Born in Puerto Rico in 1973, Anseeuw and his household moved to Miami shortly earlier than his tenth birthday. He spent that summer time along with his uncle Juan Carlos Fernandez, a U.S. Air Drive captain who was stationed in Panama. Whereas staying along with his uncle they visited a Navy frigate, the united statesStein.
“That, I consider, planted the seed for my curiosity within the Navy,” stated Anseeuw.
The Navy chapter would come later. For now, he was a brand new child in Miami. Not but proficient in English, he needed to be taught quick. He went to a few faculties: Loyola for fifth and sixth grade, Belen Jesuit for seventh and eighth, and Saint Brendan Excessive Faculty for Ninth-Twelfth.
“Whereas I used to be raised in Puerto Rico and have lifelong friendships from there, I grew up in Miami,” defined Anseeuw. “That’s my hometown.”
However Miami wouldn’t be his house for lengthy. He had seen the Navy recruiting station and walked in there on a whim.
“That day, I took the ASVAB [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery] and NFQT [Nuclear Field Qualification Test] and enlisted,” stated Anseeuw.
As a result of he was nonetheless a minor on the time, he wanted a waiver from his mother and father earlier than his enlistment could be legitimate. Off he went to Recruit Coaching Command Orlando, adopted by apprentice college (A-school) for electrician’s mates. Whereas in A-school, Anseeuw heard about officer packages and with the assistance of Chief Electrician’s Mate Scott Wolf, he utilized for Navy Reserve Officer Coaching Corps. In the end, he additionally utilized and was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy.
“I utilized to the U.S. Naval Academy, in nice half, in order that I might not have any regrets about not less than not having tried,” stated Anseeuw. “Once I was notified of my appointment, I’ve to confess I used to be shocked, as I by no means thought I might get accepted, even earlier than I ever enlisted. I used to be floored.”
Some folks be a part of the navy to see the world, however becoming a member of the Navy wouldn’t take Anseeuw away from his house state for good. It could appear that each one roads result in again to Florida—he has been stationed within the state 5 instances in his profession. Now stationed in southeast Georgia, greater than 30 years after enlisting on a whim, the Miami native is the commanding officer of his house state’s namesake submarine, the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Florida’s (SSGN 728) Blue Crew. He nonetheless lives in Florida.
Guided-missile submarines have two crews assigned to them. The Blue and Gold crews alternate manning the submarine. This enables for the submarine to deploy extra steadily with out burning out the Sailors.
Of the 70 lively submarines within the fleet, solely a handful have each women and men serving of their crews at the moment. USS Florida is one in all them. It was first introduced that girls have been licensed to serve onboard submarines when Anseeuw was working in Arlington, Virginia on the Nuclear Propulsion Program Administration workplace. It could take years of planning earlier than the Navy would see a totally gender-integrated crew. Step one started in 2011, when feminine officers started deploying aboard submarines. The feminine enlisted Sailors could be built-in into the crew at a later date.
“I used to be a part of the small group of officers who wrote the plan that was in the end permitted by the Secretary of the Navy, and screened all preliminary candidates,” stated Anseeuw.
He noticed that plan come to fruition and naval historical past being made. Even higher, Anseeuw received to implement the plan within the fleet when he reported as the manager officer aboard the ballistic-missile submarine USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) and the primary group of ladies officers reported for responsibility. Early in 2022, on that very same ship, the 15 enlisted ladies serving aboard USS Wyoming’s Blue Crew made historical past once they turned the primary enlisted feminine crew to finish a ballistic-missile submarine “boomer” deterrent patrol. All future Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines and all Virginia-class quick assault submarines, could have enlisted ladies of their crews.
Though ladies make up barely greater than half the U.S. inhabitants, that share just isn’t but mirrored within the Navy’s ranks. Anseeuw stated ladies characterize an vital expertise pool for the Navy.
“To stay one of the best Navy on this planet, we should draw from your complete inhabitants of expertise,” stated Anseeuw.
Because the commanding officer (CO) of USS Florida, he says it’s humbling to guide such an important crew.
“There are such a lot of nice issues about being a CO,” stated Anseeuw. “The most effective nonetheless, is seeing a crew come collectively to get the job carried out. Seeing the expansion in a crew as they prepare observe and develop their skillsets is solely put—wonderful.”
Anseeuw stated though he by no means had any intention of becoming a member of the Navy, it has been probably the greatest selections he’s ever made.
“No matter you assume you will do on this world, even in the event you accomplish each objective, is not going to appear to be what you imagined initially,” he stated. “I began out as a fireman recruit, now I’m a captain.”
Generally known as America’s “Silent Service,” the Navy’s submarine drive operates a big fleet of technically superior vessels. These submarines are able to conducting fast defensive and offensive operations world wide, in furtherance of U.S. nationwide safety. Guided-missile submarines (SSGN) like USS Florida present the Navy with unprecedented strike and particular operation mission capabilities from a stealthy, clandestine platform. Every SSGN is able to carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, plus a complement of heavyweight torpedoes to be fired via 4 torpedo tubes. As a member of the submarine drive, Anseeuw is a part of a wealthy 122-year historical past of the U.S. Navy’s most versatile weapons platform, able to taking the combat to the enemy within the protection of America and its allies.
With greater than 90 % of all commerce touring by sea, and 95 % of the world’s worldwide cellphone and web site visitors carried via underwater fiber optic, the prosperity and safety of america is instantly linked to a powerful and prepared Navy. USS Florida is a significant contributor to our maritime safety and she or he is homeported at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
For extra information from Commander, Submarine Group 10, go to https://www.sublant.usff.navy.mil/CSG10/ or https://www.fb.com/submarinegroupten.
