s change of command ceremony in an unconventional fashion.
The official party for the NTAG Southwest Change of Command: Commodore, Navy Recruiting Region West, Captain Dave C. Webber, Commanding Officer Commander David C. Yoon and Executive Officer Commander Keith J. Bushey, began the ceremony by jumping out of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23. With the support of the world-famous U.S. Navy Parachute Team ‘Leap Frogs’ and their "square" ram-air parachutes, each member of the official party executed a controlled tandem-jump and landed safely onto Turner Field at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado to formally conduct the transfer of command.
“I want to thank the ‘Leap Frogs’ for an amazing arrival. Definitely the closest thing that I could get to as far as flying during this tour,” said Yoon.
Like the jump, Yoon sees the transition for NTAG Southwest from his leadership to that of Bushey as one which has a great chance of success for the Navy.
“The command is in good hands moving forward,” said Yoon. “I have no doubt that Commander Bushey is going to have much more success than I had these past three years.”
Yoon, a native of Bakersfield, California and a 2003 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, assumed command of NTAG Southwest February 2021. During his tour, Yoon spearheaded the command transformation from the legacy model of Navy Recruiting District San Diego to the Talent Acquisition Group structure.
In keeping with the U.S. Navy regulations, command leadership, families and the crew of NTAG Southwest watched via Facebook Live and gathered to bid farewell to the leader who has led the command for the past three years.
During the ceremony, Yoon spoke about the divergence from a traditional change of command ceremony in the face of such a difficult period for recruiting in the nation’s history.
“I know we don’t have the pomp and circumstance with this particular ceremony, … but it’s still a production day, we’re putting people into the Navy,” said Yoon. “The XO and I decided, we didn’t want to take away from the mission to bring people, from out in the field, here and take a day off, but it’s important that everyone witness it and that’s why we are streaming it on Facebook Live.”
Commodore Webber, as the ceremony’s guest speaker, mentioned many of the accomplishments the command has attained under Yoon’s leadership and awarded him the Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy Recruiting Service Ribbon.
“The command has prospered under Commander Yoon, it has seamlessly continued the transformation of NTAG Southwest into a streamlined 21st century organization positioned to lead Navy Recruiting into the future. His ability to expertly manage over $200,000 in resources in a fiscally constrained environment is a testament to his fortitude,” said Webber. “Under his leadership the Southwest team shipped nearly 3,000 enlisted Sailors and Naval officers to the fleet. To put that accomplishment into perspective, during Skipper Yoon’s tenure, NTAG Southwest manned the equivalent of one U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, despite the challenges of a global pandemic and historic civil unrest.”
After thanking the Leapfrogs for a fantastic entrance as well as the entire staff for their great work and support, Yoon ended his remarks by reading his orders of detachment to CVN-73 USS GEORGE WASHINGTON as the Navigator and then his successor, Bushey, read his orders to assume command of NTAG Southwest.
Bushey, a native of Speigletown, New York, graduated from Fordham University in 2002 and received his commission from the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program that same year. He has served as the executive officer of NTAG Southwest since August 2020.
Bushey is no stranger to recruiting as this is his third recruiting tour. His previous assignments include Navy Reserve Medical Officer Recruiter at Navy Recruiting District New York and Director, Navy Reserve Accessions at Navy Recruiting Command Headquarters.
“As a former Navy recruiter it is a thrill to have the honor to serve as NTAG Southwest Commanding Officer,” said Bushey.
In his speech, Bushey recognized the epic struggles the command has gone through since coming to NTAG Southwest.
“Commander Yoon, you took the helm during a global pandemic, the most challenging recruiting environment the nation has ever seen,” said Bushey. “I thank you for your friendship, your mentorship, your unwavering leadership and your commitment to supporting our Sailors. The command is in a better place because of your efforts.”
A quote from a Chief of Naval Operations of the past sums up the mission Navy Recruiters take on every day.
“The task of the Navy Recruiters stands among the most challenging and responsible duties to which our enlisted personnel are assigned today, and are of great importance to our Navy of the future. The results of the Navy Recruiter today determine the quality of our Navy tomorrow,” said CNO Adm. E. R. Zumwalt, February 1971.
Concluding his speech, Bushey echoed Admiral Zumwalt’s sentiment in the past when he spoke to the future of NTAG Southwest.
“To the civilian and military family that is NTAG Southwest, there is a war for talent going on in this country and you are on the front lines,” said Bushey. “Our job is hard, we face rejection on a daily basis. With that said, our Navy and our country needs us to be successful. Never forget our mission is essential to the Navy’s ability to fight and win. The Navy’s most lethal capability is its people. We are tasked with recruiting young men and women who are the future of the Navy.
“To this end, I say to you all, put yourself in a position to be successful each and every day,” said Bushey. “Do the work. Lead, train and support each other. If you do this you cannot fail. You have my trust and upmost confidence.”
NTAG Southwest’s new commanding officer made clear his commitment to the NTAG team.
“I pledge to you as commanding officer, you have my unwavering support, backing and relentless commitment to your mental health, mission accomplishment and excellence,” said Bushey.
NTAG Southwest’s Change of Command Ceremony began in an unconventional manner and completely off-script.
“This was an unplanned shift. Basically, the C-130 that we were assured was the most reliable air asset that we could possibly have … was not available for us to jump out of,” said Yoon. “But as it happens, my old squadron, HSC-23, was actually doing para-jumps down at the stick near Imperial Beach. It all kind of came to together last minute, which maybe is in God’s great plan, which is sometimes how recruiting works as well”.
Now the command is firmly on the ground and ready to face any challenge in order to recruit the next generation of Sailors.
The command was established as Navy Recruiting District San Diego in January 1975 and transformed into NTAG Southwest in December 2020. NTAG Southwest’s area of responsibility encompasses more than 210,000 square miles covering southern California, southern Nevada and western Arizona. Headquartered at Naval Base Point Loma, the command has 43 recruiting stations and employs more than 375 Sailors and civilian personnel.
For more news from NTAG Southwest, go to https://www.cnrc.navy.mil/pages-nrd/sandiego/. Follow the command on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NTAGSW), Twitter (@NRD_SanDiego) and Instagram (@NTAGSW).
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, 26 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MyNavyHR), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 05.18.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2022 17:14 |
| Story ID: | 422835 |
| Location: | CORONADO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CA |
| Hometown: | BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | SPEIGLETOWN, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 450 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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