Eleven Midshipmen embarked the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) for their summer cruise, a mandatory phase of pre-commissioning training.

The summer cruise is part of prospective U.S. Navy and Marine Corps officers' education, including Regional Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students as well as U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) midshipmen. During their time on a summer cruise, midshipmen will be attached to various ships, aircraft squadrons, land-based commands and even submarines.

Aboard Spruance, they will receive a wide variety of training and hands-on experience that will prime them for a commissioned officer career path after graduation.

"The midshipmen cruise is critical to the continued training and development of our future Navy leadership," said Spruance's Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Manuel Hernandez. "The entire Spruance team will make use of every available opportunity to provide perspective to our midshipmen on the technical and leadership challenges we face and which they will face as commissioned officers. What better environment to gain this perspective than aboard a destroyer executing real-world operations in the Indo-Asian-Pacific region."

A graduate of USNA, Lt. Cmdr. James Cordonnier is embarked as officer in charge of Spruance's helicopter detachment, the "Devilfish" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 49, based in San Diego.

"Summer cruises allow midshipmen to see the communities they are considering for service selection, allowing them to make an informed decision based on firsthand knowledge and experiences," said Cordonnier. "Ultimately, they get to engage in hands-on learning and execution of the assigned unit's mission."

Cordonnier's summer cruises while at USNA exposed him to service aboard a submarine, at a helicopter squadron and a U.S. Marine tank unit in Twenty Nine Palms, California. The varied experiences showed him what is expected out of U.S. service members in the Fleet.

"These midshipmen are just starting what will be some of the best years of their lives in both professional and personal growth," said Cordonnier. "As I am now closer to the end of my time in the Navy than I am to the start of it, I look back fondly at the experiences and friendships I have been lucky enough to gain over the years."

The midshipmen are assigned to various divisions aboard Spruance, one of the Navy's most modern warships. From engineering assignments dealing with massive propulsion systems, to combat systems with the Aegis weapons systems and modern radar technology, the Midshipmen see firsthand the work Sailors do on a daily basis on deployment.

"These midshipmen will be put directly into position to gain real world experiences, like the deck seaman executing replenishment-at-sea on the refueling station, the chief petty officer leading that junior Sailor, the officers tactically employing the war fighting capabilities of Spruance and the Spruance triad providing strategic guidance, leadership and direction," said Hernandez.

"I love being aboard Spruance as a prospective surface warfare officer (SWO)," said Midshipman 2nd Class Craig Fishbach, a midshipman from College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. "The SWOs here are very proficient and they provide great advice on the early phases of a midshipman's career in the Navy."

Unlike their college courses and military preparations done while in school, summer cruises offer an embedded type of fleet experience for the midshipmen as they deploy across the globe to various commands.

"The most important part of the summer cruise is the exposure and experience midshipmen can only get aboard a ship like Spruance," said. Lt. j.g. Garland Christopher, Spruance's auxiliaries officer and a USNA graduate. "They get an intimate knowledge of the ship's inner workings and the chain of command which will set them up for success when they eventually join the fleet."

Christopher's midshipman experience took him to three different ships, showing him the challenges officers face on a daily basis.

"My summer cruises were very instrumental in my career choice to become a SWO," Christopher said. "The knowledge I gained was very valuable when I eventually joined Spruance as a commissioned officer."

In some ways, this experience will inspire Midshipmen toward which specific career path they will follow. Similar to an internship, this summer cruise opportunity affords midshipmen to carefully review some of the job fields they will eventually dedicate their future naval service toward.

"I came to Spruance not knowing what to expect," said Midshipman 3rd Class Fabiola Duran-Juache, a student at USNA. "This has been a really great experience. It has showed me how divisional officers work with their divisions and a lot about how officers function on the ship."

At the end of their summer cruise aboard Spruance, these future Sailors will continue on with their education and leadership training.

Fishbach will spend a semester abroad in Germany at two different universities and Duran-Juache will travel to New Jersey to teach a course on leadership at St. Benedict's Preparatory College. After completion of their respective officer training programs, each will receive their commission and head back to the fleet as a leader within the world's finest Navy.

Spruance, along with USS Decatur (DDG 73) and USS Momsen (DDG 92) and embarked "Devil Fish" and "Warbirds" detachments of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 49, are currently deployed as part of U.S. 3rd Fleet's Pacific Surface Action Group (PAC SAG), operating under Destroyer Squadron (CDS) 31. The PAC SAG is currently deployed in support of maritime security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.m

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