Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Ikia Walker | U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (Aug. 10, 2024) An Airman, assigned to the...... read more read more
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U.S. Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Matthew Allen from San Clemente, California, was the oldest person to enlist in the active-duty Navy when he joined January 23, 2023. He was 41 years old. After spending 20 years as a surfing instructor, Allen wanted to serve his country and made the choice to enlist and pursue a new dream.
“For 20 years, I coached surfing, and I also played music with a band,” said Allen. “The advantages we have in America, where you can just create a life out of two things you love, made me realize I wanted the opportunity to give back for that life I had. That sparked the idea, and then it became the long road of figuring out how I can serve even though I was over the age requirement.”
Every recruiting office Allen visited informed him that the age limit was one that could not be waived. No matter what he did or said to try to join the Navy the response was always the same.
“When I approached the first recruiters, they told me that there’s a hard limit on the age, and there’s no waiver for that,” said Allen. “One of the recruiters I went to after months of trying to join recommended that I get in contact with someone in a higher position. I got in contact with the public affairs officer at Navy Personnel Command working in Millington, Tennessee at the time, and they pushed the idea up their chain of command. [The Navy] ended up releasing a new policy shortly after where people could join at age 41, so that gave me six more months to get everything sorted.”
That memorandum, which had already been planned for release prior to Allen’s case, was released by the Navy’s Chief of Naval Personnel on November 3, 2022 and raised the maximum active and reserve enlistment age for prospective sailors to 42. The change meant Allen still had time to officially start the process of enlisting and wouldn’t need a waiver—for his age, at least. The battle to join wasn’t over yet, though, and there were still a few more hoops to jump through before he could ship off to bootcamp.
“There was no formula for this,” said Allen. “Some hurdles I had were medical waivers, speeding ticket waivers, and my tattoos. My tattoo waiver was 147 pages alone. I ended up spending so much time at my recruiter’s office to get all of these issues sorted out, it basically became my second job.”
Allen would spend hours during the day going to appointments and working to get waivers in order to achieve his dream. Despite missing work and not being able to hang out with friends and family, Allen did not let himself be deterred.
“It almost became this quest. The more difficult it got, the more I locked-in,” said Allen. “I had gone too far to not follow through. I liked the challenge; the struggles almost made me want it more.”
Allen finally enlisted from the Mission Viejo recruiting station and was able to ship off to bootcamp January 23, 2023—less than a month before his 42nd birthday. He would graduate and eventually get orders to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).
Going from bootcamp, to “A” school to learn about aviation electronics and then directly to a ship preparing to deploy, Allen has seen a lot in a short period of time. He said that he has enjoyed every moment of it. Earlier this year, he even matched a record set in 2001-- as the oldest person to graduate from the Navy’s physically-demanding surface rescue swimmer course.
“To go through Search and Rescue (SAR) swimmer school at 43 years old with people who are in their 20s was a challenge both physically and mentally,” said Allen. “I welcomed it. I worked super hard, and once you push past the mental aspect, it gets better. One of the coolest things I’ve done in my life was coming back to the ship after SAR school and doing what is called the ‘designation dip,’ where you have to get in the water, perform a mock rescue and get back in the boat.”
By becoming the oldest person to enlist in the Navy and then completing SAR school at age 43, Allen has shown that with the right mindset, barriers can be overcome.
“Regardless of whether you’re young or old, the thing that’s going to stand in the way of what you want the most is your own mind,” said Allen. “If you feel in your heart that you can do it and you tell yourself that you can, then all you have left is to commit and follow through.”
Allen has had a wide variety of experiences and looks forward to where the Navy will take him next. He intends to make the most of his time in the Navy, and give back as much as he can for the freedoms his country has afforded him.
The Navy recently announced that they exceeded their contracting mission of 40,600 active and 7,419 reserve sailors in fiscal year 2024 (FY24). The Navy had its best stretch of recruiting results since 2020, meeting contracting goals for five consecutive months between April and August of 2024.
Theodore Roosevelt, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 9, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
For more news from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), visit https://www.airpac.navy.mil/Organization/USS-Theodore-Roosevelt-CVN-71/ or https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USSTR-CVN71. Join the conversation with TR online at www.facebook.com/USSTheodoreRoosevelt.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2024 09:54 |
| Story ID: | 480897 |
| Location: | INDIAN OCEAN |
| Hometown: | SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 121 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, From Surfing to Serving: One Sailor’s Journey to Join the Navy, by PO3 Adina Phebus, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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