By Josiah Trombley
Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SAN DIEGO — Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexander Rios, a native of Santa Clarita, supports versatile missions while serving at Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Three.
Rios, a 2015 Canyon High School graduate, joined the Navy eight years ago.
“I joined the Navy because I come from a Navy family,” said Rios. “My mother was an immigrant and joined the Navy. Prior to that, everyone in my family had been in their respective militaries in their countries, so it was destiny for me. I am the first in my family to be born in America.”
Skills and values similar to those found in Santa Clarita are important to succeed in the military, Rios said.
“My hometown taught me to work hard for what I want to achieve and to have self-discipline,” said Rios. “Playing basketball, I learned that I shouldn’t get caught up in the noise outside. The work ethic in my community gave me the drive to go out there and succeed.”
It is important to maintain discipline when working toward goals, Rios said.
“I always tell my sailors to have discipline over motivation because motivation will only get you started, but discipline will keep you going,” said Rios.
These lessons have helped Rios while serving with the Navy.
EOD Mobile Unit Three, which is a sub-component of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, provides deployable explosive ordnance disposal platoons to eliminate hazards from aviation, surface, ground and improvised ordnance and provides diving and demolition services to eliminate hazards from subsurface and underwater mine ordnance.
“The Navy is important to national defense because our presence in the world’s oceans is a deterrent to our adversaries,” said Rios. “Serving in the Navy means I’m sacrificing time and energy so my children won’t have to.”
Rios is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank my wife, Alexis Rios, for always being by my side no matter what,” added Rios. “I would also like to thank my grandmother, Vicktoria Numanovic, and my grandfather, Dimo Vicktoria, for raising me to be the person I am today.”
