Texas Border Business
By Chief Yeoman Vicki Sonnenberg, Navy Office of Community Outreach
MAYPORT, Fla. – Chief Petty Officer Omar Segovia, a native of McAllen, Texas, serves aboard USS Indianapolis, a U.S. Navy warship operating out of Mayport, Florida.
Segovia graduated from James Nikki Rowe High School in 2005.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in McAllen.
“My parents grew up poor and they worked hard to provide for my brother and I,” Segovia said. “This instilled a strong work ethic in me and has helped me during my career.”
Segovia joined the Navy 17 years ago. Today, Segovia serves as an engineman.
“As a young man, I joined to see the world.,” Segovia said. “My dad also served in the Army during Vietnam as a radio operator.”
A Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), USS Billings is a fast and agile warship designed to operate in near-shore environments to counter 21st-century threats. Crews aboard the ship can operate unmanned aerial systems and unmanned underwater vehicles. These ships can operate independently or in high-threat scenarios as part of a networked battle force that includes larger, multi-mission surface combatants such as cruisers and destroyers.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber-optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Segovia has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“At just 22 years old, I served as a petty officer third class leading a work center of five sailors aboard a warship, successfully navigating both a light-off assessment and an inspection and survey,” Segovia said.
Segovia serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“I am proud to have served for the past 17 years,” Segovia said. “Being in the Navy is more than what the recruiting commercials show us!”
Segovia is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank my wife, Jessica, for her unwavering support throughout my naval career with enduring long deployments, multiple relocations, time away from her own family and standing by me every step of the way,” Segovia said.
“I was active duty for seven years and joined the reserves in 2015,” Segovia said. “I returned to active duty in 2024 because I missed the lifestyle, the tempo and the sense of mission that comes with serving.”
