La. sailor forging path on LCS-8

SOUTH CHINA SEA - Culinary Specialist Seaman (CSSN) Dustin Fontenot, who grew up in Lafayette, La., found himself low man on the totem pole upon arriving aboard the Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8). He was the only seaman in a crew of 90-plus experienced sailors. He came aboard one week before departing San Diego for a five-month deployment. His service life has been less than a year – boot camp, ‘A’ school, ship. But Fontenot’s fingerprints are everywhere. He can be found in the galley, walking the passageways with black bags full of trash, or in the helicopter control tower scanning the horizon for ships and aircraft while standing lookout. He’s made himself a vital part of Montgomery’s crew, albeit a unique one. “Nobody saw me as a Seaman, they saw me as part of the crew,” said Fontenot. The number of LCS crew is among one of the smallest in the Navy. “I knew everyone on the ship had to play a part, so I would constantly learn, observe and ask questions during evolutions and drills,” he continued. “I wanted to get qualified so I could help every way I could.” The amount of effort he put into learning what it takes to become a sailor was “far beyond what I saw from seamen in the past,” said supervisor CS2 Jeffery Smith. “LCS crews require everyone to be fully engaged to run smoothly. He understood that, and put the time and effort into being part of this more-senior crew. The amount of progress he has made is truly incredible.” Fontenot credits the sailors around him for continuing to push him every day. He now is beginning to understand the uniqueness of an LCS crew. Montgomery is on a rotational deployment to USINDOPACOM, conducting operations, exercises and port visits throughout the region and working hull-to-hull with allied and partner navies to provide maritime security and stability, key pillars of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (Source: Commander Destroyer Squadron 7 01/27/20) Gulf Coast Note: USS Montgomery was built at Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala. https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=111929