SUFFOLK, Va. – Cmdr. Andy Rucker, a native of Lowell, serves the U.S. Navy as Commander, Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR), and has been in the military for almost 20 years.
A 2001 Lowell High School graduate, Rucker attended St. Edward with his family while growing up, leaving to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. After graduation he was commissioned as an ensign 19 years ago and today serves as a deputy information systems and information professional officer.
He plans to stay in the Navy at least several additional years after learning he has been selected for a promotion to captain that will likely take effect in late 2025 as part of a seniority system. “I am one of the youngest sailors being promoted, so I have to wait my turn during the fiscal year that just started in October,” he explained.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Lowell, Rucker believes. “I learned from growing up in a small town the value of being self-reliant and the value of being a good citizen and working with your community,” said Rucker, a former Boy Scout with Troop 302, then Troop 101, who also learned his work ethic by helping with his family’s garden nursery while growing up.
“I joined the Navy because I had an interest in Naval history,” said Rucker, who was enticed to join the Jr. ROTC Unit at LHS because a Nava history was offered. “I figured if I liked it, I’d stick with it.
"It got to the point where instead of just reading about Naval exploits, I wanted to experience (it) for myself. The JRROTC instructors were very helpful in answering my questions and guiding me." In high school, Rucker also participated in the Academic Decathlon and the AV club.
At the Naval Academy, he joined the Catholic Choir which annually traveled to New York City for Veterans Day performances and took pre-Easter trip to Norfolk, Va. or Charleston, SC. “In fact, after graduation I was assigned to the Nuclear Power Training Unit in South Carolina and spent a year singing in the Charleston Cathedral Choir,” Rucker said.
Once assigned to a Navy submarine, Rucker found the tight quarters conducive to religious worship. “I only had to walk about 200 feet to the chapel to attend Mass,” he remembers.
Rucker, who married in 2009, also met his wife, Gwen, while at the academy. “My roommate and her roommate at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia had been dating for years and they set us up on a blind date. The couple now have three sons, identical twins William and James – named for their grandfathers – age nine, and Andrew, 6, and live in Suffolk.
For Rucker, family separation is now the biggest challenge when he is deployed. “For other sailors, it may be something else,” he noted.
Navy information warfare (IW) plays in a role in every Navy mission, every day, around the globe. NAVIFOR’s mission is to ensure the more than 60,000 IW sailors and civilians in the fleet – experts in cyberspace, communications, intelligence, meteorology, oceanography, cryptology, electronic warfare and space – are trained, equipped, certified and ready to meet the Navy’s warfighting missions.
“Information Warfare extends from seabed to space, and is critical to our Navy’s success in competition, crisis and conflict,” said Vice Adm. Mike Vernazza, the Navy’s IBoss and commander of NAVIFOR.
Rucker 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 (that) the nation needs.”
While no longer on submarines, Rucker has had many opportunities to achieve goals during his military service. “There are quite a few things I'm proud of, but most recently, I was deployed on the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship, during COVID-19 and I was able to accomplish my mission while still ensuring the morale and safety of my junior sailors despite the circumstances,” said Rucker. He served on the Bataan, which resembles an aircraft carrier but serves to transport troops from sea to land, for two years. “One deployment is usually scheduled for six months, but is almost always extended to 8-9 month,” said Rucker, who has visited ports from the Middle East to Israel, Spain, France and Italy, but has never faced combat.
“There is no ‘frontline’ at sea, so you are constantly on watch for what can happen,” he said. “Several years ago there were a couple of Navy ships that collided with merchant ships and while sailors died, the remaining crew had to save the ship and continue the mission.”
Rucker takes pride in serving his country through military service. “Serving in the Navy feels like an extension of the value of service I learned in my small town,” said Rucker. "I've now gotten to do things with the Navy that I never thought I would do for a career, and it's been an incredible opportunity and I'm very grateful for all those opportunities."
Rucker is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible. “I would like to thank my wife, Gwen, because, without her love and support, I don't think I would have made it as far as I have," added Rucker. "I'd also like to thank my parents, Marie and Bill, for their support and the snacks. They recently moved from Lowell to the Indianapolis area to be nearer to my sister, Sarah, and her family, and just visited my family in October.
“I would also like to thank all the amazing sailors I've gotten to work with over the years,” he added, “and lastly, a big thanks to Capt. Leland, Capt. Stowe, Capt. Burton, Capt. Martin and Capt. Carmickle."
A number of years ago, Rucker returned to Lowell High School for a recruiting visit. “If I went back now, I would tell the students not to believe all the unfiltered negativity you read on social media, where people can post anonymously. As with anything, you will be more likely to succeed if you go in with knowledge about what you’d like to do and accomplish, and take advantage of the resources available when you encounter difficulties.
“There are lots of opportunities in the military if you are willing to work hard, and there is no limit to the things you can accomplish,” he said.
Contributing to this story was U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Whitten Helton.
Caption: U.S. Navy Cmdr. Andy Rucker, a Lowell native and parishioner at St. Edward while growing up, is assigned to Commander, Naval Information Forces, in Suffolk, Va. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sierra Garcia photo)