As chief engineer on USS Kidd (DDG-100), Lt. Cmdr. Kenyon Williams, USN, oversees about 70 sailors and is responsible for all the ship’s systems, including propulsion, air, water, and power. He said serving as department head on a surface ship is one of the most challenging experiences he’s had, but it’s also his most proud accomplishment.

“Keeping a ship afloat, on task, and moving for over 400 days in 18 months is no easy task. … It has been grueling yet incredibly fulfilling” said Williams, who attended the U.S. Naval Academy and received his commission in 2014.

Williams credits his parents for starting him on the path to military service. His father, a retired Army first sergeant, is a Junior ROTC instructor.

“I grew up around the military and was familiar with it,” Williams said. “My parents’ rule for me was that if I was smart or athletic enough to earn a scholarship, I shouldn’t pay for college. I applied to and was accepted into West Point, the Air Force Academy, and the Naval Academy.”

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He decided to attend the Naval Academy for a simple reason: “It was close to home and not as cold.”

Williams has served more than a decade as a surface warfare officer and said he continues to serve for “the challenge of the career.”

“The challenge is the agency a person must have to succeed in the naval operating environment, and the career is the continual learning of seamanship, navigation, tactics, and leadership inherent to the job of a surface warfare officer,” he explained. “Every day of operation at sea doesn’t just happen; it is the culmination of experience, innovation, grit, and will from the entire crew.”

He also has enjoyed the opportunities to see new places and experience new things.

“The way we are able to see the world in the Navy is truly astonishing,” Williams said.

He taught at the Spanish Naval Academy in Marin, Spain, an experience he described as “culturally immersive,” working with foreign partners from Spain and France and living among the Galician community. 

Williams recognizes military service isn’t for everyone, but he believes everyone can find a way to serve.

“I would encourage someone to serve their country in the way they see fit. … Service to others is a core component of a functioning society,” he said. “But if the military is your calling, it’ll change you forever. The opportunity to lead servicemembers at a young age in an environment that is constantly changing and having to create something out of nothing is an experience that will forever change you for the better.”