CHICAGO – Senior Navy leaders from Naval Station, Great Lakes, visited with Navy Junior ROTC cadets, faculty, and staff at Chicago’s Hyman G. Rickover Naval Academy as part of the school’s commemoration of Black History Month on Feb. 13.
Capt. Shadrick Williams, commander, Navy Readiness and Mobilization Command, Great Lakes, and Cmdr. Christopher Labissiere, commanding officer, Navy Reserve Center, Great Lakes, were invited to speak to the 505 cadet battalion about their personal and professional journeys serving in the U.S. Navy.
“This was a wonderful opportunity to engage and connect with the next generation of leaders and expose them to the stories that helped shape me into the leader I am today,” said Williams.
Prior to speaking with the cadets, Michael Biela, long-time Rickover superintendent, provided the invited guests to accompany him for a abbreviated tour of the academy’s facilities.
While on tour, the group stopped into various classrooms where cadets came to attention when the officers entered a room. The guests inspected the academy’s experiment with a hydroponic garden. They stopped by the band room and spoke to cadets and the band director, and loitered in the Winston Churchhill conference room before heading to the main gymnasium where the entire battalion of cadets, faculty, and staff were being assembled.
Upon entering the main gymnasium, Williams and Labissiere were piped aboard with a boatswain’s call by retired Chief Petty Officer Leslie Thomas as the guests passed through sideboys who rendered honors and hand salutes.
After color guard presentation, the playing of the National Anthem, and summary introductions of the guests by Rickover’s commandant, retired Cmdr. Rose O’Carroll, Williams took to the microphone first.
Williams expressed to the cadets that the first piece of advice he would give them is that they should always strive to be authentic. “Be yourself,” said Williams. “Growing up I was always told I should become a medical doctor. After some long soul searching, it wasn’t until I got to college when I figured out that being a physician wasn’t right for me—it wasn’t my passion.”
Williams continued, “My second piece of advice would be, don’t be afraid to go out and have new experiences. You can usually go home and say I tried this new thing, and it didn’t work out. You can always say that I’m glad I tried it and have no regrets.”
“Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone,” said Williams. “In your comfort zone, everything is predictable, because it’s normally safe and easy. It’s natural for most people to want to stay there.”
“Having a positive attitude can get you out of your comfort zone. Having a positive attitude means approaching every situation and challenge in life with optimism,” said Williams. “Think of challenges as opportunities. Set ambitious goals, and see each failure as a lesson.”
Next, Labissiere took to the microphone and enthusiastically implored the cadets to always do their best.
“Always strive to do your best, no more no less,” said Labissiere. “However, you have to keep in mind that your best is never going to be the same from one moment to the next. Life is always changing. Some days your best will be excellent, and other days it will be good enough.”
Labissiere continued, “No matter how hard a task or challenge might seem, you should always put your whole heart and soul into it. Putting your heart and soul into something means that you do something with your maximum effort, passion, and enthusiasm.”
“It also means you need a healthy dose of motivation,” said Labissiere. If you’re going to pour your heart and soul into something then you need to do something that excites you—something that gives you purpose, and something that you are deeply passionate about. It’s about doing something that you truly care about and that makes you feel alive.”
Labissiere continued, “Knowing you truly did your best, you can leave the rest to God and not worry about it. Knowing that you tried with all of your ability is the satisfaction you should want. When you have done all there is to do, you’ll need to let go and let God take care of the rest. That should be a source of comfort and strength, and no one can take that away from you.”
From a cadet’s perspective, “The opportunity to hear the personal stories of these distinguished Navy officers was priceless and much appreciated,” said Cadet Commanding Officer Montserrat Lopez.
Lopez continued, “Both Capt. Williams and Cmdr. Labissiere emphasized the importance of believing in yourself and putting your all into everything you want to accomplish.”
For Cadet Executive Officer Agape Zora-Awni, “What struck me about their personal stories was how much determination and passion they had to be successful in the Navy.”
For Cadet Command Master Chief Eliezer Hernandez, “I was impressed to hear them say they followed their passion and heart. They were told early in life to choose a certain career path, but they found a different path that led them to success in the Navy.”
Rickover Academy’s recognition of Black History Month is to recognize the contributions African Americans have made to the cultural heritage of the United States—especially their contributions to the U.S. Navy. For the last two years, Rickover has successfully hosted African American active-duty and retired Navy leaders. Last year, the academy hosted retired Rear Admiral Sinclair Harris and retired Fleet Master Chief April Beldo-Lilley.
REDCOM Great Lakes serves 18 NRCs staffed with more than 400 Full-Time Support Sailors and civilians serving over 4,871 Navy Reserve personnel located across eight states. REDCOM Great Lakes’ mission is to generate mobilization readiness through providing administrative services, training, management and support to Reserve Sailors in support of operational requirements of the Navy, Marine Corps and Joint Forces team.
NRC Great Lakes is responsible for the deployment readiness of 34 units with a total 1,000 Reserve Sailors who support worldwide operational requirements for the Navy and Marine Corps team, and Joint Forces around the globe.
| Date Taken: | 02.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.04.2024 10:24 |
| Story ID: | 464876 |
| Location: | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 67 |
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This work, REDCOM and NRC Great Lakes Visit with Navy Cadets for Black History Month Program, by CDR Jeffrey Gray, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
