More than 375 Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Monterey Sailors, guests and community members gathered to commemorate the birthday of the U.S. Navy during an official ceremony in Monterey, California, Oct. 5.

October 13 marks the 244th birthday of the Navy, and the theme for this anniversary is “No Higher Honor,” which the quote originates from Lt. Cmdr. Robert Copeland, commanding officer of World War II destroyer, USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413).

“To me, ‘No Higher Honor’ means there is nothing higher than working with the men and women that make the Navy what it is today,” said Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Demian Ford, head of the Navy Day Ball committee. “It is Sailors that make this Navy awesome; they are making sacrifices both large and small for our country.”

“There is no higher honor than to serve with incredible shipmates that share the same the passion to advance our tactical, operational and strategic naval objectives, whether that’s on the high seas or in cyberspace,” said Capt. Michael Salehi, commanding officer of IWTC Monterey. “People, our most precious asset, are what propel our Navy and Marine Corps team to meet these future challenges.”

IWTC Monterey hosted the official 244th Navy Birthday Ball commemoration while the Monterey Peninsula Navy Ball Committee spearheaded the unofficial portion. The committee spent the past year raising funds and helping plan the event, which included a social hour, official ceremony, guest speaker remarks, dinner and entertainment.

The ceremony included military honors such as parading the colors, the Prisoner of War and Missing in Action remembrance ceremony, as well as time-honored naval traditions such as the piping onboard distinguished guests by the honor boatswain.

With its large population of new accession Sailors, this year's ceremony was the first for many IWTC Monterey students, and served as an excellent training venue.

"I think the ball was a success,” said Seaman Makela Pollard, an IWTC Monterey student at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC). “It was enjoyable to connect with fellow students and leaders in my command. I hope future sailors at DLI have the same opportunity to celebrate this Navy tradition and enjoy the experiences it has to offer.”

The guest speaker for the ceremony was Capt. Patrick A. Count. As a prior enlisted Sailor, Count served as a cryptologic technician (interpretive), graduating from the DLIFLC as an Arabic linguist, and later returning to DLI to learn Russian. Count is currently serving as director of the Maritime Operations Center and assistant chief of staff for operations (N3/J3), U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet.

“The U.S. Navy linguist stands at the center of the information fight,” said Count, addressing the junior Sailors in attendance. “The Navy and nation will expect many things of you, so long as you are a linguist, your proficiency in your language must always be at the very top of that list. Your linguistic prowess, your assessments and your recommendations to senior decision makers will disproportionately outstrip your rank or position. Let us all here tonight serving in our Navy’s uniform, recommit ourselves to doing our part to keep our Navy strong.”

IWTC Monterey, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of foreign language training to Navy personnel, which prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT is recognized as Naval Education and Training Command’s top learning center for the past three years. Training over 20,000 students every year, CIWT delivers trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

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