West Central graduate and Humboldt native Michael Becker initially joined the Navy, to be a Navy SEAL. Unfortunately, health issues prevented those plans and his dreams shifted to becoming a pilot. He will be attending Officer Candidate School in 2023 and will be in flight school for the following two years.

Becker is currently stationed at U.S. Navy Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW), in San Diego. He is one of 1,000 military personnel at the FRCSW, which also employs about 3,000 civilians located in California or other readiness centers across the world. The San Diego based Readiness Center was established in 1919 and is a naval aviation repair and maintenance facility. The Center is one of six in the U.S. that provide top-notch support to the Navy and Marines for aircraft.

Currently Becker is an avionics technician working on F-18s and helicopter equipment. “I joined the Navy because I knew it could and would make a difference for not only myself but my future family as I am married with a newborn son. I also mainly joined just because I wanted to serve the country I love and I couldn’t think of any better way to do that then to join the military and protect my family and loved ones as many have done before me,” said Becker.