A Navy commander with ties to the Upstate is serving aboard a warship now deployed overseas.
Commander Nicholas Heiliger, whose wife lives in Chesnee, is the executive officer of the USS Cooperstown. A Clover High School graduate, Heiliger joined the Navy 21 years ago, following in the footsteps of his parents and grandfather.
The Navy says the littoral combat ship supports maritime security, deterrence, and partnership missions around the world. Heiliger says "Serving in the Navy means following a legacy of our nation's heroes to ensure our way of life and loved ones are protected."
Full press release below written by Megan Lemly, Navy Office of Community Outreach :
MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Cmdr. Nicholas Heiliger, whose wife lives in Chesnee, South Carolina, serves as the executive officer of USS Cooperstown, a Navy warship that recently went underway on a scheduled deployment.
Heiliger graduated from Clover High School in 2004. Heiliger earned a bachelor's degree in finance in 2008 and a Master's of Business Administration in 2015 from the University of South Carolina.
Heiliger joined the Navy 21 years ago.
"I joined the Navy to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather and parents," Heiliger said.
Cooperstown is a fast, optimally manned, mission-tailored surface combatant that operates in near-shore and open-ocean environments, according to Navy officials. Littoral combat ships integrate with joint, combined, manned and unmanned teams to support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe.
Littoral combat ships are hybrid surface combatants that lead manned-unmanned teams using unmanned aerial systems like the Fire Scout and Expeditionary Ordnance Disposal forces' unmanned underwater vehicles. They conduct forward and maritime security missions like the Secretary of Defense Oceania Maritime Security Initiative. The ships also strengthen partnerships through port visits in small island nations like Tahiti and Fiji due to their shallow-depth hull.
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.
Heiliger has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
"I am most proud of serving on teams that have contributed to the support of the defense of the United States," Heiliger said.
Heiliger serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation's prosperity and security.
"Serving in the Navy means following a legacy of our nation's heroes to ensure our way of life and loved ones are protected," Heiliger said.
Heiliger is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
"I want to thank my parents for their love and support during my upbringing and my wife for being my rock during stressful times," Heiliger added.
