Lance Finchum, from Salem, Indiana, is a gunner’s mate in the U.S. Navy, overseeing weapons and weapons systems onboard combat ships.
“ I wanted to experience and learn things that I only saw on TV,” Finchum said of his decision to join the Navy out of high school. “I wanted to experience different cultures, try different food, and just see things that weren't in my hometown.”
Finchum moved to Norfolk, Virginia, last year after deployments in the Caribbean, where he worked on anti-narcotics operations, and in the Middle East and Europe, where he conducted drills on potential attacks on ships or sailors.
“We train ‘em up so that they know how to combat ‘em,” Finchum said.
WFIU/WTIU News spoke to Finchum and other Hoosiers working at sea and on land at the world’s largest navy installation, Naval Station Norfolk, as the Navy prepares to mark its 250th anniversary in October.
Keeping track of trainings and certifications for each member of the Navy is the work of a massive human resources team.
Personnel specialist Darvell Connell, from Gary, is preparing to retire in October. He said he didn’t have many prospects when he met a recruiter more than 20 years ago.
“College wasn't for us at that time. And the Navy recruiter was the one we saw most coming to the school,” Connell said. "We decided to talk to him, and it really shocked my parents. One of the recruiters came to the house” with paperwork.
“But it's one of them decisions that you make it and you just go with it, you know?” he said. "You think about it too much, you’ll probably talk yourself out of it.”
Most of Connell’s career has been on land but personnel specialists do deploy. Connell has deployed in Djibouti, in Africa, and in Iraq.
“ We're mostly boots on the ground. We're going in, we get an office space and we're just processing people in and out of the country, emergency leaves, med-evacs, r-and-r requests,” Connell said of his time abroad. “We really take care of the sailor, making sure they have everything in place for themselves and their families.”
On the admin side, Connell said he sees the varied career opportunities for people in the Navy. He said it’s surprising how many jobs there are — not all at sea.
“I wouldn’t tell anyone that the Navy's an easy thing. It’s definitely tough. But I just said, ‘Hey, if I can do 20 years of shore duty, I'll do 20 years.’”
On the second floor of the Mariner Skills Training Center, Atlantic, Purdue graduate Emily Darlage instructs the next generation of navigators.
“The ship isn’t moving in relation to us,” Darlage said, pointing to a flickering image on a 3-panel display simulating sea conditions. “That’s a concern because if they're not moving in relation to us, there's a high risk of collision.”
The Navy established the navigation center in Norfolk in response to a deadly collision off the coast of Japan in 2017.
Darlage, a naval warfare officer, is an experienced ship driver, having repeatedly navigated repeatedly sensitive and challenging seaways.
Now she drills future ship drivers in six- or eight-week courses how to recognize and avoid risks to their ships and others all over the world: “We just have them go through each interaction with each of the ships, and then they make their decision appropriately based on what they learn out of our curriculum.”
With the touch of a few buttons, Darlage can transport her classroom into simulated environments students could encounter in the real world.
“I can change where these ships are going. I can make them go faster, slower, change their course. I can make them disappear. I can do pretty much anything I want to, scenario-wise, on this screen,” Darlage said. “I can change how many waves there are and how high the waves are. I can change wind, which affects how we drive.”
Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, fighter jets take off and land again and again on the deck of the USS George H. W. Bush.
The nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carrier, one of the largest in the world, can transport more than 60 aircraft at a time.
Under the flight deck is a city at sea, with thousands of mouths to feed.
Blain Werner, from Lafayette, has spent more than three years on the ship and worked as a culinary specialist during its last deployment.
“A lot of people with just a small amount of time to prepare the food, to make it all work, set it all up. It is a bit straining. But at the end of the day, everyone comes out happy,” Werner said. “We do get a lot of good reviews.”
The carrier had around 7,000 people working on board during a deployment around the Mediterranean Sea in 2022 and 2023.
“Every now and then I would take my own personal time that I had off and start baking something,” Werner said. “Just anything that I've wanted to try and bake to improve morale because, especially on a deployment, it's a very challenging time.”
Officials say the carrier, named after former U.S. president and Navy veteran George H. W. Bush, is now conducting “routine operations” in the Atlantic Ocean.
Werner, who plays guitar and other instruments, plans to leave the Navy after his first contract ends. He wants to pursue a career in music and theater.
Musician is also a job title in the Navy but it’s competitive.
“I took the Navy audition while I was in my master's degree at IU,” said Erica Lovato, a recent graduate of the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington.
The Navy's bands recruit from all over the country, including Jacobs. Lovato studied oboe performance, expecting to end up in an orchestra.
Lovato now performs in the Navy’s woodwind quintet and ceremonial band.
“We go out and do performances, play retirement ceremonies, and change-of-command ceremonies,” she said. “We share the message of the Navy around the country.”
