Be all that you can be, Navy vet tells kids

He’s been to every continent on the planet, save for Antarctica. He’s lived on ships that are so big they could house every man, woman and child in Columbia Falls. He even has his own sword, but it’s only for ceremonial events.

Robert Stout, a U.S. Navy Master-At-Arms Master Chief and 1992 Columbia Falls High School graduate, returned home last week to chat with local civic groups and kids from the Boys and Girls Club in Columbia Falls.

The kids had plenty of questions, mostly about weapons the Navy uses. Do they have swords? Yes, they have swords. Do they have death machines? Um, not really. Do they have tanks? No. The Navy doesn’t have tanks, but they do transport tanks for the Marines.

The Navy, he explained, isn’t about video game weapons — it’s about patrolling the seas and protecting the people that live near them. Worldwide, 70 percent of humans live near the oceans, and 80 percent of all goods are shipped by sea.

“We’ve got to protect all of that,” he said.

As a Master-At-Arms, his primary duty is law enforcement on bases and ships.

“They don’t ask me to drive the ship,” he told the kids. “They ask me to police the ship.”

The Navy has crimes the same as those on the street — gangs, drugs, theft, to name a few.

“Whatever crime you can think about here, it happens on a base,” he said.

In his 21-year career, Stout said, he’s never had to draw a weapon. He’s lived in Iceland and Italy, participated in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and received the Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal, achievement medal and good conduct medal.

Not that his peers from school would have expected any success from him.

“I was nominated most likely not to succeed in junior high,” he said.

And that’s the point, he told the kids — they need to pursue their dreams, whether it’s in the military or another profession.

“I came back to Montana because you’re our future,” he said. “You’re our future presidents, our senators … whatever you decide to do, go for it. Don’t settle for anything but excellence. Enjoy your life.”

The kids seemed to be doing that just fine. After the talk, they went and played tag with Master Chief Stout on a hot afternoon. Baking in the sun, they felt just fine.