Navy women and submarines

August 2011 - Navy
By RADM Timothy D. Moon, USN (Ret)

The theme of the July Navy magazine was women in the Navy and I missed a golden opportunity to thank three very special women who have done so much for me during my life and my career. My mother, my wife and my daughter are all “women in the Navy” who have taught me important lessons, supported me without hesitation, and made great sacrifices to allow me to serve. Ida Moon, my mother, is a proud Navy spouse and a proud Navy mom. She sacrificed and supported my father during his Navy career while raising four children. She instilled in me the foundation of discipline, character and integrity that have taken me far. RDML Robin Graf is a colleague, a shipmate, my best friend, and my wife. We have been together since meeting in Newport, RI, as junior officers. She has done so much to support and guide me through life and a 31-year Navy career. Midshipman Second Class Kelly Moon, my daughter, has sacrificed as well. I missed many events during her middle and high school years as the Navy took me away frequently, including a 17-month deployment. She is a chemical engineering and NROTC student at Villanova University where she is working hard to achieve her dream of serving on nuclear-powered submarines. As I write this, she is on summer cruise aboard a SSBN somewhere in the Pacific.

I am so blessed and thankful to have these three “Navy women” in my life. I just hope that I have given them a small portion of the support that they have given me. Together, they represent three generations of Navy women and the many ways that women serve every day in the U.S. Navy. Mother, spouse, shipmate, mentor and leader...it takes them all to make our Navy great. They have been critical members of the Navy team in the past and in the present, and will be even more important in the future.

My daughter’s aspiration to serve in submarines is a perfect transition to the Navy theme for this month: the Navy’s submarine force. Not too long ago, the thought of women serving on submarines was truly a dream. Those dreams are now reality as women are being selected and trained to serve aboard submarines, leaving a very small number of programs that are not open to women. Breaking down those barriers is an indicator of just how far we have progressed as a Navy and as a nation. Integrating skilled professionals with a tremendous training and readiness program, proven tactics and innovative technologies, the submarine force operates in the silence, secrecy and security of the undersea environment. They are called the “silent service” for good reason. As a surface warfare officer, I always wanted to be assured that one of our submarines was in the area because they provide a comforting layer of defense and security. I hope that you find this month’s focus on the submarine force to be interesting and informative.

Our National Conference in New Orleans was a huge success. I will go into greater detail in the September edition. Thank you for showing up in force and joining us as we enjoyed the sights, sounds and cuisine of Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, the French Quarter and the Mississippi River. In closing, I hope that you all have a fantastic Labor Day weekend in this greatest nation on earth. Finally, I pray that we have a mild hurricane season and wish all of you safe travels throughout the remainder of this summer season and a great start to the school year.