When you grow up in Lubbock, you might not see a coastline for hundreds of miles, but that doesn’t stop some West Texans from choosing a life on the water. One of them is Navy Midshipman 2nd Class David Winger, a proud Lubbock native who’s quickly turning his South Plains grit into a future as a U.S. Navy officer.
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Winger, a 2023 graduate of Frenship High School, is now in his second year at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. And while that sounds like a world away from Lubbock, he says the values that shaped him back home are the same ones pushing him forward today.
“As a child, I learned that approaching every opportunity with confidence leads to a greater outcome,” Winger said.
Hands-On Navy Training, Far from the Cotton Fields
This summer, Winger completed Career Orientation and Training for Midshipmen (CORTRAMID) aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer in San Diego. CORTRAMID is a four-week crash course in Navy and Marine Corps life–surface ships, submarines, aviation, and even a week embedded with Marines.
For Winger, working side by side with enlisted sailors aboard the Boxer left a big impression…