Kent native serving with Navy's 'Apex Predators' submarine force
Seaman Robert Egli has discovered that certain skills and values he learned in Kent are important to success in the Navy.
“Growing up, my hometown was always very quiet, which taught me how to enjoy the small things,” said Egli. “That has helped me mentally in the Navy as a way to calm down.”
Egli joined the Navy two years ago after graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 2021, according to a media release from the Navy Office of Community Outreach. He is now assigned to Trident Training Facility Bangor at Naval Base Kitsap, homeport of West Coast ballistic-missile and guided-missile submarines. He serves as an electronics technician, submarine, navigation.
“I joined because I wanted the opportunities that the Navy provided,” said Egli. “I wanted to work on the technical side and I knew I could do that in the Navy.”
Known as America’s “Apex Predators,” the Navy’s submarine force operates a large fleet of technically advanced vessels. These submarines are capable of conducting rapid defensive and offensive operations around the world, in furtherance of U.S. national security. A major component of that maritime security is homeported at Naval Base Kitsap, in Washington state.
As a member of the submarine force, Egli is part of a rich 124-year history of the U.S. Navy’s most versatile weapons platform, capable of taking the fight to the enemy in the defense of America and its allies.
Egli has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I am most proud of passing submarine school, always being one of the top students and consistently scoring high,” said Egli. “The submarine navigation electronics technician course was a lot and required high standards. My class in particular was also one of the highest-scoring classes they’ve ever had.”
Egli said he is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my mom, Tasha Appel, who is always there to make sure I know what I’m doing," he said. “I also want to thank my best friend, Joseph Tilley. He’s the entire reason I joined the Navy. It was his idea initially that we should join together, but he ended up breaking his finger and didn’t get in. I’m also thankful for my older sister, Paige Egli. She has given me a lot of good life advice and helped me learn how to drive a car, so I’m able to do things while I’m in the military.”
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent native serving with Navy's 'Apex Predators' submarine force
