Silver Creek graduate Paul Andres serves at strategic weapons facility in Washington
By North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
LONGMONT, Colo. — A Longmont native is helping support one of the U.S. Navy’s most critical missions while serving with the Pacific submarine force in Washington state.
Petty Officer 1st Class Paul Andres, a 2009 graduate of Silver Creek High School, serves as a master-at-arms assigned to Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington. The installation is home to the Navy’s West Coast ballistic-missile and guided-missile submarines.
Andres said lessons learned growing up in Longmont continue to influence his military career.
“My hometown helped me develop a strong work ethic and taught me the value of being physically fit,” Andres said. “I have a desire to do my job correctly and to be known as someone reliable.”
Andres joined the Navy 16 years ago, driven by a desire to serve others and build a career he could take pride in.
“I’ve always had a calling to serve my country and help others,” Andres said. “I wanted to do something with my life I could look back and be proud of.”
Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific supports the Navy’s sea-based nuclear deterrence mission, including assembling and deploying Trident II D5 missiles aboard ballistic-missile submarines and safeguarding strategic assets.
The facility works alongside other commands at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor to keep the Pacific Submarine Force ready for missions ranging from strategic deterrence and anti-submarine warfare to intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and special operations.
During his Navy career, Andres said one achievement stands out: becoming a military working dog handler.
“I am most proud of being a military working dog handler,” Andres said. “This is one of the smallest job groups in the Navy, and I take a lot of pride in that. It’s not easy to get into this career field.”
For Andres, military service ultimately comes down to the people back home.
“Serving in the Navy means putting others before yourself,” Andres said. “I serve so that my loved ones don’t have to.”
He credited his girlfriend, Samantha Linatok, along with his parents, Liz and Mark, and his sister, Nicole, for supporting him throughout his career.
This year, the Navy is highlighting its role in the nation’s history as the United States marks 250 years of independence.
Source: Navy Office of Community Outreach. Original reporting by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James Green. Photo by Lt. Cmdr. Michelle Tucker.
Excerpt
Silver Creek High School graduate Petty Officer 1st Class Paul Andres is helping keep the Navy’s Pacific submarine force mission-ready while serving at Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific in Washington.
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A Longmont native is serving on the front lines of the Navy’s strategic deterrence mission.
Petty Officer 1st Class Paul Andres, a 2009 Silver Creek High School graduate, has served in the Navy for 16 years and now works at Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific in Washington. Andres says the work ethic he developed growing up in Longmont continues to guide his service today.
⚓ Read his Northern Colorado connection and Navy story at NorthFortyNews.com.
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