From Subic Bay to San Diego: One Sailor's Journey through the Ranks

By Candice Villarreal, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- It was a normal day in the Philippines; hot, muggy, and fairly uneventful. But as a young Virgilio "James" Dariano ruffled through the pages of his textbooks one summer afternoon in 1984, he had no idea what his mother was up to back home.

Her actions that day changed his life dramatically.

Dariano's mother knew the U.S.-Philippine Military Bases Agreement allowed Filipinos to enlist in the U.S. Navy as foreign nationals through what was called the Philippine Enlistment Program. She also knew her son was coming of age, growing into an adult in a land where it was often hard to make ends meet and keep food on the table. She knew she wanted better for him.

 That day, she came up with an idea: she mailed his black-and-white high school portrait to a local recruiter and hoped for the best.

Weeks, months and even years went by, and his mother silently gave up and eventually forgot. Dariano had done well for himself, graduating from high school, earning a college degree in communications engineering and landing his first job as an electronics technician.

And then the postcard came.

Like a winning lottery ticket delivered to his mailbox, a recruiter had sent an invitation for Dariano to take the entrance exam. After deep thought and careful consideration, Dariano said he reflected on the "Join the Navy, see the world" posters he'd seen around town and decided to take the plunge on the same day he was scheduled to negotiate salary with a big power company he'd been hired on with.

In November of 1989 - five years after his mother sent his photograph in for consideration without his knowledge - he enlisted into the U.S. Navy from Subic Bay, Philippines, and his naval career began.

"Out of 150 candidates, here I was with the worst English in the group, and I was one of only three selected," Dariano said. "The only promise we got from the recruiter was that we'd get three meals a day and a place to sleep."

Dariano shipped off to boot camp in San Diego, so amazed by the plentiful food at dinnertime that he stuffed apples into his pockets.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "There was just so much food."

Still, with only $1.50 in his pocket, Dariano said he wondered how he was going to make it all alone, in a land so foreign and intimidating, and with his home and family so far away.

He did what he could to keep his spirits up, and after graduating boot camp, he headed out to boatswain's mate apprenticeship school.

"Things were on track; I was in school and everything was good," he said. "And then one day they showed us a video about snap-back, and all I could think was 'I don't want that happening to me!'"

After graduating at the top of his class, Dariano was offered another chance at rate classification and was given the choice to be meritoriously promoted to E-2 or be awarded an "A" School. With the video still fresh in his mind, he chose the latter.

With all of the engineering billets full, Dariano ended up choosing the Ship's Serviceman rating and headed to school in Mississippi, where he graduated with top honors and was meritoriously promoted to E-4.

Despite his promotions, Dariano struggled daily with the language barrier he was up against, as well as with differences in culture.

"I was always getting yelled at, but it was fine because I didn't understand it all, anyway," he said. "I just kept doing what I was supposed to do and worked hard, and I started listening to talk radio to help improve my language skills. The late Paul Harvey has no idea how much he's helped me."

Dariano married his girlfriend Edith in the Philippines and soon had his first son. Life was good, but the struggles continued. His wife was in the U.S. on a tourist visa that prohibited employment, and the bills were adding up.

"It was our first Christmas and we had this tiny little tree with wrapped empty boxes underneath," he said. "It was hard, but I looked at my baby boy and said 'Son, don't worry, because things are going to get better,' and they did. Starting a family in the states with zero foundation was incredibly hard, but not impossible."

Years and duty assignments flew by. By 2002, Dariano was promoted to chief petty officer, and in 2005, he submitted a package for the chief warrant officer (CWO) program. That spring, he attended a conference in San Diego and had a chance to meet the guest speaker, retired Capt. Jerry Linenger.

"I was just in awe of this guy - he was an astronaut and gave a great speech about how he almost died during a space mission," Dariano said. "After the conference, he shook my hand and thanked me for all I'd done to get him to where he was. Not me personally, but all the chiefs I represent, and that really touched me. I went back home and immediately asked for my CWO package to be returned to me, because right then and there, I decided I was going to retire as a chief."

Dariano said his family, work ethic and mentors kept him motivated and that life has greatly improved. He continued receiving promotions and recently used the Navy's tuition assistance program to earn a master's degree in organizational management. His wife was promoted to assistant manager at a local credit union, and they have two healthy, growing sons.

"My sons see how much time we spent studying, trying to better ourselves, and that it has paid off," said Dariano. "They have values like hard work and education engrained in them now. I told them that we may not have all the money in the world to give them, but that the Navy is going to help us give them an education. That is enough."

He reached the top of the Navy's enlisted ladder in the spring, after 23 years of service.

"Without my mentors, I would not be where I am," he said. "They gave me the freedom to operate within my capacity while always standing nearby to pick me up when I fell down. They taught me how to be a leader."

Master Chief Ship's Serviceman (SW/AW) Virgilio Dariano currently serves as the fleet assistance team leader for NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego, where he also served as the command's interim senior enlisted leader. He is slated to report to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in December.

"Looking back on my life, I am very proud to have made the decisions I've made," he said. "I've had obstacles, but I've seen success, too. To this day, every time my wife and I see how much we've attained, we just can't believe our eyes. It's a lot easier to quantify how much you've achieved when you really started with nothing. We were struggling, but the Navy took care of us, and I will always be grateful for that."

NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego, one of seven fleet logistics centers under NAVSUP Global Logistics Support, provides global logistics, business and support services to fleet, shore and industrial commands of the Navy, Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, and other joint and allied Forces. Services include contracting, regional transportation, fuel, material management, household goods movement support, postal and consolidated mail, warehousing, global logistics and husbanding, hazardous material management, and integrated logistics support.

NAVSUP GLS comprises more than 5,700 military and civilian logistics professionals, contractors and foreign nationals operating as a single cohesive team providing global logistics services from 110 locations worldwide.

A component of the Naval Supply Systems Command headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pa., NAVSUP GLS is part of a worldwide logistics network of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel providing combat capability through logistics.