Petty Officer 2nd Class Cole East, a 2016 Ada High School graduate, is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of the nation’s nuclear deterrence mission at Strategic Communications Wing One.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. — A Hardin County native is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of the nation’s nuclear deterrence mission at Strategic Communications Wing One. The unit’s TAMCO (Take Charge And Move Out) mission provides airborne communication links to nuclear missile units of U.S. Strategic Command.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Cole East, a 2016 Ada High School graduate, joined the Navy four years ago.
“I always knew I wanted to join the Navy after high school,” said East. “I joined the Navy to better myself and to get life experience. Serving in the Navy means tradition. I’m a third-generation Navy enlisted sailor.”
East uses skills and values similar to those found in Ada to succeed in the Navy, according to a statement from the Navy’s Community Outreach office.
“The Navy’s presence aboard an Air Force base in the middle of America may seem odd, given its distance from any ocean, but the site allows for the deployment of aircraft to both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico on a moment’s notice,” said Outreach Specialist Stephanie Fox. “This quick response is key to the success of the nuclear deterrence mission.”
East serves as a naval aircrewman.
“My proudest accomplishment in the Navy is advancing in rank to petty officer second class,” said East. “I’m also proud to have been certified as a flight instructor and earning my Wings of Gold.”
