Epilogue: New Navy ensigns ship out

Navy Ensign Matt Gottschalk's says good-bye to classmates as they head off after graduation ceremonies. Gottschalk is headed to Pensacola, Fla., and flight school. Journal photo / Frieda Squires

By RICHARD SALIT
Journal Staff Writer

They come and go so regularly.

Students arrive, graduate and ship out.

Marine drill instructors, who whip them into officer material, stay for a few years before being ordered elsewhere.

Likewise for the senior Navy officers who run OCS.

It's all so fleeting.

But what they leave behind, and what keeps OCS alive, is a spirit of sorts. It lives in the collective duties and customs that the drill instructors and senior Navy officers teach the next class of officers; that class then passes it on to the newest arrivals. And in 12 weeks they are teaching their successors the ways.

Soon, the names and faces will be different, but there will surely be someone seasoned and confident instructing someone new and nervous how to salute crisply, how to wear a uniform smartly and how to serve as an officer responsibly.

The five students The Journal tracked are now decompressing from their days at OCS and pressing ahead with their Navy careers.

Adam Cole visited the Philippines immediately after graduating to continue his faith-based volunteer efforts. During his nine-day trip with a Navy chaplain, he participated in medical and feeding projects and met with victims of a tragic mudslide. He returned to Newport to attend Surface Warfare Officer School. This weekend, he left Newport and is bound for Norfolk, Va., and the 567-foot Normandy, a 20-year-old, guided-missile cruiser. He'll be 1 of 33 officers in charge of 327 enlisted.

While visiting her family during the Christmas break, Sarah Engemann got engaged to her boyfriend. She lost nearly 70 pounds before arriving at OCS and her appearance has changed even more since then. The pants she was issued the first week are now too baggy and her fitness has improved greatly. "I'm not the big person anymore," she says. "Now that I can run, it makes me really happy." She is headed to Naval Air Station Pensacola to become a flight officer.

Matthew Gottschalk will have to spend another two years training to be a pilot before he earns his wings. His first stop is aviation preindoctrination, a six-week program at Naval Air Station Pensacola. He won't be flying, but he will be in the pool every day, training to be able to swim one mile while wearing all of his flight gear. Within a year, he'll know whether he's made it and whether he will be chosen to fly helicopters or jets.

Nicole Lobecker is thrilled with her billet. This weekend she is headed to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to sail aboard the 505-foot Russell, a 15-year-old destroyer. She'll be 1 of 23 officers supervising a crew of 315. Because of the ship's AEGIS combat system and other advanced features, Lobecker says she will gain the experience she needs to quickly obtain a surface warfare pin. She will be deployed for 27 months. She and a classmate from OCS will be roommates in Pearl Harbor, where she plans to go hiking and scuba diving. Her parents are excited about the deployment and plan to visit. Her brother, who is expected to be deployed soon in Africa or Iraq, will visit too.

Because he finished near the top of his class, Jason Moehlmann earned the privilege of brandishing a sword during graduation. His academic scores were consistently high and his fitness scores improved dramatically across the board (from 47 to 87 pushups and 66 to 105 sit-ups and shaving two minutes off of his run time). A Navy commander who is a family friend swore him in as an officer in a private ceremony. Getting that first salute, he says, "is a moment I'll never forget." After attending Surface Warfare Officer School, in Newport, Moehlmann is headed to Sasebo, Japan. He'll be assigned to the 844-foot Essex, a 17-year-old amphibious assault ship. He'll be 1 of 73 officers overseeing a crew of 1,109.

rsalit@projo.com