Hayfield Dreams and Corps Values

By Rear Adm. Michael Steffen ’92, U.S. Navy

Growing up on a farm in Bedford, Virginia, I used to run out into the front hayfield, look into the sky and watch Navy F-4 Phantoms and A-6 Intruders roar by on a low-level route and dream what it would be like. This was reinforced by my mom, who was a private pilot and used to take me flying when I was little. Fast forward to my senior year of high school and I was working hard to make that dream a reality by applying to the Naval Academy, VMI, and Virginia Tech.

Finding Virginia Tech to be the right mix of military and traditional college experience, I matriculated as a Hokie and joined the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets (VTCC) and the Naval ROTC program. The VTCC helped launch me on an epic adventure that has spanned four years of college and 30+ years of a Navy career which has taken me around the world and introduced me to many life-long friends, colleagues, and unforgettable experiences.

An initial “unforgettable experience” was my first full day in the Corps with Kilo Company. The previous afternoon our parents had moved us into our rooms and waved goodbye as we observed colors on the VT before dinner. The next morning kicked off the real training when we were woken by the ear-splitting sound of Guns-n-Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” echoing through the hallways and our cadre sergeants bellowing “GET ON LINE”!

Over the course of the next four years, immersed in the VTCC, I gained invaluable leadership training, formed unbreakable bonds with my classmates, blossomed into a decent student, met my future wife, and recovered from a few mistakes that made me a better person and leader. The Corps was a complementary mix of academics, athletics, discipline, and fun, all at the same time. Some of my fondest memories include things like Halloween formation, pie day, home football games, major class projects, and company athletics.

I look back on my freshman year with a current perspective and am still impressed by how professional our upperclassmen were (C/CPT Rodriguez, C/1SG Lacroix, C/SSG Debbie Werling, C/SGT Clos, C/ CPL Seiber to name a few) and how much we learned in such a small amount of time. Of course, they were guided and influenced by an extremely professional and dedicated group of advisors and ROTC instructors, including such legends as Col. Vander Pyl, Col. Wilson, Sgt. Maj. Longrie (and Joyce, the VTCC secretary!), as well as our Naval instructors, Capt. Smart, Maj. Holm and Staff Sgt. Too. Under their leadership and watchful eyes, along with many others in the VTCC, I learned numerous lessons, but here are a few of the most important:

1 – Core values. In the Navy, it’s Honor, Courage, and Commitment… all of which started (with me) at the VTCC. But I would add Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), too. Being a servant leader and carrying yourself with a dose of humility creates trust with the people you serve with.

2 – Performance under pressure. This did me well during four combat tours in Iraq and numerous other real-world operations and intense training evolutions (like landing a helicopter on a pitching deck of a ship at night).

3 – Teamwork. The military is the ultimate “team sport” and the VTCC engrained in me the importance of utilizing the skills and talents of everyone in your unit to get the job done, regardless of their rank or grade. 

4 – Hard work. Nothing comes easy and working hard every day at your profession improves the odds of success.

5 – True Friendship. During the crucible of freshman year and the ongoing training, you get a chance to figure out who’s going to run and who has your back. I graduated with an incredible class (’92), many of whom I stay in touch with to this day -- Bruce Curling, Scott Loudenback, Courtney Hollar, and John Marchetti to name a few.

6 – Joint experience. While the service academies offer excellent academic and service-specific programs, I would argue one of VTCC’s strongest value propositions for a cadet is being raised in a joint environment with our sister services. I can’t overstate how valuable this was throughout my entire career.

7 – Communication & networking. The opportunity to work with a diverse group of people, of all different backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities was impactful on my success. 

These lessons carried me through over 30 years of my Navy career with great success, and what an incredible ride it’s been. I joined the Navy under the advertising taglines “Join the Navy, see the world,” and “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure,” and wow, did they deliver!

Having grown up in the shadow of the first Top Gun movie, I thought I was destined to fly F-14 Tomcats, making it through primary flight training with excellent grades. But the Navy had other plans, drafting most of my class to fly helicopters. (Ironically, several of my flight school classmates later transitioned to jets and a good friend who I deployed with during my first tour would become the Navy’s technical coordinator for Top Gun: Maverick)

Flying helicopters turned out to be a blessing, exposing me to nearly every mission area the Navy had to offer, from tactical assignments firing Hellfire missiles and fast-roping SEALs on rooftops, to practical duties delivering supplies and medevac flights taking sailors off ships. 

I’ve had an unusual and diverse career that started with a traditional carrierbased anti-submarine helicopter squadron but took several twists and turns, including a long period with the Navy’s only two squadrons dedicated to special operations, and then back to a traditional light anti-submarine helicopter squadron as the commanding officer. I later had the privilege of commanding at the wing, installation, and flag levels. I joke that over the course of my career, I’ve been kicked out of every helicopter community in the Navy, but truthfully my adaptability and work ethic (planted and cultivated by the VTCC) have given Navy leadership the flexibility to place me where I was needed most. 

Along the way, I’ve sailed around the world, done several western Pacific deployments, completed four combat tours conducting special operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, chased drug runners in the Caribbean, and most importantly had the privilege to lead and advocate for our Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines at every level.

People usually ask me what was my most meaningful tour. I think that is nearly impossible to answer since each tour has had an incredible impact in both my personal development as well as contributing to the Navy mission, the joint force, and national defense. If I had to pick one, I would say it was all five of my command tours. This is where I feel I had the most impact, both with the mission and our people.

For the mission, I tried to push the edge of the operational envelope and leave the organization better than I found it. My time in the Corps also taught me how important it was to innovate and push to implement new ideas. I’m proud to have been an integral part of the development of the Seahawk Weapons and Tactics program, introducing the FLIR Hellfire weapons system to the east coast fleet, bringing a night airborne use of force capability to the anti-submarine and strike helicopter community, and develop new concepts with our fleet commanders to tackle difficult anti-submarine problems.

For our people, I did my best to ensure they were taken care of by fighting for training and resources, while holding them to a high standard to give the highest possible chance of mission success.

I also have to call out my tours at HCS-4 & HCS-5 that covered my time in Iraq. Although I was not in command of either squadron at the time, I was one of the primary mission leads and a weapons instructor, which meant my leadership was best expressed in the planning room and the cockpit. My crews and I conducted over 125 missions and I’m proud to say we usually captured our targets, and everyone got home safe.

All of these experiences have helped prepare me for my current position as Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command. In this role, I’m in charge of the manning, training, and equipping of the Navy Reserve, proudly serving a force of 58,000 dedicated Sailors who operate across the entire spectrum of mission sets the Navy has to offer.

Perhaps the most important thing out of all my time in the VTCC and my subsequent Navy career is the importance of family. Both my immediate family and our Hokie family. I’ve had the great fortune after I graduated to reunite periodically with numerous Hokies, many times in interesting and unexpected places like bumping into John Brinker at the chow hall in Kuwait, Brad Lawing at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., Tim Palmer at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Doug Beaver living 3 blocks away in Norfolk, Mark and Erin Leavitt in Coronado (and around the Navy), Brig. Gen. Doug Clark (USMC) on a secure video teleconference, Steve Scarfe trying to rally local Hokies together in northern Virginia, Dan Vogel and his wife Julie, who always feed me when I visit D.C. and a whole host of Hokies at the Pentagon, led by Geoff Stewart and Noel Smart who even joined forces with me and braved the great soggy Military Bowl of 2018! To top it all off, I even have a VT alum, Lt. Chelsea Cannaday, working in the public affairs office on my staff; Hokies everywhere!

Last but not least, I need to make sure I give full honors to my beautiful bride, Jennifer, a super motivated Army cadet who I met in the Corps back in 1990 and has followed me (out of sheer curiosity) for the last 32 years. She has been the rock that holds our family together while I’m galivanting around the world and raising three amazing daughters (one of which graduates from VT this winter). When my Navy career comes to an end in a few years, the thing I will be most proud of is that she will still be by my side, ready to become a regular tailgater as we continue to cheer on our beloved Hokie Nation!