Honoring Our Veterans – Michael Gustafson
Author: Matt Nelson
Honoring Our Veterans – Michael Gustafson
Matt Nelson
U.S. Navy Submarine Warfare veteran Michael Gustafson served a total of 21 years on active duty in the Navy and the Navy Reserve. He served his first 11 years on 3 different submarine platforms, while most of his remaining years were as a Navy Reserve prior-service recruiter.
He joined the Navy in 1991, three days after he graduated from high school in Vinton, Iowa. Originally, he signed up to be part of the Navy’s nuclear power program. However, due to military downsizing at the time he couldn’t complete the training. Fortunately, he did receive about eight weeks of training in that field, while in Orlando. He then received training orders for a submarine school in Groton, Connecticut.
Michael said, “The nature of a submariner is the pursuit of excellence and professionalism all while under varying extremes and stressors. Upon sub-school graduation, I was selected to the submarine special projects program. My first two platforms were fast attack submarines, which hunt and track other submarines or ships. My third platform was an Ohio Class ballistic missile submarine that carried Trident missiles, as part of the nuclear triad. I ultimately, completed four patrols (strategic deterrent patrols in nuclear ballistic or cruise missile submarines) with her.
Submariners must cross-train regularly as part of the program. While attached to all three (West Coast-based) submarines, I was part of the firefighting and damage control teams, drove the submarines, was a sonar operator, was a duty radioman, did below decks engineering roving watches, and was part of many security rotations to include Topside Sentry and Petty Officer of the Deck as some of my most common duties.”
After his first 11 years on active duty with the Navy, he joined the Navy Reserve. He drilled with the reserve FISC (supply) Yokosuka Detachment unit for six months, before being accepted into the Navy Reserve Canvassing Recruiter Program. There he spent his remaining eight years on active duty with the Navy and Navy Reserve and became the Recruiter-in-Charge, of Navy Reserve Programs Iowa, where he retired in April 2012.
He took his talent of the pursuit of excellence with him to his recruiting role. His recruiting focus was prior service veterans where he developed a solid reputation, as he didn’t bend the rules and he didn’t lie to people. That rapport naturally, brought him referrals and enabled him, to recruit many people into programs like the Seabees. Michael was very good at his job, as he was the district’s “Navy Reserve Recruiter of the Year” in both 2005 and in 2008 and at one point was ranked nationally in the top 2% of recruiters.
After retiring from the Navy in 2012, Michael went to work with Waterloo Water Works in Waterloo, Iowa. During that time, he enrolled at the University of Northern Iowa where he earned his degrees in Environmental Science and a minor in Earth Science, with an emphasis in Hydrology and Hydrogeology. He and his wife Angela, eventually moved to Belgrade, MT in March 2022 to work as the city’s water department manager. However, by August 2022 he went to work with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in Helena. His current role is as the DEQ Small Business Ombudsman, where he manages the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program. This advocacy program assists Montana’s small businesses in understanding and complying with environmental regulations that cover air, water, and land. That role goes beyond the regulations to prevent pollution and improve environmental quality.
The other role that he manages is the Montana Radon Control Program. Radon is known to be the leading cause of cancer in non-smokers. This program serves to provide technical assistance with all things Radon-related. This service enables Montana residents to have access to the proper resources to identify, address and fix (mitigate) potential radon problems in their homes for a healthier indoor air environment. January is National Radon Action Month… during that month, this program will offer, through the DEQ Radon Control Program website, free short-term Radon test kits.
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Image 1 Caption: Michael Gustafson
Photo Credit: Matt Nelson
Image 2 Caption: Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Gustafson and his wife Angela on their wedding day
Photo Credit: Michael Gustafson
