Lodmell Brothers Share Trip of a Lifetime

Malta native and Air Force pilot, Major Tory Lodmell, had the experience of the lifetime last month as he went underway with his older brother, Commander Lacy Lodmell, on the USS OREGON.

The Lodmell brothers were born and raised in Malta to local natives Larry Lodmell and Terry Lodmell. While they both worked hard on the family farm, each longed for adventures that would inevitably take them far from the hi-line. Lacy initially enlisted in the US Navy after his first semester at MSU Bozeman while seven years later Tory chose another path leading him to accept and Air Force ROTC scholarship at MSU Bozeman.

While Lacy excelled in the Navy nuclear reactor program and received a scholarship to University of Idaho where he would receive his commissioning as an officer, Tory followed graduation at MSU by completing Navy flight school at NAS Pensacola then flew C-130H's at Yokota AB, Japan. Coincidentally, a couple of the same aircraft that Tory flew in Japan found their home with the Montana National Guard in Great Falls.

Due to the demands of busy military careers, conflicting deployments, and residing at bases sometimes halfway across the world from each other, an opportunity arose for both brothers to bring their orbits back in sync: a naval submarine Tiger Cruise.

In an effort to bolster recruiting, improve crew morale, and help families feel a part of the submarine mission, the submarine program occasionally organizes a "Tiger Cruise" for immediate family members. Interested family members are put into a lottery for a chance to be one of a couple dozen people selected to join their loved ones and the crew for a cruise lasting one to three days 'under way.'

Late in September, Commander Lodmell was leading the USS OREGON on maneuvers out in the Atlantic. Using a scheduled port-call for resupply, the USS OREGON seized that opportunity to pick up her newest "Tiger Cruise" crewmates. Sitting on the dock of the New London submarine base in Groton, Connecticut, Major Lodmell anxiously looked on with the other family members as one of the newest members of the nuclear submarine family, USS OREGON, maneuvered through the river channel.

The Harbor Captain, efficiently maneuvered the OREGON into position and the crew made quick work of securing her to the dock, downloading cargo, and on-boarding the Tiger Crew. Within an hour, the crew threw off the lines linking her to the dock.

The USS OREGON steamed out of the harbor on its journey out into the bay with all the fishing vessels on an eight hour journey to the depths in the Atlantic ocean where she could continue sea trials. During the journey out, the Tiger Crew donned shoulder harnesses and took turns making their way up the mast to experience skimming across the surface of the ocean with the watch team. Once time to dive, the family members returned down below and used the next couple days to explore the submarine, interact with the crew, connect with brothers and sons, and start to truly appreciate the magnitude of this mission.

This impressive vessel is led by a humble farm kid from Malta who relies on the culmination of over a century's worth of experiences in submarine warfare, significant technological advancements, and most importantly, the intricate teamwork of over one hundred sailors working in unison. The mission, technology, engineering, and teamwork is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Under way, CDR Lodmell and the USS OREGON team demonstrated some of the many capabilities of a modern-day submarine. The itinerary included fire exercises, dive drills, large angle climbs/descents, and a myriad of other operations.

The USS OREGON (May 28, 2022) immediately preceded the USS MONTANA in commissioning earlier this year in June 25, 2022. Since then, she has been undergoing sea trials to test the systems and ready the crew for her first deployment.