JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Black History Month marks a time to celebrate the contributions of African Americans to overcoming racial inequities and promoting opportunities for equal advancement within the Black community. It is also a time to honor the many contributions African Americans have made to the Department of Defense and the nation.
For Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, Rickey King, an information technology specialist, assigned to the command’s High Reliability Operations Department, is a representation of the highly professional and diverse civilian workforce within the Department of the Navy.
Born in Bastrop, Louisiana, King began his Navy civilian career in 2022 after serving as an IT specialist with the Air Force Services Agency.
“I am what many would call a military brat. My father was an E-9 in the Air Force and worked as a drug and alcohol counselor,” said King, who earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. “I got the opportunity to experience different parts of the United States by being stationed in Mississippi, Arkansas, South Carolina, Colorado, North Dakota, Florida and overseas in Guam.”
According to King, who is an avid fisherman, the Navy provided him the opportunity to join the federal civilian workforce.
“The Navy has provided me with pathway to grow further in my IT career,” King said. “The best part of being at NAMRU San Antonio is knowing that I am a contributing piece in an organization that makes an impact in the world with its work in medical, craniofacial, and biomedical research.”
King’s strengths are his passion for becoming better in his career field and being able to quickly retain information which has allowed him to learn new technologies while serving with NAMRU San Antonio.
“The unique part of my job is that we support end users on two different networks,” said King, who has been working in IT for seven years. “This is the first time that I have had the opportunity to experience this.”
One of King’s personal goals while assigned to NAMRU San Antonio is to pursue another degree in cloud computing from Western Governor’s University.
Possessing a diverse workforce is important to NAMRU San Antonio as it acknowledges individual strengths of each Sailor, Soldier, civilian and contractor, and the potential they bring to accomplishing the command’s mission.