Lt. j.g. Josh Fahy, a native of Fayetteville, Arkansas, is one of the sailors ensuring the U.S. Navy maintains freedom from the ocean to the stars at Navy Meteorology and Oceanography Command (METOC).

Fahy currently serves as a METOC officer at METOC, headquartered at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

Fahy graduated from Elkins High School in 2015. Additionally, Fahy graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Arkansas in 2019.

Fahy joined the Navy five years ago.

“It started out as a journey of self-improvement and wanting to challenge myself,” said Fahy. “I looked at where I was in high school and asked myself, ‘What do I want to be in life and what do I want to do?’ I decided I wanted to be the best possible version of myself. I wanted to challenge and grow myself as a person, mentally and physically. I went to college and graduated near the top of my class. Originally, I enlisted out of college and didn’t go the officer route right away because I wanted to get a more hands-on, physical application of my degree in a tough and demanding environment. The military is where I learned how to be mentally tough and mentally strong."

“I joined the Navy because I decided if I was going to be mentally tough and physically tough then I was going to aim to be one of the toughest," said Fahy.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Fayetteville.

“Growing up, my family moved around a lot,” said Fahy. “It was a lot of small towns and rural towns. I always ended up interacting with a wide variety of people from all over. Even in college, I helped as a summer camp counselor for a program called, 'Upward Bound.' These experiences gave me the ability to connect with people from a variety of backgrounds very quickly.”

According to Navy officials, sailors and civilians working throughout Naval Oceanography collect, measure, and analyze the elements of the physical environment (land, sea, air, space). They synthesize a vast array of oceanographic and meteorological data to produce forecasts and warnings in support of safety of flight and navigation.

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

Fahy serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

“We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.”

Fahy has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“My first METOC command when I was an ensign was the Fleet Survey Team (FST),” said Fahy. “There was a civilian shipmate, Mr. Jeffries, who served as the technical director for many years at FST, whose wife had sadly passed on a few years prior. One of our survey vessels, which Mr. Jeffries had helped design, was named after his wife, Norma May. Mr. Jeffries never had the opportunity to ride aboard the vessel prior to his retirement, so before FST was disestablished we invited him on board and spent the afternoon listening to his life story and how he met his wife. It was a beautiful and tender moment that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Fahy can take pride in serving America through military service.

“Serving in the Navy is a chance to contribute to something larger than myself,” said Fahy. “It’s not just all about me, me, me. Serving is having a sense of purpose.”

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

“I want to thank my parents,” added Fahy. “They sculpted and molded me into who I am today and sent me on the right path.”