PROUD PARENTS: Senior Chief Roderick Anderson alongside family after his promotion to Chief Petty Officer in Virginia in 2015.

THOMASVILLE- After 20 years of service in the Navy, Thomasville local Senior Chief Roderick Anderson has been screened for advancement to Master Chief Petty Officer, a monumental achievement in his military career.

Born June 21, 1983, Anderson said that his journey in the military began as he followed in the footsteps of his cousin, who joined the U.S. Marines when he decided not to pursue a post-secondary education.

“I had a decision to make at an early age,” he said. “I decided to follow in the footsteps of my cousin.”

And yet, it was after he sat down with a recruiter from the U.S. Navy that he found himself intrigued by the straightforward, black and white details that were laid out to him, which appealed to him more than his eventual sit down with the Marine recruiter.

“They were able to show me everything in black and white,” Anderson said.

Shortly after he graduated from Thomasville High School, Anderson enlisted in September 2001 and completed Aviation Ordnanceman “A” School in Pensacola, Florida. The school was a two month experience following the completion of boot camp.

Anderson said that his position as an Aviation Ordnanceman meant that he maintained and inspected airborne weapons and aviation ordnance equipment, such as weapons, alongside other duties and responsibilities that changed from command to command.

“It’s a plethora of things,” Anderson said. “It differs at each command.”

Having visited over 21 different countries throughout six different deployments, Anderson said that he was a small town Georgian at heart and a homebody by trade and the shock he felt during a 2-year stationing in Atsugi, Japan was very real.

“By trade, I’m a homebody,” he said. “It was a shock, definitely a different country.”

While he had no love for the local cuisine, Anderson said that the Japanese people were some of the most genuinely helpful people he’d ever met.

Anderson said that, despite the distance, he stayed close and connected with his family and they supported him every step of the way.

“They’re obviously supporting every step of the way,” he said. “Naturally, they stayed in touch.”

Now a father of four, Anderson added that as he had more and more family to leave when he was deployed, the harder it got to be away.

“It became a lot harder to be away,” he said.

Now in the process of ascending to the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer as of May 2023, which makes up only 1.25% of enlisted Navy personnel, Anderson said that he is humbled by how far his military career has come.

“It’s a very humbling thing, to say the least. When I first joined the military, the only goal I set out was to be a Chief, so to not only accomplish that feat, but go as far as the enlisted rank would allow, is very, very humbling,” he said. ”It’s a definite feel good story based off my upbringing, only military member on the family to do 20 years or more. So, for 20 years to possibly turn into 30 by ranking the highest enlisted rank is a big deal.”

With plans to serve at least a minimum of 30 years before even beginning to consider retirement, Anderson said that he has enjoyed his time in the U.S. Navy and intends to enjoy the rest of his service.

“It’s been fun,” he said. “I’ve been able to travel the world.”

Anderson’s qualifications include being an Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist, Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist, and Enlisted Information Warfare Specialist. His personal awards include two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and a Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.