In the Navy, many toss around the word “family” casually.
Divisions become families. Departments become families. Berthing members become families. Co-workers who spend 18 hours a day working together and another six sleeping near each other become families.
And, just like blood and biological family members, sailors rarely get to choose their Navy family members.
Along the way, the Navy has instituted various policies to ensure family members do not serve together, and the reasons are sound—avoidance of favoritism, unnecessary or unintentional perceptions, and of course the worst-case scenario: potential end of a bloodline. So when family members do—somehow—manage to find their way to serving at the same command, it’s cause for people to take note.
Enter Senior Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Dan Reyes, the power plants and airframes work center leading chief petty officer for Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6, currently deployed aboard aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). By sheer coincidence, Reyes found himself serving for eight days in June alongside his daughter, Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Midshipman 2nd Class Gabriella Reyes, a junior statistics major at Florida State University.
Despite 20 years of active-duty service, Senior Chief Reyes was surprised and pleased when he learned his daughter would also embark Nimitz for her summer training cruise.
“It’s been a dream come true,” he said. “In my years of service, I would never have imagined I would be deployed with one of my daughters. I’m so happy that I was able to share with her and her fellow midshipmen what we do while deployed.”
During the course of their studies—whether through ROTC or the U.S. Naval Academy—it is traditional for midshipmen to embark naval vessels during the summer to experience different Navy communities and decide what they want to do after graduation. For her part, Midshipman Reyes found her time aboard to be multifaceted.
“Coming aboard, I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “The first few days, I felt welcomed by everyone on the ship. I wanted to come here, of course, to see my dad, but I had the goal to learn during my time here as well. Everyone I have come across has helped me with that goal, whether it be sharing their advice on leadership or explaining their roles on the ship.”
For many servicemembers, it is a cut-and-dried decision to steer their children toward the military to help them gain funds for college, acquire mortgage benefits and establish a lifestyle of service. For Senior Chief Reyes, however, this wasn’t necessarily the case, though the outcome was ultimately serendipitous.
“When [my children] graduated from high school, I asked them what they wanted to do,” he said. “I presented the choices, and they wanted to go to college. While in college, they chose Navy ROTC.”
Recognizing the military lifestyle can be difficult, Senior Chief Reyes also observed it wasn’t necessarily a surprise Midshipman Reyes and her twin sister—also a midshipman—chose the Navy path.
“All they know of me is being a sailor,” he said, noting his daughters were born after he had joined the Navy. “It’s an honor knowing that my daughters are following my footsteps in the Navy, and they’ll be continuing the defense of freedom and democracy.”
Midshipman Reyes echoed her father’s sentiments, and added his service and experiences caused her to want that for herself.
“My dad’s service has most definitely impacted my life,” she said. “Growing up, all I knew was being a military child which, of course, meant moving around a lot. Along with that, I got to see how his time in the Navy has shaped him as a person. I was inspired by that and wanted to see that change in myself.”
She also noted her leadership style was, in a sense, inspired by witnessing her father’s experiences while moving through the ranks.
“Both in and outside of the Navy, he has been a guiding force that I learn from,” she said. “Through his experiences, I was able to gain insight on the different leadership styles and from that choose how I want to lead.”
Though their paths may not be the same—enlisting versus commissioning—Senior Chief Reyes sees similarities in their choices.
“I don’t feel it’s a different path—it’s a path I’ve taken of serving honorably in the Navy and our country,” he said. “Whether enlisted or commissioned, everyone should serve and give back in the best capacity possible, and [my daughters] understood that.”
In less than two weeks aboard, the father/daughter duo ran the gamut of naval at-sea experiences, from observing flight deck operations, working—and sweating—together during a replenishment-at-sea, visiting the Chief’s Mess for words of wisdom, sharing multiple shipboard meals and viewing the maintenance movement evolutions.
Successful? Probably.
Insightful? Definitely.
“Hearing about [life and work at sea] is different than experiencing it,” said Midshipman Reyes. “While aboard, I got to experience what it’s like to live in a berthing and eat at the mess. I’m still missing out on the long hours of hard work, but I can recognize from the sailors around the ship that it is intense and demanding.”
Her time aboard also gave her a better understanding and appreciation of how her father came to be the way he is.
“Seeing [him in this element] has put the picture together in seeing how hard he works,” she said. “I do see both his roles as a senior chief and as a father meshing together. He deals tough love but always wants the best, and that’s what he works towards.”
Senior Chief Petty Officer Andrew McCord serves aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68). 