Sailor Story: “GOOOOOOOOOD MORNING YORKTOWN!”

[Navy for Moms Admin]

Sailor: LT Jessica Betz, Flag LT/Protocol Officer for Commander, Second Fleet, Norfolk, Va.
Mom: Diana Morris, Manchester, N.H.


“GOOOOOOOOOD MORNING YORKTOWN!”

For two years, LT Jessica Betz woke the crew of the USS Yorktown with her rendition of the call that Robin Williams made famous in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam.

Betz spent two years in the Persian Gulf aboard the aircraft carrier, serving as Communications Officer, First Lieutenant, Officer of the Deck and Conning Officer.

“It seemed that I was the jack-of-all-trades, and I loved it,” says Betz.

Betz’s passion for the U.S. Navy began while she was growing up in Manchester, N.H., watching old war movies.

“The one that made the lasting impression was a mini-series based on the novel by Herman Wouk, War and Remembrance,” says Betz. “I was intrigued by historical fiction, especially [books] based on submarine warfare.”

She often would flip through her parents’ National Geographic magazines and found that every page represented a dream of hers. She set her goals high and kept her eye on the prize throughout her childhood. Today, she has made her parents proud.

“She had absolute determination – nothing was going to get in her way. She studied hard, worked hard,” says Betz’s mom, Diana Morris. “We were just so incredibly proud of her. Minor bumps in the road never steered her away from her goal…she has never lost sight of anything – she just keeps moving and looking forward.”

Betz enlisted in the Navy in June 1996. She began her training at Naval Station Great Lakes, and then entered the Navy’s nuclear submariner program. The elite program is comprised of the top 10 percent of Navy Sailors.

Two years later, Betz was offered a chance to attend college through the Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program at Boston University. She was the first Boston University student to hold an internship with the British Ministry of Defense (MOD) in London, where she was tasked an impressive list of responsibilities that would pave the way for future positions in the Navy.

In September 2002, while at MOD, Betz organized an international symposium for the Royal Navy. She recruited more than 200 delegates from across the world to attend the “Maritime Challenges Post 9/11” conference, and led a formal prayer to open the event.

“It was an incredible honor,” says Betz. “It was amazing to have that honor in front of an audience filled with delegates from around the globe.”

Betz’s career also found her in Summerville, S.C., for Officer Nuclear Power School and Nuclear Prototype Training Unit. In March 2006, she was selected to represent the Navy’s nuclear program on several National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) television shows.

“I felt honored to be chosen to help young teenagers learn about the basics of nuclear power and how the Navy is utilized for such things,” Betz.

She went on to become certified as a nuclear engineer by the Department of Energy.

Today, Betz is a Protocol Officer on shore tour in Norfolk, Va. In August 2009, she reports to Surface Warfare Officer School to become a Department Head. Meantime, she’s working toward her master’s degree in global leadership with a concentration in international organization at Regent University.

“Since my time in the Navy, not only have I traveled throughout the country and world, I have earned a degree,” says Betz. “The opportunities I see in my future to further my career are endless – the Navy has blessed me.”





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[shell]

Great story!