Submariners make up only 10 percent of the U.S. Navy’s personnel, but they play a critical role in carrying out one of the Defense Department’s most important missions — strategic deterrence.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Mackenzie Thomas, a native of Estill Springs and a 2019 graduate of Franklin County High School, is one of the sailors continuing a 123-year tradition of service under the sea to help ensure Americans’ safety.

Thomas joined the Navy three years ago and today serves as a machinist’s mate (nuclear) aboard the USS Florida.

“Due to the pandemic, I was looking for new career opportunities that weren’t available outside of the military,” Thomas said. “My grandfather, who served 27 years in the Navy, suggested that I join that branch.”

Thomas said that life lessons from her time in Estill Springs have helped her during her naval career.

“I learned from my hometown that nothing is given and that everything is earned,” Thomas said.

Serving in the Navy means Thomas is part of a team that is taking on a new importance in America’s focus on strengthening alliances, modernizing capabilities, increasing capacities and maintaining military readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy.

“The Navy ensures that we as a nation are able to have freedom of navigation on the seas,” Thomas said.

Sailors like Thomas have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.

“Earning my ‘fish’ or submarine warfare device is my proudest accomplishment,” Thomas said. “Your ‘fish’ means that the people on your boat trust you with their lives and that, in the event of a casualty, I’m a person they can trust to save the ship and their lives.”

As Thomas and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.

“Serving in the Navy means that my career path is no longer just for me anymore,” Thomas said. “Before the Navy, I worked three jobs and it felt like it was for nothing. Now though, I have one career path that I know is for something much bigger than myself.”

Thomas is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I’d like to thank my grandfather and father as they are my biggest supporters,” Thomas said. “And I’d also like to thank my sisters because they serve as a reminder to me of why we are out there. I’m hopefully making the world safer for my sisters.”