By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Patrick Grieco, PCU Gerald R. Ford Public Affairs.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Mar.30, 2016) — Granby High Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets tour Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) flight deck during a scheduled visit with the ship’s Executive Officer Capt. Paul Campagna. The cadets visit the ship as part of their leadership-training curriculum. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patrick Grieco/Released)
NEWPORT NEWS, Va.—Three Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps leadership cadets, from Norfolk-based Granby High School, visited Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Mar. 30 to gain leadership and training from the ship’s senior enlisted and officers.
The cadets toured the ship with Executive Officer Capt. Paul Campagna and the visit itself was made possible through a family connection aboard Ford.
“It was actually set up through my brother, [Senior Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Ferrette,] he and I coach a basketball team and the XO’s kid’s play basketball there, and he introduced me to him at the Virginia Beach field house,” said Chief Warrant Officer Jerome Ferrette, director of military science and senior naval science instructor at Granby High School. “I asked the XO if my cadets could come out and explore the ship, and that’s how we got here. I wanted them to come out and see both aspects of leadership, one from the deckplates with the chief’s mess and the other from the officer’s side.”
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Mar.30, 2016) — Damage Controlman 2nd Class Curtis Sholtes, assigned to Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), discusses damage control with Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets from Granby High School in Norfolk. The cadets visit the ship as part of their leadership-training curriculum. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patrick Grieco/Released) (This image was altered for security purposes by blurring out security badges)
The visit included a variety of spaces from the damage control repair lockers, berthings, Security department spaces, flight deck, and bridge. The cadets also met with ship’s legal officers and experienced the Mixed Reality Innovation Cell’s virtual and augmented reality. Along the tour, Ford Sailors explained, demonstrated and interacted with the cadets sharing information on the daily operations of the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier and what qualities are expected in a Ford-class Sailor.
“To be honest this visit had a trifold mission,” said Ferrette. “I wanted them to know there are different avenues to be successful, whether you go enlisted, become an officer through a limited duty officer or chief warrant officer program, or go through an academy, like the XO did with West Point. There are many opportunities to excel in the Navy and they got to see that and meet great Sailors in the fleet at the same time.”
For the cadet’s commanding officer, Mia Rodriguez, the visit with the Judge Advocate Generals offered her an opportunity to gain mentorship and advice as she looks to join the JAG community in the future.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Mar.30, 2016) — Granby High School Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets tour Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) bridge during a visit with the ship’s Executive Officer Capt. Paul Campagna. The cadets visited the ship as part of their leadership-training curriculum. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patrick Grieco/Released)
“I’ve gained a lot of knowledge on what I need to do to get to that point, I understand more about the job and what it takes,” said Rodriguez. “As cadet XO, I had earlier learned how not only to manage the staff and unit, but discipline, train and organize my unit. Meeting and spending time with both the JAG and XO today, really solidified all I learned and helped reinforce where I needed to grow and what I still have left to do.”
Rodriguez added she looks forward to taking back the leadership lessons she learned from Ford’s senior Sailors and applying them to set the example within her own unit and prepare them for life as potential Sailors.
“Everyday I show my cadets I care about them and their future, every cadet has that potential to go beyond,” said Rodriguez. “We’re the new generation, we’re the future of America and we have to set the tone. The visit to your ship really showed us how we can do that and your Sailors showed us the powerful leaders we could aspire to be someday.”
USS Gerald R. Ford 