Oakdale Grad Earns Military Commission, Merchant Marine License

OAKDALE, NY — Oakdale resident Salvatore John Castellano recently graduated magna cum laude from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point.

Castellano earned a Bachelor of Science degree, a commission in the U.S. armed forces and a Merchant Marine officer license. The license qualifies him to serve as an officer aboard U.S.-flagged merchant vessels.

He was nominated to attend the academy by U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino.

The Merchant Marine Academy is one of the nation’s five federal service academies. It trains licensed Merchant Marine officers to serve the United States during peacetime and war.

As part of his four-year education, Castellano spent one year training as a cadet aboard oceangoing vessels.

All academy graduates incur a service obligation. Many serve for eight years as Navy reservists in the Strategic Sealift Officer Program while working aboard U.S.-flagged vessels, while others enter active duty in a branch of the armed forces.

Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll delivered the commencement address and spoke about the graduates’ role in supporting military operations around the world.

“All of you on this field are what keep our Army and the joint force moving around the world, and you are more important now than ever before,” Driscoll said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, whose department oversees the academy, introduced Driscoll and discussed efforts to improve the academy’s infrastructure and strengthen the country’s maritime capabilities.

The academy was dedicated during World War II and has trained mariners to serve the nation in both peace and wartime operations.