On Friday, May 9, David Kosek woke up a civilian and ended his day as a commissioned United States Naval Officer.
David, a member of dentistry’s class of 2011, was sworn in by Navy Lt. Timothy Jackson, a medical officer recruiter for the Navy. Witnessing the ceremony were Dr. Boyd Robinson, Sal Salazar, both of whom served in the Navy before joining the college, and Lorie Primosch.
Following David’s graduation in 2011, he will serve on Naval active duty for three years and then will be in the Navy Reserves for five years. Congratulations, David.
Some history on the U.S. Navy
Early during the American Revolutionary War, members of the Continental Congress debated whether they should establish an official navy. Supporters argued that a navy would protect shipping, defend the coast, and make it easier to seek out support from foreign countries. Detractors countered that is would be foolish to challenge the British Royal Navy, then the worlds preeminent naval power.
While Congress deliberated, it received word that two unarmed British supply ships from England were heading towards Quebec. On October 13, 1775, George Washington announced that he had taken command of three armed schooners under Continental authority to intercept any British supply ships near Massachusetts. October 13 eventually became the United States Navys official birthday.
Today the U.S. Navy currently has over 335,000 personnel on active duty and 128,000 in the Navy Reserve. (It’s unclear how many dentists there are but, for David’s sake, let’s hope he’s not the only one.)