MONROE - Joe Swanson, Monroe, the safety officer aboard the USS Mt. Hood during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-1991, met daily with the ship's chief engineer, Michelle Howard, who was also filling a position of 1st Lieutenant.
He said he knew then she was an incredible leader.
Swanson today is getting ready to retire from the Navy Reserves, following 11 years of active duty. It was no surprise to him to hear on July 1 Howard was promoted to Admiral, the first four-star female in naval history.
"The county should be thankful that we have Michelle Howard ... whether she's a lieutenant or a four-star admiral," he said.
At 54, Howard, who graduated high school in 1978, is "really young" for reaching the height of rank she has, Swanson said.
Swanson said he would often see Howard, wearing coveralls, going down into the engine rooms, where boilers could blow up or fires could easily start.
"Real serious things can happen down there," he said.
Once, crews witnessed her come up to the mess deck, eat and go back down, working on only four hours sleep in three days, he said.
"That blew them away," he added.
As an officer, Howard "had the ability to let you run your own show," Swanson said.
"I thought highly of her ever since."
Swanson had been acting as a division officer, in charge of delivering the ship's cargo, 29 million pounds of bombs, 1,000 to 2,000 pound each, to the border of Kuwait. He said the crew had only ten days' notice of that deployment and broke the ship's previous, Vietnam-era record, for loading and taking off.
The military wasn't even sure the Mt. Hood could get up the mouth of the Persian Gulf, but an Italian fleet was waiting to escort them.
"They acted like a safety net and wrapped around us," Swanson said.
The Mt. Hood sailed past oil platforms that were on fire, he said.
"The soot was like fog, layers out there, and it was hotter than heck," he added.
Howard was one of the first 100 or so women allowed to come onto that ship, Swanson said. He worked directly under her for two years.
And, he said, he wouldn't hesitate going to the frontlines today under Howard's command, even if the going were bad.
Howard went to serve on other ships, and Swanson believes her wide variety of experiences in the Navy have shaped her to become the best type of leader possible.
He said Howard is not just lucky, but, rather, she fully deserves her promotions. And he hopes that "puts to rest the idea that the Navy was just trying to make her the first African-American female Admiral.
"She is good person, with morals, who acts for the better of everybody," he said. "The lucky people are us."
He said he knew then she was an incredible leader.
Swanson today is getting ready to retire from the Navy Reserves, following 11 years of active duty. It was no surprise to him to hear on July 1 Howard was promoted to Admiral, the first four-star female in naval history.
"The county should be thankful that we have Michelle Howard ... whether she's a lieutenant or a four-star admiral," he said.
At 54, Howard, who graduated high school in 1978, is "really young" for reaching the height of rank she has, Swanson said.
Swanson said he would often see Howard, wearing coveralls, going down into the engine rooms, where boilers could blow up or fires could easily start.
"Real serious things can happen down there," he said.
Once, crews witnessed her come up to the mess deck, eat and go back down, working on only four hours sleep in three days, he said.
"That blew them away," he added.
As an officer, Howard "had the ability to let you run your own show," Swanson said.
"I thought highly of her ever since."
Swanson had been acting as a division officer, in charge of delivering the ship's cargo, 29 million pounds of bombs, 1,000 to 2,000 pound each, to the border of Kuwait. He said the crew had only ten days' notice of that deployment and broke the ship's previous, Vietnam-era record, for loading and taking off.
The military wasn't even sure the Mt. Hood could get up the mouth of the Persian Gulf, but an Italian fleet was waiting to escort them.
"They acted like a safety net and wrapped around us," Swanson said.
The Mt. Hood sailed past oil platforms that were on fire, he said.
"The soot was like fog, layers out there, and it was hotter than heck," he added.
Howard was one of the first 100 or so women allowed to come onto that ship, Swanson said. He worked directly under her for two years.
And, he said, he wouldn't hesitate going to the frontlines today under Howard's command, even if the going were bad.
Howard went to serve on other ships, and Swanson believes her wide variety of experiences in the Navy have shaped her to become the best type of leader possible.
He said Howard is not just lucky, but, rather, she fully deserves her promotions. And he hopes that "puts to rest the idea that the Navy was just trying to make her the first African-American female Admiral.
"She is good person, with morals, who acts for the better of everybody," he said. "The lucky people are us."