Patric Burns

While still on active duty myself, my assigned shore duty during my last 3 years in the Navy was at the Navy Reserve Center in San Diego. While working in this office environment, I oversaw account creation and management for both the Defense Travel System (DTS) and the Government Travel Charge Card system (GTCC) for over 2000 members of the Navy Reserves. I also held the position of Command Safety Officer, handling all safety requirements from both the Navy and OSHA.

Scheduled and oversaw all maintenance (preventative and corrective) for the EA02 work center onboard the USS Carter Hall LSD 50. Within said work center I had ownership and was the subject matter expert of the ship's:

-2 Reverse Osmosis Units

-3 deployable small boats

-30 Ton crane

From being called on for emergency repairs, to training and assigning periodic maintenance to my junior sailors, this portion of my career fills me with immense pride. Without our RO units especially, the ship would not be able to deploy or even leave port.

During my time as a junior sailor on LSD 50, I preformed maintenance as assigned by my work center supervisors for 3 different work centers. EA02, which I eventually took over. EA04, which handled hydraulic systems such as the ship's anchoring and steering systems. And EA05 which oversaw air conditioning, refrigeration, and ship's comfort. In this period I honed my skills as a mechanic/technician, absorbing the knowledge of my superiors. Although it wasn't long before I began to specialize in EA02, as I stood out among my peers in both mechanical ability and as a leader.