Paso Robles Native trains to be a U.S. Navy quartermaster
Carol Thornton, a native of Paso Robles, California, is a student at Naval Education and Training Command.
–Seaman Recruit Carol Thornton, a native of Paso Robles, California, is a student at Naval Education and Training Command, or NETC, learning the necessary skills needed to be a quartermaster.
A quartermaster is responsible for the terrestrial and celestial navigation of Navy warships.
Students attend advanced technical schools after “boot camp.” They are taught the basic technical knowledge and skills required to be successful in their new careers.
Thornton credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Paso Robles. “I learned to always be nice and patient with people you never know,” Thornton said. “You may see them again and first impressions are everything.”
NETC educates and trains those who serve, providing the tools and opportunities which enable life-long learning, professional and personal growth and development, ensuring fleet readiness and mission accomplishment.
NETC is made up of six commands that provide a continuum of professional education and training in support of Surface Navy requirements that prepare enlisted sailors and officers to serve at sea, providing apprentice and specialized skills training to 7,500 sailors a year.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70-percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80-percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90-percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
Thornton plays an important role in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Thornton, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Thornton is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My father and mother both served in the Air Force and my brother and grandfather were in the Army,” Thornton said. “I thought I would complete the trifecta by joining the Navy.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Thornton and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“The Navy is my source of personal pride and how I define myself now,” Thornton said. “I’ve waited my whole life to do this and I love it.”
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