Master Chief Gina C. Rivera recently retired from the U.S. Navy, with 25 years of service. She enlisted in the Navy in March, 1991, and completed basic training at Recruit Training Command Orlando. In 1992 she graduated from Cyrptologic Technician Interpretive ‘A’ School at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, California, successfully completing the Basic Chinese-Mandarin course. After conquering the training pipeline for Naval Aircrewman designation, she arrived at Naval Security Group Activity, Pyongtaek, Korea in 1993. She qualified Airborne Cyrptologic Direct Support Element operator on the EP-3E and ES-3A airborne platforms, and earned the Naval Aircrewman warfare designator with Fleet Air Reconnaissance squadron FIVE (VQ-5), NAS Agana, Guam. Rivera was selected Junior Sailor of the Year for her Command, and subsequently selected Naval Security Group Command JSOY 1994.
Following the decommissioning of NSGA Pyongtaek in December 1993, she transferred to NSGA Kunia, Hawaii, where she supported a CNO-sponsored Special Reconnaissance Operations platform, VQ-1, and a historic deployment with VQ-5 onboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, the first West Coast aircraft carrier to integrate women (WestPac 1995). She qualified CDSE Mission Supervisor and surpassed the career 1000 flight hour milestone. In 1996 she was selected for the Enlisted Education Advancement Program, during which she graduated from Hawaii Pacific Kunia in 1999 as Analysis and Reporting Mission Manager and Senior Reporting Officer. In April 2001 she was called upon to serve on the repatriation team for the EP-3E crew detained on Hainan Island, China following a mid-air collision.
In 2001 she transferred back to DLIFLC where she served as Command Career Counselor, Military Language Instructor and Department Chief of aspiring CTIs. She qualified Master Training Specialist and in 2003 was advanced to Chief Petty Officer. This preceded her appointment in 2005 as CTI Enlisted Detailer at Navy Personnel Command, Tennessee, where she managed the distribution and career guidance of CTIs stationed worldwide. In August 2008 she transferred to Navy Information Operations Command Maryland where she served as Leading Chief Petty Officer of the Advanced Language Response Team and the Operations Department, and earned designation as Information Dominance Warfare Specialist. On her second tour in Maryland she served as the CTI Functional Manager, Senior Language Advisor, and Enlisted Functional Management Senior Enlisted Leader, responsible for the assignment process of joint-service personnel stationed at National Security Agency.
MCPO Rivera has been awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (four awards), Navy Achievement Medal (four awards), and various unit and campaign decorations. Rivera is a 1989 graduate of Marianna High School.
She is the daughter of Susan Rivera Bowden of Marianna. Rivera’s actual retirement ceremony was held Friday, March 25 in Maryland.
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