WESTCHESTER NATIVE SUCCEEDS IN NAVY - Westfair Communications

Petty Officer 2nd Class Kathrynn Walker. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Jennings.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Kathrynn Walker, a Cortlandt Manor, New York, native graduated from Walter Panas High School in 2010.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Cortlandt Manor, she said.

“Learning from a young age the importance of having a sense of teamwork and camaraderie has helped me succeed in the Navy,” said Walker who joined the Navy 12 years ago. Today, Walker serves as an aviation maintenance administration man.

“I joined the Navy because I wanted to travel the world,” said Walker. “I had ideas about what I wanted to do but I didn’t want to go into debt finding it. The Navy offered me an opportunity to get out of my hometown and make something of myself.”

She serves on the Tripoli, an amphibious assault carrier that provides presence and power projection as an integral part of Joint, Interagency and Multinational Maritime Expeditionary Forces

“The sailors who make up Team Tripoli really are the best the Navy has to offer,” said Capt. Gary Harrington, commanding officer of Tripoli. “We say it all the time, our Navy is nothing without the men and women who serve on the deck plates each and every day. I truly believe that the continued success of our Navy, and Tripoli specifically, is due in no small part to the contributions of our sailors.”

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

“I am most proud of my personal growth during these 12 years serving my country,” said Walker. “Becoming a homeowner and being able to be mentally and physically strong enough to travel the world are things I am very proud of.

“Serving in the Navy means being able to be a part of something bigger than myself that has a history over a hundred years is a huge deal to me,” said Walker. “The Navy answered a greater calling for me in times of uncertainty around the world.”