The USS Cushing Association met for the first time in nearly 4 years over memorial day weekend in 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. All present members elected the new board. The association wishes them success during their turn at the helm. We also thank the outgoing board members for their service to the association and all their hard work in ensuring the reunion was a huge success.
Shannon Mickens, President
Shannon Mickens grew up in a small town in North East, Louisiana. He Joined the Navy in 1992 and went through boot camp in Great Lakes, Ill. Bootcamp was followed by OS “A” School in Virginia Beach, after which, he selected his orders to USS Cushing in 1993.
Shannon completed his active service with the USS Cushing in 1996 and went back home to Louisiana to earn his degree in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University in 2006. He has lived in Little Rock, Arkansas for seventeen (17) years, where he works in the power industry.
Jon Moulton, Vice President
Jon Moulton joined the Navy in 1996 and was stationed on the USS Cushing from Jan 1997 to Apr 2001. After completing a 5 year enlistment, Jon returned to his home state of California and eventually became a firefighter/paramedic. Jon has been an active member with the Cushing Association since 2015.
Gabriel Stokes, Treasurer
Gabriel Stokes, aka GSE3 Gabe Garrison, arrived aboard the USS Cushing in June 1995. He departed in August 1998. During that time, we completed our shipyard overhaul where we picked up our VLS, went on a WESTPAC with the Kitty Hawk, earned a Battle E and changed our homeport to Yokosuka, Japan.
After separating, Gabe attended Colorado State University and graduated with a BS in Watershed Science in 2002. He later earned a MS in Environmental Management. Gabe went on to serve 19 years as an officer in the Colorado Army National Guard.
Gabe retired from the Army in 2021 and currently works as a defense contractor in the field of missile defense. Gabe is married to his wife Erica of 13 years, and lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Gabe considers the three years he spent on the Cushing one of the most important and influential times in his life and is thankful to have shared that time with men that made the USS Cushing unmistakably the Pride of the Pacific.
Zach Trublood, Historian
Zach Trublood served on the USS Cushing from ’99-’02 as ET2(SW), after which he served a very rough tour of duty woking for NATO in Italy, where he was forced to play golf mercilessly by his British counterparts and drink wine by the Italians. Since leaving the Navy in ’06, Zach has gone on to work in cyber security and regulatory compliance fields as an electrical engineer, starting and running a small consulting business, where he gets to be his own boss (finally!).
Amy Laetzsch, Secretary
Amy Laetzsch’s husband, Erich Laetzsch, served on the USS Cushing from ‘96-‘98. Growing up an orphan and ward of the state of Nevada, she has had numerous careers based on what life was brought to her plate, but her most recent career involved teaching P.E. for pre-K through 8th grade. Prior to teaching, she was a welder. Today, Amy and Erich are empty nesters and grandparents who live in a small town in Arizona.