PENSACOLA, Fla. – From a collection of worthy contenders, Cryptologic Technician Technical 1st Class Ariel Flowers, assigned to Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station, was selected the 2022 Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT) Sailor of the Year.
 
Flowers was selected for her outstanding performance as the AN/SLQ-32 Shipboard Operations Leading Petty Officer, leading IWTC Corry Station in instructor readiness, and for the numerous hours she has dedicated to bettering the CTT rating through Occupational Standards reviews, curriculum development, and course material analysis.
 
Her accomplishments also included, founding the Gay, Lesbian, and Supportive Sailors (GLASS) chapter on Corry Station with the help of her cabinet. The program provides LGBTQ+ community with education and mentorship for and has participation from both staff and students.
 
“The thing that helped me out the most is definitely the people, surrounding me,” said Flowers. “My peers, the students that I teach, and my chain of command have given me the opportunity to be here today.”
 
Flowers said she is excited to represent the Information Warfare (IW) community and praised various departments for their contributions.
 
“I didn’t do it single-handedly, it’s a win for the CTTs, it’s a win for the base, and it’s a win for the IW community as a whole,” said Flowers. “That’s what I care about; to see the work that we do on the deck-plate. I love to be able to represent them on one of the highest stages.”
 
She said that she was shocked and overcome with emotion, when Capt. Chris Bryant, commanding officer of CIWT, announced she had won Sailor of the Year for the Domain.
 
“I always wanted to achieve something like this and to finally have that, it’s a sigh of relief,” said Flowers. “I took my 24 hours to celebrate and got back to the grind.”
 
Flowers had previously won Sailor of the Quarter in June 2022, and was named IWTC Corry Station’s Sailor of the Year 2022, which enabled her to reach this achievement. She said she is happy to make it this far and sees anything more as a bonus.
 
At the end of April, she will one of four Sailors competing in the Naval Education and Training Command’s Sailor of the Year board, and if successful there will be in the running for the upper echelons.
 
“CIWT is proud of CTT1 Flowers’ achievement and her dedication to the information warfare community,” said Bryant. “Her leadership, attention to detail, and knowledge of her rating sets her apart from her peers. Well done to her and the other finalists, and we look forward to seeing how she does in the next level of the competition.”
 
Among the finalists were Cryptologic Technician Collection 1st Class Evans Grant, assigned to CIWT, Cryptologic Technician Interpretive 1st Class David Nickles, assigned to IWTC, Monterey, Cryptologic Technician Collection 1st Class Lauren Garcia, assigned to IWTC, Virginia Beach, and Information Systems Technician 1st Class Tyranae Murray, assigned to IWTC, San Diego.
 
With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, Center for Information Warfare Training trains over 26,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. Center for Information Warfare Training also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.