OKLAHOMA CITY — Every sailor's story of naval service is unique. For Petty Officer 1st Class Lauren Sierra, this story began in Albany, Louisiana, where skills and values learned there would be foundational to success in the Navy.
“My hometown is so small it is actually a village and isn’t on many maps,” Sierra said. "Being that it is in south Louisiana, I grew up with so much diversity with people, food, culture, and we all faced many natural disasters. I learned how to adapt in a stressful environment, how to rely on and at times help my neighbors, and how to appreciate the differences in cultures. I also spent many years outdoors, playing sports, and laboring in the heat and humidity. It wasn’t a culture shock to me, meeting people from around the world, and it wasn’t difficult for me to adjust to hard labor and long hours in my early military career. I don’t have to work in the sun or labor long hours anymore, but I am very grateful for the harder years I faced and have learned to appreciate the softer years."
Sierra graduated from Albany High School in 2015.
Sierra joined the Navy seven years ago.
“I joined after I had just dropped out of college, and my scholarships had been suspended due to being on academic probation, and I couldn't afford to keep attending,” Sierra said. "I was making $2.95 an hour as a waitress, and my paychecks were around $250 a week. I wanted to give myself a leg up in the world and believed that the Navy was my stepping stone to do so. The idea of having money for college, meeting new people, traveling the world, and obtaining financial stability was very motivating."
Today, Sierra serves as a legalman assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Four (VQ-4) in Oklahoma City. Sierra supports the nation’s nuclear deterrence mission at Strategic Communications Wing One (STRATCOMMWING ONE). Its “Take Charge and Move Out” (TACAMO) mission provides airborne communication links to nuclear missile units of U.S. Strategic Command.
The TACAMO mission originated in 1961 when a Marine Corps aircraft was used to test the feasibility of an airborne Very Low Frequency (VLF) communications system. Once the test was successful, funding for the program was granted, and it has continued to grow ever since.
The U.S. Navy’s presence on an Air Force base in a landlocked state may seem strange, but the position is strategic, allowing squadrons to quickly deploy around the world in support of the TACAMO mission.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation, and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber-optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
