On February 24th, 2022, students and staff assigned to Information Warfare Training Command Virginia Beach (IWTCVB) gathered to celebrate National African American/Black History Month. 

The event was hosted by the Multi-Cultural Heritage Committee and included guest speakers from local commands.

Naval Air Station Oceana Command Master Chief De’Andre Beaufort spoke about how much the Navy has evolved since he joined back in 1994. He also applauded recent initiatives implemented by Navy leadership designed to improve and promote diversity among the enlisted and officer ranks.
“Unlike many of our ancestors, we can sit here together today united as one,” said Beaufort. “Due to the many accomplishments of people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., African-American men and women can lead people of all colors while serving our great country.”

Beaufort reinforced his stance on why all people should celebrate the occasion saying, “This is a month for everybody to celebrate how far we’ve come and understand how far we still have left to go… I’ve been in places where the person standing beside me and saving my life did not look like me.”

Two IWTCVB staff members shared their own stories and personal experiences.

Erleen Hughes, a directorate training specialist and retired chief petty officer, talked about her childhood and the close-knit Massachusetts community she grew up in before joining the Navy. Hughes described how her mother supported her decision to enlist but voiced some concerns that her daughter would face discrimination.
“As a Seaman, I didn’t notice how people looked different from me because I saw more and more individuals in leadership positions that looked like me,” said Hughes. “I appreciate how the Navy continues to realize how important this month truly is.”

Information Systems Technician Senior Chief Christine Reed, IWTCVB’s Multi-Cultural Heritage Committee Coordinator, recited President Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and finished with motivating words before dismissing the crowd.
“Every month we celebrate in the Navy matters, and it lets Sailors reflect on things that have shaped the way we can serve today,” said Reed. “Black History Month matters as does every month we have yet to establish.”

IWTCVB currently offers 56 courses of instruction in information technology, cryptology, and intelligence with an instructor and support staff of 278 military, civilian, and contract members who train over 6,600 students every year at five training sites in the Hampton Roads area. It is one of four schoolhouses for the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT) and also oversees learning sites at Jacksonville and Mayport, Florida; Kings Bay, Georgia; and Groton, Connecticut to continue aligning information warfare community training.