Board

The USS Cushing Association met for the again in Seattle, Washington Saturday, August 16. All present members elected the new board, which consisted of most of the same people, with the exception of Gabe Stokes passing the torch to Cat Bartrug for treasurer duties. The association wishes them success during their turn at the helm. The board would like to extend a very grateful thank you to Gabe for his outstanding job as treasurer those past two years.

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.

Cat Bartrug, Treasurer

Catherine “Cat” Bartrug has been married to GSM2 Joe Bartrug, who served on the Cushing from 1997-2000, for 23 years. She is an accountant by trade and has been in the industry for over 20 years in both the private and public sectors. She is passionate about helping Veterans, having grown up the daughter of a retired USMC Gunny and then marrying a Sailor, which led to the business she owns with her mom and son, Ribbons and Poppies Consulting LLC, where their primary goal is assisting Veterans with their disability claims. She also currently works in the finance dept of the local municipality, has a handful of bookkeeping clients through the LLC and in her spare time enjoys golf, traveling or relaxing in her backyard oasis. 

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.