Orangeburg native appointed brigade commander at U.S. Naval Academy

The Orangeburg native, the son of Jackie Booker Sr. and Kathy Booker of Orangeburg, has always had a drive to excel, having succeeded both academically and with his character development while growing up in the hometown that he loves.

His journey has taken him through Marshall Elementary School, William J. Clark Middle School and the High School for Health Professions in Orangeburg, along with the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics in Hartsville, South Carolina, before his appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 2018.

‘It’s real important to know yourself’

The 21-year-old said his appointment as a brigade commander was exciting.

"I just had like a lot of emotions within the first couple of minutes of finding out. A lot of excitement, relief, gratitude, shock and a little bit of fear because it's kind of a big role to take on,” Booker said.

The student body of the U.S. Naval Academy is segmented into smaller groups. More than 100 midshipmen are assigned to live and train together in one of 30 companies. From there, five companies are further grouped into one of six battalions, which make up the Brigade of Midshipmen.

As brigade commander, Booker sits at the very top in the highest position of leadership in the Brigade of Midshipmen, but it’s not a position he will let go to his head, he said.

“I’ve always felt like being a leader is more being the person that can inspire and help other people do what they want to do and set out goals that they want to achieve. That’s something I really want to focus on and have the opportunity to do with everyone I’m working with,” Booker said.

“You can do a lot on your own, but it’s always easier when you have other people. I think that’s the most important thing about being a leader, serving others and not serving yourself,” he said.

What will his duties entail? There are many subsets of them, Booker said.

“More specifically, I’m going to be working with the commandant of midshipmen. The commandant is equivalent to the dean of students for a civilian school. So I’ll work closely with the commandant to work on policies, plans, and different things to help fulfill them mission of the Naval Academy,” he said.

Booker said taking advantage of different opportunities to learn and grow helped prepare him for his leadership role.

“For the summer training that we typically do during the summer, I had the opportunity to work in the office of the Pentagon for about a month. That was just really a good experience in understanding how the Pentagon operates and the military side of it,” he said.

He also served as a detailer during Plebe Summer, the summer training program which is required of all incoming freshmen to the U.S. Naval Academy. The programs lasts approximately seven weeks and consists of rigorous physical and mental training.

“The incoming freshmen get acclimated to military lifestyle. I had the opportunity to serve as one of their squad leaders for a month. That was really fulfilling, being in that position only two years earlier and seeing how a new high school graduate can be molded into someone who’s acclimated to the military and ready to carry out military duties,” Booker said.

As a brigade commander, Booker was selected from a group of first-class midshipmen for demonstrating outstanding leadership and academic and athletic capabilities. His duties will also include being responsible for the brigade’s daily activities and training, which includes developing efficiency and morale. The brigade commander is also held ultimately accountable for the conduct of the brigade and taking corrective actions as necessary.

“My leadership staff and I will work to create different events and policies, things that are geared towards ensuring that the brigade morale is good. I think the first thing leaders should recognize is that it’s not all about themselves. It’s about the people around them,” Booker said

He continued, “But I also think it’s real important to know yourself and who you are as a leader. If you don’t yourself, you can’t really know other people  and effectively lead them if you can’t lead yourself.”

‘Everyone helped mold me’

Booker has a fascination with military history, part of the reason he was drawn to the U.S. Navy.

“I just felt like a natural affinity for the Navy, just learning about the naval aviators that fought in World War I, World War II and Korea, and the Navy SEALS. Those parts of history and that culture really made me interested. Ever since I found out about the Naval Academy in eighth or ninth grade, I just kind of knew that was where I wanted to be,” he said.

His said his foundation for success was laid with the help of many.

“I can’t take all the credit. I think it begins with my parents and from a young age. They just really encouraged me. I had a love of learning. They were taking me to different museums, different sight-seeing places, and I was reading a lot of books and watching TV or movies I was generally interested in. That just kind of instilled in me to enjoy learning and then as I grew older, I kind of put that on myself,” Booker said.

He said he would not have succeed with his parents. He is in his fourth year as a midshipman and is set to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in May of 2022.

“My parents always being supportive and having belief in me encouraged me to really expand my horizons and be willing to take risks and opportunities that may be challenging. Overtime, that just built confidence in me,” Booker said.

His mother, Kathy, said she is proud of her son. She is also mother to his younger brother, Jason, 15.

“Seeing how dedicated and focused that Jackie has been since a small child makes me beyond proud of him reaching this milestone. It makes me happy to see him reap the rewards of his labor and hard work,” she said.

Jackie’s mother said discipline, determination and desire has been his recipe for success.

“And that’s not just in one area, but in all aspects of life. Utilizing those traits in his daily walk has certainly prepared him for this new role,” she said.

Booker said, “I’ve always been the type of person to have a lot of different interests. I want to do a lot of different things. I know that at some point I wanted to go to graduate school. I’d also probably be open to returning to the Naval Academy as an instructor, or to serve under a staff. I think that would be really fun.”

He continued, “In terms of me staying in the Navy and making it a career, I’ve always felt like as long as I feel the Navy is a place for me and that I’m able to serve others and make a difference in the lives of others, then I’ll stay in the Navy. It’s kind of one of those moving goal posts. As long as I’m happy, achieving and staying fulfilled, then I’ll stay.”

Booker also praised his local Orangeburg community for molding him too.

“It’s always nice to come home. I can go out and get something to eat, go to the YMCA, or just anywhere and run into family, friends and old teachers. There’s always a person I know and can always talk to. It’s a real supportive community. I’ll always appreciate that,” he said.

“My community played a pretty big part in molding me into who I am today. Everyone just kind of laid a hand on me and helped mold me.”