It was a simple but impressive ceremony.
The US Pacific Fleet band played, the colours of the USS Hopper were paraded, America’s national anthem rang in people’s ears, and a chaplain delivered an invocation.
Next, a rear admiral spoke about the outstanding track record of the ship’s new captain before the presentation of a pennant and awards. Then, there were the reading of orders and the assumption of command, the heart of the ceremony.
Not long afterwards, the band played Anchors Aweigh, in keeping with the best of naval traditions.
So it was that at an emotional change of command ceremony on a recent Friday at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, Commander Jaja Marshall, the son of Barbadian parents, assumed the captaincy of the Hopper.
The billion-dollar guided missile destroyer, whose anti-submarine and anti-air missiles, including Tomahawks and other weapons of mass destruction stand ready for any strike warfare assignment ordered by the Department of Defence, has a crew of 300 officers and enlisted sailors.
“It’s a blessing to reach the rank of commander and be the captain of the Hopper,” said the Bajan-American.
“My responsibilities include ensuring that the ship and crew, its 300 officers and crew are ready for any mission assigned to us. We have to be prepared at all times and the crew is well trained.”
The rapid rise of 40-year-old Commander Marshall in the vast United Sttes Navy is a fascinating success story.
Born and raised in New York City’s Far Rockaway, Marshall was led to a naval career by his love of education which was nurtured by his father, Ronald Marshall, a product of St Joseph.
“I thought of joining the Navy in order to get a first-class education,” said the captain.
“I was raised in a home in New York with Bajan values of hard work, determination, respect and an emphasis on education. That’s why when I went into the Navy I didn’t have a problem with discipline and achieving goals.”
Mentors
Actually, the path to the world famous US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, was paved by the support of his father Ronald and the pastor of his church, the Rev. Harry S. Benter, a retired captain in the Navy. His mother, Gloria Brathwaite, formerly Gloria Waterman of Christ Church, also backed his dream.
“Like my father, the pastor had confidence in me and suggested that I should seek to become a student of the Naval Academy and worked to help it make it become a reality,” said Marshall.
“A part of my success can be attributed to the influence of mentors. They had great confidence in me.”
Given his abundance of self-confidence, deep commitment to education and intense desire to become a top-notch naval officer, it didn’t surprise anyone when Marshall graduated in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in science systems engineering.
He started his naval career in earnest with an officer tour of duty on the USS McClusky, based in San Diego. Next he was assigned to the USS Princeton as a combat information centre officer.
In 2003, six years after leaving the academy, completing his first tours of duty and hitting the books once again, Marshall was awarded a MBA in financial management from the Naval Post Graduate School in California. Soon it was back to sea as an operations officer on the USS Stout in Norfolk, Virginia, and later being assigned to the Commander Destroyer Squadron Fifteen in Japan as an operations officer.
A range of successful assignments culminated in his elevation as the executive officer or second in command of the Hopper in 2003, a position he held until a few weeks ago.
“You know, I owe quite a lot to my father, a warm and sensitive person with great values,” said the naval captain.
“My father is a great cook who is adept at stirring cou-cou. Indeed, after [the] ceremony he prepared some delicious cou-cou.
“Many of the values which propelled me came from my father. My mother, too, contributed to my success. She loved me dearly and I knew it. She is a hard worker. I am looking forward to this assignment.”
Interestingly, while Commander Marshall traces the roots of his family tree to Barbados and New York, his wife has a mixed background – the Philippines and the US.
He has a favourable impression of his father’s homeland.
“Barbados is a beautiful country and its people have important values including a desire to work hard and a belief in education,” said Marshall.