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Good afternoon, NOAA Corps,
For this week’s edition of the Cyberflash, I would like to spend some time reflecting on what it means to serve in uniform, and particularly in the NOAA Corps. The uniform we step into every day is a constant reminder to ourselves, and to everyone with whom we interact, that we are a part of a very unique and highly specialized group of officers that operate at the tip of the Nation’s scientific “spear”. The uniform also signals to others that the officer wearing it can be expected to conduct himself or herself with our core values of Honor, Respect, and Commitment. They might not be able to name our core values specifically, but the officers that have come before us have ensured that this is the NOAA Corps’ reputation. Each of us is charged with ensuring this high standard of performance and conduct is carried forward through our own actions as we serve NOAA and the Nation.
The uniform is also a reminder of the many sacrifices we all make in service of our Nation. While the public often sees the data we collect or the platforms we operate, they rarely see the true engine behind our service: the conscious choice each of us makes to put a collective mission above our own personal comfort. Uniformed service is fundamentally defined by what we willingly give up.
- During sea and operational flight tours, we all miss out the steady rhythm of life at home—the birthdays marked from afar, the family milestones witnessed through photos, and the routine moments with loved ones that are traded for weeks over the horizon or in the sky.
- We all operate in environments where the margin for error is razor-thin, carrying the constant weight of responsibility for our crew’s safety and the integrity of the platforms we are charged with operating. This is oftentimes incredibly stressful and taxing on our mental state, yet our crews are looking to us to continue to lead despite the stress we might be experiencing.
- Ship and aircraft schedules change frequently, and we very frequently have to uproot our lives to PCS to the next assignment where we are most needed by the NOAA Corps. Our career requires us to embrace a lifestyle where personal plans must remain fluid, demanding an uncommon level of adaptability from both ourselves and our families.
However, for every sacrifice demanded by our maritime or aviation career paths, there are profound rewards that a civilian career simply cannot replicate. There is a distinct, unparalleled pride that comes when the lines are secured to the pier after a long voyage, or the tires touch the tarmac after a challenging flight, knowing your crew navigated the unpredictable elements to deliver something truly meaningful to the Nation.
Whether you are scanning a vast ocean horizon from the bridge of a ship or commanding the controls amidst a changing sky on an aircraft, you belong to a select group of professionals who view the edge of the map not as a boundary, but as an office. Whether your perspective is of the endless days and nights isolated at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, the northern lights in the middle of the Bering Sea, the glass–calm sunsets with 40 dolphins riding the bow in the Gulf of America, the surreal calm after penetrating the eye wall of a hurricane, the beauty of low altitude flying though the mountains during snow surveys, or the relaxed rhythmic sound of your breaths through your regulator during a crystal-clear 40 FSW coral reef dive, NOAA Corps officers have a front-row seat to some of the most spectacular and unique views of our beautiful and powerful planet.
So, while wearing the uniform requires us to make significant sacrifices, I would encourage you to revel in the unique and exciting experiences it will offer you. Thank you for your sacrifice, your service, and for representing the NOAA Corps while you proudly wear the uniform.
All the Best,
Captain Ryan Wattam, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
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