North Dakota native serves as commodore of U.S. Navy’s “Take Charge and Move Out” mission

OKLAHOMA CITY – Every sailor’s story of naval service is unique. For Capt. David Gardner, this story began in New England, North Dakota, where skills and values learned there would be foundational to success in the Navy.

“The small town, get-to-know-everyone attitude helped me,” Gardner said. “I was outgoing and learned to meet others. This is similar to how it feels in the military, especially with each command that feels like a small town.”

Gardner graduated from New England High School in 1996, and attended North Dakota State for one year, before going to the U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated from the academy in 2001.

Gardner joined the Navy 29 years ago.

“I was interested in the academies because I felt like it was a challenge that I needed,” Gardner said. “All through high school, I tried to challenge myself in sports, leadership and academics.”

Today, Gardner serves as the commodore of Strategic Communications Wing ONE in Oklahoma City. Gardner supports the nation’s nuclear deterrence mission at Strategic Communications Wing One (STRATCOMMWING ONE). Its “Take Charge and Move Out” (TACAMO) mission provides airborne communication links to nuclear missile units of U.S. Strategic Command.

The TACAMO mission originated in 1961 when a Marine Corps aircraft was used to test the feasibility of an airborne Very Low Frequency (VLF) communications system. Once the test was successful, funding for the program was granted, and it has continued to grow ever since.

By Alvin Plexico, Navy Office of Community Outreach