Nemmers, Matt, PSC

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE NAVY.
I was spinning my wheels as a 20-year old in Waterloo, Iowa. No job, no school, no plan. One day two recruiters showed up at my door. I decided the Navy would be the best thing for me so I signed up that day. Have never regretted that decision.

WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BOOT CAMP AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, SHIPS OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
- RTC Great Lakes, Illinois (Nov 1994-Jan 1995)
- PN 'A' School, NTTC Meridian, Mississippi (Jan 1995-Apr 1995)
- USS John A. Moore (FFG 19), San Diego, California (Apr 1995-Nov 1997)
- NAVRESCEN Dubuque, Iowa (Dec 1997-Dec 2001)
- NAVMARCORESCEN Rock Island, Illinois (Jan 2002-Jan 2005)
- NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas (Jan 2005-Jan 2009)
- HM-15, Norfolk, Virginia (Jan 2009-Dec 2011)
- NOSC Wilmington, North Carolina (Dec 2011-present)

IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
Barely. I was deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait from September 2006 to February 2007. I served at the U.S. Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center (CDDOC) as the Aide-De-Camp to MajGen Ron Ladnier (USAF) and MajGen Eugene "Gray" Payne (USMC), traveling to Bahrain, Qatar, Ethiopia, Iraq, and Djibouti. Some mortars dropped pretty close by while in Iraq, but I was never close enough to be in any real danger.

OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas. My favorite command. I had a lot of fun on the ship too, but I made some of my very best friends there. It was a family, really. I was taught the meaning of being a Chief Petty Officer there by some of the great Chiefs the Navy's ever produced.

FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
Chief's Initiation, 26 June - 22 September 2007.

Wow.

Just....wow.

WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
No.

OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
The very first Navy Achievement Medal I received as a PNSN(SW) on the ship, back when NAMs actually meant something. That is one of the three I earned out of the six I was awarded.

WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
Too many to name. Check the notes on my Facebook page or my NTWS blog to read about some of the many people who got me to where I am.

CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Yes. Underway on the ship during EASTPAC 97, I was standing the mid QMOW. Quiet night so we're all standing on the bridge shooting the breeze when the engine room flooding alarm lights up on the ship's control console (SCC). After silencing the alarm, the OOD calls down to CCS to inquire about it. The EOOW informs that he's having the watch check on it. We continue our conversation.

After a few minutes the alarm hasn't cleared so the OOD calls down to CCS again.

"CCS, bridge. What's the status on the flooding alarm?"

"Wait one."

Back to bullshitting. After the EOOW doesn't respond after 30 seconds or so, so the OOD is getting panicky.

"CCS, bridge. WHAT IS THE STATUS ON THE FLOODING ALARM IN THE MAIN ENGINE ROOM?!"

Silence.

"CCS, BRIDGE! REPEAT: WHAT IS THE STATUS....?"

"Bridge, CCS. Don't worry about that flooding alarm, sir. It's just water."

I about fell out.

WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
I am serving as the Command Chief at the Navy Operational Support Center in Wilmington, North Carolina.

WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
- National CPOA
- Fleet Reserve Association
- Veteran's of Foreign Wars

IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
It's made me more patient with people. It's also made me appreciate my friends and family a lot more than I would have had I not had to leave them for extended periods of time for deployments.

BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE NAVY?
Give 100% every single day with every single job and you'll never have to worry about losing your job or someone jumping down your throat.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
I found people I would normally have had no clue how to contact if not for this site. Thanks!