Members assigned to the Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team on board the guided missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) board the dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) during a training scenario. U.S. Navy photo by MCSN Brandon Myrick.

‘‘They need to get used to the idea of unpredictability,” said Roy, Class of 2001. ‘‘They should be mentally and emotionally prepared for uncertainty.”

Roy, 28, learned this lesson the hard way during his tour as Deck Division’s First Lieutenant aboard USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60). The guided missile destroyer deployed in August of 2002 with the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group. In mid-December of that year, the ship began its transit back home to Pearl Harbor when the crew got word they had been extended indefinitely. The ship returned to the Middle East and was directly involved in the first combat operations of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

‘‘When we finally return to Hawaii, we had been gone nine months, the longest carrier strike group deployment since the Vietnam War,” said Roy, a native of Peachtree, Ga. ‘‘At the time, nine months seemed like a long time. Now it pales in comparison with some of those 15-month deploy-ments Army units have done to Iraq and Afghanistan.”

This experience immediately put Roy’s leadership skills to the test. As the Division Officer for more than 20 Sailors, he was directly responsible for the welfare and morale of his crew.

‘‘Many of the crew had trouble coping,” said Roy. ‘‘Since I was single, it didn’t bother me that much so I was able to stay pretty focused, but not knowing when we would return was tough, especially on those Sailors with families.”

Roy’s experiences showed him the importance of being able to hit the deckplates running.

‘‘New ensigns and second lieutenants need to be ready to work from day one. While they won’t learn everything overnight, they should be prepared to maintain a steady-strain work ethic,” Roy said. ‘‘Sailors and Marines want junior officers who maintain a positive attitude, remain humble yet conf-ident, work hard, and put the mission and their personnel above personal gain.”

As First Lieutenant, Roy’s Sailors were responsible for critical underway evolutions, including anchoring operations, small boat operations, underway replenish-ments and flight deck operations. He was also one of the ship’s boarding officers for Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure operations. Those responsibilities required Roy to maintain a solid working relationship with his Sailors.

‘‘Folks want good leadership. They want to follow good officers and will do so under the most extreme circumstances if that officer is honest, competent and caring,” Roy said.

Roy will report to Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, R.I., to attend Department Head School this summer. He has follow-on orders to USS Stout (DDG 55) in Norfolk, Va., where he will serve as Operations Officer.