Sailor from St. Michael Guides Naval Recruits in Learning Warfighting Skills

(KNSI) – A sailor from St. Michael is teaching the future of naval combat to the next generation.

Petty Officer 1st Class Alison Skon has been assigned to Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois as an instructor with the base’s education and training command. She is in charge of teaching recruits five warfighting competencies. Over the ten-week course, they are taught firefighting, damage control, seamanship, watchstanding, and small arms marksmanship.

“I enjoy seeing the ‘light bulb’ go off when students finally understand a hard topic,” said Skon. “Watching their growth and seeing them progress from the beginning and seeing them graduate, shows me that they are prepared to go out into the fleet. I feel confident putting a well-trained sailor who will be a good addition to our navigation team.”

Skon is a 2016 St. Michael-Albertville High School graduate who joined the Navy eight years ago. “I felt called by the Lord,” said Skon. “I was in the Navy Sea Cadet Corps when I was 13 years old, and at a young age, I felt called.”

According to the Navy, control of the world’s oceans is essential to our freedom, with 90% of global trade done by sea. Access to the internet is also dependent on naval power due to the need to protect undersea fiber optic cables.

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