Cheyenne Commander Visits ROTC Students
By MC2 Class Ronald Gutridge,
COMSUBPAC Public Affairs

Release Date: 3/12/2012

(PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii) – The commanding officer and select crew members of the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Cheyenne (SSN 773) visited several colleges Feb. 29 to March 9, speaking to Recruit Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students about the opportunities available to them in the U.S. Navy's submarine force.

Over the course of several days, Cmdr. Gary Rogeness, commanding officer of Cheyenne, Senior Chief Electronics Technician (SS) Michael Hinkle, Chief of the Boat, and Lt.j.g. John Russell visited Prairie View A&M, located in Prairie View, Texas, Rice University, located in Houston, University of Colorado, located in Boulder, Colo. and Iowa State University located in Ames, Iowa.

During the visits, Rogeness spoke about life as a submariner, career progression, and the current status of the submarine force.

"It was a great opportunity to interact with a large group of midshipmen" said Rogeness. "We brought the fleet to these future leaders and gave them a glimpse of what the Submarine Force has to offer them in terms of personal development and job satisfaction when accomplishing a difficult assignment."

Russell spoke about life as a junior officer aboard a fast attack submarine and their contribution to the overall mission. The Chief of the Boat shared his views on the qualities necessary to be a successful and productive division officer in the submarine force and how Junior Officers should take advantage of the experience the senior enlisted can bring to their development. At the conclusion of each visit Rogeness recognized several outstanding students by presenting tokens of appreciation which included USS Cheyenne 15th anniversary coins, plaques, and commemorative plates.

Rogeness, Russell and Hinkle finished their trip by visiting Cheyenne, Wyo., the submarine's namesake city. While there, they addressed the State Senate, met with several state officials and provided a short synopsis of Cheyenne's last deployment.

"The city of Cheyenne has always been extremely supportive and had a fantastic relationship with the Ship's crew", said Rogeness. "It was wonderful to visit our namesake city to update them on how their Sailors are doing and see how proud they are to have USS Cheyenne represent their city."

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