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Some join the Navy for the benefits. Others join to see the world. For Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jackson Ward, it was about the chance to unlock his full potential and be part of something greater.
"I joined the Navy because I felt stuck," Ward said. "College was not working out, and my job in sales was not fulfilling. What drew me to the Navy was the chance to get uncomfortable, to test myself and to find out what I was really made of."
Ward enlisted in 2016 on an aviation rescue swimmer contract and began an intense pipeline of training under Naval Education and Training Command. From boot camp to the Aviation Rescue Swimmer School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, he was immersed in a program that demanded not just physical grit but mental resilience and technical precision.
"The instructors did not just teach us how to survive. They taught us how to think, how to make decisions under pressure and how to be accountable," Ward said. "Those lessons with me long after training ended."
From Training Grounds to Operational Success
After graduating from the NETC pipeline, Ward was assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 2 for fleet replacement training, then to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22, an expeditionary helicopter squadron. There, he put his training to the test in real-world operations ranging from NATO exercises with U.S. 6th Fleet to interdiction deployments with 2nd Fleet.
One mission stands out to him. During a counternarcotics deployment in the Caribbean Sea, Ward's crew was tasked with locating a vessel suspected of smuggling narcotics from South America toward Puerto Rico. After hours of coordinated search with other assets, including a Coast Guard AC-130 aircraft, they identified the suspected boat — but were forced to return for fuel. By the time they relaunched, the aircraft had lost radar contact.
That is when training kicked in. "I noticed something in the water, a faint wake," Ward recalled. "We moved in closer and used forward-looking infrared to get a positive ID without tipping them off."
The team confirmed the vessel had contraband on board. When it ignored verbal warnings and warning shots, a Coast Guard precision marksman disabled the engines with a .50-caliber rifle. The boarding team seized both the crew and the cargo.
"Everything we did that night — teamwork, communication, staying calm under pressure — it was straight out of the training pipeline," Ward said. "It was not a rescue, but the mindset was the same: solve the problem and bring people home safe."
Training the Next Generation
Today, Ward serves as a high-risk training instructor and leading petty officer at Aviation Rescue Swimmer School, part of Naval Aviation Schools Command.
His mission is to shape the next generation.
"For most students, the hardest part is not physical; it is mental," Ward said. "We are teaching them how to believe in themselves. If they show up with the right attitude and the drive, we will get them to the finish line."
He does not believe in breaking people down just for the sake of it. Instead, his approach is about building them up with accountability, structure and mentorship.
"Be where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there," Ward said. "Show up ready to learn. Be humble. That is how you succeed here and in life."
Building Warfighters and Protectors
Ward is one of countless individuals shaped by NETC training, but his story makes one thing clear: world-class training leads to real-world results. From the first day of rescue swimmer school to joint operations with the Coast Guard, he has seen how high standards and hard instruction translate directly to fleet impact.
"The Navy taught me how to lead and how to hold myself accountable," Ward said. "And that started in training."
Whether recovering personnel or tracking down smugglers in the Caribbean, Ward's work shows how NETC plays a critical role in building a ready, capable force that keeps the homeland secure.
NETC recruits and trains those who serve the nation, taking them from "street-to-fleet" by transforming civilians into highly skilled, operational and combat-ready warfighters while providing the tools and opportunities for continuous learning and development.
