by Alvin Plexico,
Navy Office of Community Outreach
Most Americans rely on weather forecasts to plan their daily routine. The U.S. Navy is no different. With numerous ships, submarines and airplanes deployed around the world, sailors and civilians serving with the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, advise Navy leaders about the impact of ocean and atmospheric conditions on future operations.
John Rath, a 1978 Kendall Junior-Senior High School graduate and native of Hamlin, is one of those responsible for providing timely, comprehensive and tactically relevant information for ships, submarines, aircraft and other commands operating throughout the globe.
As a Navy information technology director, Rath is responsible for providing management, engineering and operational support of environmental sensors, computers and communications networks operating afloat and ashore.
Rath credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Hamlin.
“From my hometown, I learned the importance of effective communication and developing relationships with family, neighbors and coworkers,” said Rath.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Naval Oceanography defines and applies the physical environment for the entire Navy fleet from the bottom of the ocean to the stars,” said Rear Adm. John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. “There isn’t a plane that flies, a ship or a submarine that gets underway without the sailors and civilians of Naval Oceanography.”
Rath is playing an important part in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways to earn distinction in a command, community and career, Rath is most proud of earning designation as a Navy Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist in 1985.
“The ESWS program is designed to teach sailors the basics of every department on the ship,” said Rath. “The program covers a wide range of fields, including the ship’s capabilities, combat systems, safety, damage control, force protection, supply and ship defense mechanisms. Ultimately, seeking the designation requires successfully completing an oral board with a team of seasoned surface warfare specialists to demonstrate the sailor’s mastery of a broad range of topics.”
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Rath, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Rath is honored to carry on that family tradition.
“I have a number of uncles, cousins and one brother who all served in the military,” said Rath. “I chose the Navy as a means to gain a technical education and build my personal discipline. While I didn’t intend to make the Navy a career, I am now in year 40 since enlisting and have served as a sailor, a Navy contractor and a Navy civil servant since 1980.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Rath and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Since leaving Hamlin, the Navy has become my ‘other’ family,” added Rath. “Through the Navy, I found my wife, also a retired sailor, and have built a life rich with relationships, experiences, travels and personal satisfaction.”
