Sailor of the Week, Oct. 15 - Oct. 22, 2010

Biography

GM3 Cody Christian Hayden was born in Dalton, GA and lived there until he was 7. His family moved to Gainesville, GA. Cody graduated from West Hall High School.

He enlisted in DEP a few days after his 17 birthday and really enjoyed the DEP learning and preparation process. His passion for the military goes back to when Cody was only 4 or 5 years old. He always wanted to be a Marine, but the Navy recruiter got to him first. He does not regret his choice of the Navy. Cody is the first member of his dad's side of the family to join the military since WWII.

His PIR was on 9/11/2008 at E-3. A very memorable day for PIR. He stayed at Great Lakes for A School. That was Cody’s first time away from home and he had never experienced a winter like that, ever. After lots of holds, he finished GM A School 2nd in his class in late April, 2009.

He reported to the fleet on May 15, 2009 to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN77) in Norfolk. His first experience at sea began the following Monday. Cody qualified “Expert” on all weapons qualifications and is Captain of one of the .50 Cal mounts on the Bush. He is seriously considering getting his degree and going to OCS later on.

He enjoys listening to music, watching movies and staying in touch with his family and friends via Facebook, texting and email. Clemson football is a real passion of Cody’s and he relies on his father and his older brother to keep him up to date on what is going on there. His favorite NFL team is Pittsburgh Steelers.

HOOYAH and Bravo Zulu Cody!

Admin Note:  We were very recently informed that Cody's grandfather. a WWII Navy veteran, passed away. We offer our condolences to Cody and his family for their loss.