New Navy Supply Corps School Opens

By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Melissa Weatherspoon, Center for Service Support Public Affairs

NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) -- A dedication ceremony marking the grand opening of the Vice Admiral Kenneth R. Wheeler Center, Navy Supply Corps School (NSCS) was held aboard Naval Station Newport, R.I., Jan. 24.

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead served as the keynote speaker for the event that honored Wheeler, a former chief of the Supply Corps and legend in the logistics community.

The event also highlighted the importance of supply and logistics training in worldwide missions.

Roughead described Wheeler's life and leadership as one of great distinction and dedication. During World War II, Wheeler became a Prisoner of War for three and a half years, enduring and ultimately prevailing through unspeakable hardships.

In December 1944, then Lt. j.g. Wheeler was among a group of POWs headed for Japan aboard the transport Oryoku Maru, when the ship was torpedoed and abandoned.

After assisting a seriously wounded Supply Corps shipmate to the beach, Wheeler, amidst significant enemy gunfire, repeatedly swam back to the ship to rescue others, an action which earned him the Bronze Star Medal.

He was awarded a second Bronze Star for equally heroic and dedicated actions in January 1945, in the wake of an attack on another prisoner ship. Roughead said Wheeler served not only as a model for Supply Corps officers, but for all naval officers in the fleet.

CNO said Wheeler's decades of service has created a tremendous legacy for the school and the logistics community in its role in the Navy's worldwide maritime strategy.

"We are a great Navy because of our people; a global Navy because of our logistics," Roughead said.

Roughead credited Wheeler and the logistics community with always ensuring the fleet has what it needs to fulfill missions around the world. CNO also expressed great confidence in the school's staff, faculty and students to carry on Wheeler's legacy.

"This institution will carry forward the example (Wheeler) set as the 31st chief of the Supply Corps and an active member of the community throughout his life," Roughead said. "The students of the Supply Corps community who leave here will know what it takes to keep America's Navy forward, flexible and fast to respond."

"The Supply Community is excited to be here and looks forward to becoming a strong partner in Newport and Rhode Island," said Rear Adm. Mike Lyden, chief of Supply Corps and commander, Naval Supply Systems Command.

Lyden; Rhode Island Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse; Capt. Jim Davis, NSCS commanding officer; and Capt. Joe Voboril, Naval Station Newport commanding officer; joined Roughead at the podium in dedication of the school. They celebrated the Supply Corps' rich heritage and the current operational importance of the schoolhouse and the logistics community.

Construction on the new 58,000 sq. ft. school was completed in July, with some classes kicking off in October 2010 as the building awaited installation of Navy-Marine Corps Internet and Training networks. The first iteration of the Basic Qualification Course began Jan. 10.

The facility features 11 state-of-the-art classrooms, a large multipurpose room, a mock ship's store and galley, and a Navy Cash lab to simulate afloat operations.

"The Navy Supply Corps School has a mission to train and to support troops in the field, and they do it very well." said Reed. "I just returned from Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen – at the [tip] of the spear – and Navy personnel are working in support of our missions there. They can only do that if they have the logistics they need, and that is a direct result of the training they receive here."

Together, the Navy Supply Corps School and the U.S. Navy Supply Corps represent a long tradition of service to the fleet. In honor of this long-standing tradition, the school's hallways will be lined with display cases, highlighting the many artifacts and historical items from the more than 215-year Supply Corps history. A ceremonial quarterdeck honors fallen heroes of the Supply Corps and all of the former chiefs of the Supply Corps.

In celebration of this tradition and heritage, members of Wheeler's family participated in morning colors and a ribbon cutting prior to the dedication ceremony.

The school now lies at the heart of a critically important Navy education and training complex that includes the Naval War College, Surface Warfare Officers School, Naval Justice School, Officer Candidate School and the Senior Enlisted Academy, and is in close proximity to the Naval Submarine Base, New London, Conn.

"Newport is the best place for the Navy Supply Corps School," said Lyden. "The synergy is tremendous. The potential is unlimited here."

The school relocated from Athens, Ga., as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. It is the 7th home for the Supply Corps community, who traces its history back more than 215 years with the appointment of the nation's first Purveyor of Public Supplies.

More information about the new Navy Supply Corps School can be found at www.netc.navy.mil/centers/css/nscs/.

The more than 3,000 active duty and Reserve officers of the Navy Supply Corps are responsible for supply and logistics support for the ships of the active fleet and hundreds of Naval shore installations worldwide, providing combat capability through logistics.

For more news from Naval Supply Systems Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/navsup/.