Brandon Newman assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt

Brandon J. Newman returned to Long Beach during Memorial Day weekend to celebrate the holiday with his family before he is shipped out to Norfolk, Virginia, and assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt Aircraft Carrier.

A 2009 graduated of Long Beach High School, Newman walked into the military recruitment center in Freeport and enlisted for five years in the United States Navy.

Newman followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, who served in the U.S. Army in WWII at Normandy, and his father, who served two tours in the U.S. Marine Corp in Vietnam.

Brandon left for boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, on Nov. 1, 2009. After passing his Battle Stations Drill, Newman graduated boot camp on Dec. 30. He then walked across the street from boot camp to the "A School" for training as a Hull technician/fremen recruit. He plans to pursue a Bachelors degree in Engineering and plans to make a career in the military.