Surface Warfare Officers School Unit (SWOSU) Great Lakes hosted a Limited Duty Officers (LDO)/Chief Warrant Officers (CWO) program highlighting opportunities and answering questions from over 100 Sailors interested in becoming LDO/CWOs in a two-session forum held April 16.

The forum led by LDO/CWO Community Manager at Bureau of Naval Personnel Capt. Ed Callahan was opened to all area commands and brought in members of the LDO and CDO community to familiarize Sailors with the options in career advancement as well as ensure a new generation of Navy leaders to become experts in their field as well as reliable and responsible managers.

Capt. David Dwyer, commanding officer at Training Support Center Great Lakes, was commissioned in the LDO program in Feb. 1996.

“Applying and being selected as a Limited Duty Officer (LDO) was the best choice I made in my career,” Dwyer said. "The Navy has provided me and my family the greatest opportunities of our life’s – the Navy owes me nothing, but I owe the Navy more than what I can ever pay back. This well respected LDO program provided me the ability to lead personnel at the highest level, while continuing to have the ability to hone the technical skill that is required in our specialty jobs. As a senior member of this great community, I have an obligation to educate and encourage chiefs and Sailors to be part of a community that can give them more opportunities to make changes in the Navy, further advance their careers, and provide a better life for their family and loved ones.  Bottom line, each year I have an obligation to recruit the best and brightest the Navy has to offer - I am always looking for my relief.  The talent pool of LDO/CWO candidates in Great Lakes is very impressive, and I’m excited to a part of a talented group of LDO/CWOs that will help mentor and select our relief’s that are the future of our community.”

SWOSU Great Lakes Commanding Officer Cmdr. Terrance Patterson enlisted in the Navy in Nov. 1986 and promoted through the ranks to chief petty officer prior to being commissioned ensign through the LDO Program in 2000.

"This event provides Sailors a great opportunity to learn what the LDO/CWO community has to offer them," Patterson said.  "Those that were interested in the program are able to ask questions, seek out mentors and start figuring out what if the program truly is for them, to see if this is something that they want to make their career,”

The event was developed to educate Sailors on eligibility and prerequisites for the LDO/CWO program, benefits of having one or more mentors, application process and selection board procedures, as well as personal testimonials from former enlisted who acquired high-ranking positions through determination, expertise, desire to succeed and advance their careers.

"The program is designed for senior leadership 1st Class or chief petty officers seeking a path for commissioning," said Lt. Aaron Gordon, chief engineer at SWOSU Great Lakes. "We pick up the first classes or chiefs on their technical rating so they become Limited Duty Officers or Chief Warrant Officers based on their technical abilities,"

The LDO and CWO communities have designators in the surface, submarine, aviation, general series and staff corps communities and serve in a variety of leadership billets within their technical fields, ranging from division officer to commanding officer ashore.

It is made up of officers from more than 20 different career fields ranging from surface deck boatswains, sub-surface engineers, aviation maintenance, nuclear, information professionals, and security officers. Each of the career fields has a discreet career path, promotional opportunity, and chance for command.

“LDO’s and CWO’s bring a specific skillset to the restrict and unrestricted line community that they do not possess themselves and we do jobs that enhance their mission capabilities by doing these other jobs,” Callahan said. “I am here today to spread the news about our community and try to recruit the best talent we have out here. At the end of the day the Navy is about talent management we need good chiefs, senior chiefs and master chiefs; but we also need good officers and I’m looking for people who want to fill that role.”

Get more information about the Navy from US Navy Facebook or Twitter.

For more news from Training Support Center, Great Lakes, visit www.navy.mil/.