THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510270261
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
The Fleet Combat Training Center at Dam Neck has three new mustangs among its ranks.
While that could translate into the Oceanfront base adding a little horsepower, the term applies to grooming tomorrow's leaders - not horses. In Navy parlance, a ``mustang'' is an officer who formerly served as an enlisted man.
Over the years, the Navy has offered several commissioning programs designed to bring enlisted personnel into the officer ranks. One of those who took advantage of the opportunity was Adm. Jeremy Boorda, a former enlisted man who now serves as Chief of Naval Operations.
Boorda was quick to reinstitute the program that had enabled him to get a commission. That avenue, the Seaman to Admiral program, now provides an opportunity for 50 sailors each year to don the uniform of an ensign, the Navy's most junior commissioned officer.
This year's list was recently released and three of the 50 selected Navy-wide are stationed at Dam Neck.
Operations Specialists 1st Class Alfred J. Gloria, 25, and William T. Cook, 25, are assigned to the Fleet Combat Training Center; while Intelligence Specialist 2nd Class Eric W. Rasch, 24, is serving with the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center. All are currently instructors in the Navy's ``A'' schools for their respective rates.
``The Navy's been good to me since I first joined,'' said Gloria. ``I recommend going into the service fresh out of high school. You get discipline, camaraderie, and can enjoy the experience.''
Gloria enlisted in 1988 after graduating from high school in San Antonio, Texas. After training at Great Lakes, Ill., and Dam Neck, he served aboard the Hewitt, a Pacific-based destroyer. That tour allowed him to see much of Japan and the Philippines. He reported to Dam Neck in 1993.
Rasch, from Hamburg, N.Y., also joined the Navy after graduating from high school - ``out of a sense of adventure,'' he said. He trained at Orlando, Fla., and Dam Neck before reporting to a base in the Philippines for two years, followed by two years on the carriers Ranger and Kitty Hawk. He returned to Dam Neck in June.
This was the second time Rasch has applied for the officers program. ``It's been my goal,'' he said, ``to get a commission since day one.''
Cook, originally from Columbus, Ohio, went to high school in Orlando, Fla. Like the others, he enlisted right after graduation. Training took him to the Great Lakes and Dam Neck before reporting aboard the McInerney, a fast frigate, where he spent five years, including duty in Desert Storm.
``We operated with Kuwaiti patrol boats looking for areas of the gulf that had been mined,'' he said.
Reporting to Dam Neck in November 1993, Cook said gaining a commission had become one of his goals. Initially, he applied for a program that would have resulted in an appointment to the Naval Academy; he also applied for the Seaman to Admiral program last year. For Cook, the third time was a charm.
All three were 17 when they enlisted, and each has taken college courses while on active duty. Gloria is four courses away from an associate's degree; Rasch and Cook each have three courses to complete. Although the program does not include academic courses, each expects eventually to earn a bachelor's degree.
Ahead of them are 13 weeks of Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Fla. They expect to report in early 1996. Upon completion, each will be commissioned an ensign in the Navy Reserve. Gloria explained that they will be ``unrestricted line officers'' serving in one of ``five warfare communities.'' He is leaning toward ``surface line,'' the Navy's traditional shipboard officers.
Rasch and Cook are undecided, although both say they are leaning toward surface warfare.
All three are married. Gloria met his wife in Japan, while she was visiting her brother-in-law who was stationed there. They are expecting their first child in November. Rasch's wife, Augustia, is from the Philippines, where they met, and they have a 2 1/2-year-old son. Cook married his high school sweetheart, Jill, from Orlando. They have a 7-month-old daughter.
Each expects the program to gain him a commission, and an edge when he rejoins the operating forces.
``It's an advantage, being a mustang,'' explained Gloria. ``When you're prior-enlisted you can relate more to our people.''
Added Cook: ``A lot of guys don't understand what makes enlisted guys `go.' Sometimes it's difficult to relate unless you've been down there.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Intelligence Specialist 2nd Class Eric W. Rasch, 24, left, is
serving with the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center.
Operations Specialists 1st Class Alfred J. Gloria, 25, and William
T. Cook, 25, are assigned to the Fleet Combat Training Center.
by CNB