Gales Ferry native recounts her journey from ROTC cadet to Navy vice admiral
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Apr. 25—NEW LONDON — The U.S. Navy was a different institution in 1990 when Gales Ferry resident Kelly Aeschbach received her commission and embarked on a path that led to her vice admiral appointment decades later.
"There weren't a lot of women in the military," the vice admiral said, noting even the relatively modest number of female service members at the time were excluded from combat-related duties. "So, I'm excited that every door in the Navy is open. Back then, there were hardly any other women to talk with. Now, I look up and see so many examples — I knew someday a woman would be in charge of the Navy, but I didn't think I'd be in when it happened."
Aeschbach, 55, current commander of U.S. Naval Information Forces and former head of the Office of Naval Intelligence, related her military service history to a group of New London and Groton high school students on Thursday as part of a Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, or NJROTC, forum at New London high school.
Inside the auditorium, rows of uniformed students listened as the three-star flag officer spoke about her father's tenure as a submariner and her decision to join the George Washington University ROTC program, which provides scholarships to participants in exchange for their serving as commissioned officers.
Aeschbach, a 1986 Ledyard High School graduate, said ROTC was initially a means to an end, a practical way to cover the cost of tuition.
"I never aspired to join the military, but (ROTC) offered camaraderie and just enough discipline to keep me on course," she said. "I fell into something that turned out great for me."
It's that kind of discipline Lt. Cmdr. Carl Matteucci, the senior naval instructor at New London high school and overseer of the school's naval JROTC program, hopes his cadets absorb during their time with the unit.
"It's a citizen empowerment program in which we try and teach everything from good decision making and respect for authority to the importance of national security," said Matteucci, who spent 30 years in the Navy, including 14 as an officer. "There's no commitment for these students to join the military, but if they do enlist they go in at a higher rank."
The program is a credited course that includes students grades 9 to 12. Classroom time emphasizes leadership techniques, naval operations fundamentals and maritime heritage. That in-class time is augmented by extracurricular activities designed to promote bonding.
For New London high sophomore Julianni Morales, 17, the program is a stepping stone to a military career.
"I've always been interested in the military," she said. "I'm thinking of the National Guard after I graduate, but I'm leaning towards the Navy. They offer great benefits that, if I have a family, will help them, too."
Matteucci's cadets were joined Thursday by members of the Robert E. Fitch High School's fledgling NJROTC program. The young audience peppered Aeschbach, who is set to retire in July, with a range of questions about a career that included deployments to Alaska, Japan, the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan.
She said her current assignment entails overseeing several combat support disciplines, from meteorology and electronic warfare to intelligence and cryptology.
Aeschbach, who said she never envisioned making the Navy a career when commissioned, lauded the branch's work in promoting diversity and advancement through merit.
"It's important to look up and see people that look like you," she said.
