(Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown)
By Lt. Cmdr. Marie Tillery, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SANTA RITA, Guam – A 1994 Palm Beach Lakes High School graduate and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native is providing a critical maintenance capability to the U.S. Navy’s submarine force in the Pacific as part of a hybrid crew of sailors and civilian mariners working aboard the expeditionary submarine tender, USS Frank Cable.
Lt. Wilking Jean is a chaplain on temporary duty from USS Emory S. Land, and currently aboard the Guam-based submarine tender, Frank Cable, one of only two such ships in the U.S. Navy. The Frank Cable and its crew provides maintenance and resupply capabilities both in port and at sea.
“As a Navy chaplain, I am responsible for those who serve our great nation,” Jean said.
“I enjoy the confidentiality that we have with service members. They can come and talk to us without reservation. It is a sacred trust.”
Jean credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Fort Lauderdale.
women both young and old, across the country.” Senator Coons added that their accomplishments remained hidden for far too long and that it’s not only important for them to be recognized for the indelible mark that they left in the STEM industry, but it’s essential for their stories to be brought to the forefront so they can serve as inspiration for the young women following in their footsteps.
Several organizations dedicated to the advancement of women and people of color across different industries backed the bill. The organizations include Girl Scouts of the USA, the United Negro College Fund, the National Association of Mathematicians and others.
The honors are continuing to roll in for the trailblazers who broke both gender and racial barriers in STEM. In June, West Virginia State University announced the creation of a bronze statue in Katherine Johnson’s honor as well as the launch of a scholarship fund named after her.
