Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Gerould Scot from Livonia, N.Y. has achieved a lot in the short time he has been in the Navy. Scot enlisted in the Army in 2009 where he served as a 91B, also known as a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic, for four years. Earning three Army Achievement Medals for top performance as a mechanic.
In 2013 he transitioned to civilian life where he continued working within his trade as a heavy equipment and field mechanic.

“I spent as much time as I could learning the heavy mechanic trade, working as a field mechanic for different companies,” said Scot. “One of the companies was John Deere, where through training, I achieved the title of Master Mechanic.”

In March 2024, Scot joined the Navy Reserve as a Construction Mechanic assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 27 in Gulfport, Miss. Within 6 months of becoming a Navy Reservist, he went on a two-week active training to Naval Station Rota, where he and his team went to Camp Mitchell in Rota, Spain, in support of NMCB 1.

When discussing what serving in the Navy means to him, Scot spoke about his family.

“Being in the Navy has given me another way to provide for my family," said Scot. "Whether it’s the additional health or education benefits received, it is all in support of my family,” 

While in Rota, Scot was able to pull from experiences he gained through the Army, civilian life and the Navy to assist NMCB 1 in improving mission readiness through the repair of two 12k forklifts. During the repairs, Scot led the charge in the removal, repair and re-installation of one 12k forklift engine; passing on his knowledge to everyone around him every step of the way.

“When CM2 Scot arrived on camp, we had three 12K forklifts down and needing repair," said Construction Mechanic 1st Class Michael Grant, NMCB 1 cost control maintenance supervisor. "The 12K is our most efficient method of material handling equipment and is crucial in completing our current mission. During his two weeks, CM2 Scot was able to diagnose all three and repair two of them. In just two weeks, one Reserve Sailor was able to increase our mission capability by almost two hundred percent."

Other leadership at the battalion, including Senior Chief Constructionman Jerry Johnson, NMCB 1 operations chief, said that he was pleasantly surprised to find out that Scot was a master mechanic in his civilian life and appreciated his initiative to solve relevant problems.

“We often work with the Reserve Battalions and always have opportunities to employ them during their two week active training,” said Johnson. “Not every reservist works in the same field as their Navy Rate in the civilian sector, so you sometimes get a mix of skill sets.”

Homeported on Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, Miss., NMCB 1 is forward deployed under 22nd Naval Construction Regiment in support of Commander, Task Force 68, which executes command and control of assigned Navy Expeditionary Combat Forces in the 6th Fleet, Europe-Africa area of operations to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.

CTF 68, headquartered in Rota, Spain, commands all Navy Expeditionary Forces in U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility and is responsible for providing EOD operations, naval construction, expeditionary security, and theater security efforts in direct support of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and U.S. 6th Fleet.