Farmers Weekly Review

By Ashley Craig, Navy Office of Community Outreach

 

BOSTON – Petty Officer 2nd Class Amber Speer, a native of Plainfield, Illinois, is one of more than 60 sailors celebrating America’s 249 years of independence while serving aboard USS Constitution, the Navy’s oldest commissioned warship.

Speer graduated from Plainfield East High School in 2020. Though taking a break now, Speer is working toward a degree in child and adolescent development and psychology through Southern New Hampshire University.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Plainfield.

“My dad taught me a lot of things, but one thing that’s always stuck is to live life with no regrets,” Speer said.

“If you sit there and tell yourself you regret a person, an experience or a choice, that means you didn’t learn from it. Whether the pathways you took led you in the wrong direction, if you learned something from that experience, you have not done wrong.”

Speer joined the Navy five years ago. Today, Speer serves as a mass communication specialist.

“I joined the Navy because I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself,” Speer said. “I’ve also always wanted to do something that’s going to help the masses, whether that’s directly or through something I’m part of.

“The Navy is opening pathways for me. If I want to go to college, they’re going to pay for that, and if I want to get out and get another job, having the Navy on my resume is going to help and support me.

“Having that communication background is big. The point of the USS Constitution is to promote the Navy and the Navy’s history. It’s important for people to have direct access to what the service branches do in order to fully understand and support what our mission is.”

Launched from a Boston shipyard in October 1797, Constitution is the only surviving vessel of the Navy’s original six frigates and is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat.

The ship earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” during the War of 1812 after British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship’s wooden hull. Constitution was undefeated in battle and captured or destroyed 33 enemy vessels in its nearly 60 years of active service.

Now, 227 years after its launch, Constitution’s primary mission is education and outreach, welcoming more than 500,000 visitors aboard each year.

Its crew of more than 60 sailors is hand-picked to preserve and protect Constitution, while promoting naval history, maritime heritage and raising awareness of the importance of a sustained naval presence.

The ship’s original missions of defending American interests and protecting sea lanes to ensure commerce remain at the forefront of the Navy’s mission today.

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.

Speer has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“There’s been a lot I’ve done in the Navy that I take pride in,” Speer said. “I don’t know that there’s one thing that jumps out above everything else. At my first command, I became the editor of my division over other higher-ranking petty officers.

“As mass communication specialists, we do photos, videos, we write and someone has to edit all of that, so I did that for the journalism portion of it. It was a big deal for me because it was the first time I felt recognized for what I’m best at, writing.

“I won second place for writing in the Russell Egnor Navy Media Awards last year.

“Being selected for this command is also something to be proud of. USS Constitution is a high-visibility command, and they’re very selective about who serves here. Even joining the Navy is something to be proud of. Everyone in my family is proud of me.”

Speer serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

“I think serving in the Navy means a lot more than just me,” Speer said. “I am helping my family by taking the steps to be an adult faster and by not having them worry about monetary issues for me, such as college. I’m part of an organization that’s bigger than I am.

“I don’t necessarily like being told, ‘Thank you for your service,’ but I am serving, and I’m not serving for me; I’m serving for everyone else. There’s a lot of pride to take in the uniform, but for me, it doesn’t have anything to do with me; it’s for everyone else.”

Speer is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I want to thank Shawn Pambianco, the mother of one of my best friends, Mina,” Speer said. “I’ve known her since I was 10 years old. She was a Seabee in the 1970s. She’s one of the women I look up to, and she’s one of the strongest women in my life.

“I also want to thank my parents, George Speer and Patricia Speer, because as long as I was trying, they were proud of whatever I did and what I accomplished. For them, I didn’t have to be good at it; I just had to try.”

Speer offered their perspective on serving in the military.

“As much as people want to think serving in the military makes someone a higher echelon than them, really anybody can do it,” Speer added “All it takes is getting yelled at for eight weeks, but anyone can do it.

“I’m not better than anyone because I’ve served. That’s a big thing that I want civilians to understand.”