Islander to serve on destroyer

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 3, 2017

Navy Midshipman Emma Gray from Bainbridge Island participated in the 2017 spring Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps ship selection draft as a future member of the U.S. Navy’s Surface Warfare Officer community.

More than 280 midshipmen at Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps units around the country have selected to serve in the Navy as surface warfare officers. Each selecting midshipman is ranked according to his or her grade point average, aptitude scores and physical fitness.

“On a personal level, NROTC helped me become not only a better leader but also a better person in general,” Gray said.

“I could have done a lot of other things in college that would have offered less challenge, less hard work and more instant gratification, but I stuck with NROTC because I knew it would push me to improve myself,” she said.

According to their rankings, each midshipman provided their preference of ship or homeport to the junior officer detailer at the Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tennessee. If these preferences were available, they were assigned as requested.

Gray, a 2013 Bainbridge High graduate, has selected to serve aboard the USS Michael Murphy, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

She is majoring in computer science while attending Rice University and upon graduation, will receive a commission as a Navy Ensign and report aboard the Murphy as a surface warfare officer.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to select my first ship and homeport,” Gray said. “The process has allowed me to reflect on my personal and professional goals as I plan for the rest of my career.”

“Overall, I am excited about the opportunity to learn and to prove myself in the fleet,” she added. “I enjoy traveling, so I am also excited to live in a new place and see a little bit more of the world.”

The midshipmen’s selection of their ship is not only a milestone for them but also an important day for the ships in the fleet. Not only do the midshipmen choose where they are going to start their Naval career, but the ship they choose will also gain a motivated young officer.

“As a leader, I believe I serve not only the higher mission but also my followers,” Gray said. “I try to emphasize both accomplishment and compassion – getting the job done right is paramount, but every action should be weighed against the personal cost to those who attempt it. I pay close attention to the needs and concerns of my followers and want to help them develop into leaders in their own right.”