Just in time for the sweltering summer heat here in Monroe County, a local veteran will soon set out on his third trip to the Arctic Circle, marking another journey on board a Coast Guard icebreaker to teach electrical skills needed to make sure the ship returns to port.

Jacob Rey graduated from Waterloo High School before joining the U.S. Navy to work on a nuclear submarine, the USS Columbia.

This submarine crew – with Rey as a member – visited Monroe County in early 2014 as it was stopping by cities which serve as its namesake.

Rey recalled looking to pursue a career on board a submarine as he was eager to avoid getting into student debt after high school. He had a broad interest in electrical work and maintenance as opposed to mechanics and computer tech, so it was fairly easy to determine his niche when he found that he qualified for the Navy nuclear program.

“When I joined the Navy, I had no idea because you join and they just say ‘You’re going to be a nuke,’ and they give you the option of being an electronics technician, a mechanic or an electrician,” Rey said. “I always thought I didn’t know anything about electricity, so I might as well get into that.”

His education in the nuclear program consisted of two years of schooling in Goose Creek, S.C., near Charleston. A good part of that involved training to work in a nuclear plant as has long been required for personnel working on a nuclear submarine.

Rey further spoke about the training involved, noting the importance that is understandably placed on the preparation of submariners who work on some of the most sensitive and vital vessels the Navy has.

“The nuclear program was designed by Hyman Rickover back in the 50s, and his entire thought process was there are no multiple choice, if you can’t write it down, you don’t know it and you have to have thinking operators, not just rote memorization of things,” Rey said.

Rey was active duty in the Navy for six years, serving as an electrician on the USS Columbia during his time at sea.

He said he wound up on that particular sub simply by request as personnel in his position are able to make a list of preferred vessels. When he expressed his interest in the USS Columbia given the local connection, no other names were required.

Rey was on active duty for six years before he returned home, finding work for about a year while gauging if he enjoyed electrical work outside the Navy.

From there, a friend of Rey helped him land a job in Virginia working at the naval communication center for the Atlantic fleet. There, he got his journeyman’s license and really learned his trade outside of the military.

He returned home to work in St. Louis after a while before he was contracted by his former Virginia employer, who said he had a job for which Rey – with his background, substantial training and skill set – was perfectly suited.

That job turned out to be with the U.S. Coast Guard aboard the USCGC Healy.

“Our main focus is the Healy, which is a Coast Guard icebreaker, the most advanced icebreaker the Coast Guard has,” Rey said. “The Healy goes underway every year, and we do a groom on their medium-voltage switchgear and their equipment and perform tests with all the standards and make sure that they’re safe to go underway every year. It’s the Arctic Circle, and it’s an icebreaker. They’re the ones who go and rescue other ships if they get stuck.”

And just as the Healy is required to be perfectly dependable, so too is Rey as a key part of his job alongside serving as an electrician himself is teaching other electricians how to do the job.

He spoke about dependability being key given the lack of resources available to him when the Healy is away in the most northerly waters on the planet. These conditions are precisely what he was trained to work under while serving on the USS Columbia.

“Everyone needs to be very expert and be able to work a lot and make sure that’s safe, just like an icebreaker,” Rey said. “You want to keep the dive-to-surface ratio one.”

While Rey spoke on some particular details about the teaching aspect of his job, he also discussed the more general aspects of training others on the Healy.

Some difficulties have arisen here and there as he’s been presented with trainees of varying ages and skill sets.

The differing skill levels and educations were most notable for Rey. While the students are no doubt under stress as they’re very much learning on the job on an icebreaker in the Arctic Ocean, Rey said he has also often felt like the job has been a trial by fire – or ice in this case – for him.

“If you’re building a house of understanding brick by brick, the foundation should be there from their ‘A’ school training, and then I have to build a house out of it,” Rey said. “But if the house isn’t square or they miss several bricks in this place or if they miss something else, then they’re not gonna understand why something doesn’t flush. They’re not gonna understand why the light doesn’t turn on.”

He expressed a strong sense of thanks for the training he underwent to serve on the USS Columbia.

“That’s when I realized the nuclear program did have good training, realizing how much more I was trained than they were at the time, and it’s not a slight against them,” Rey said. “Their school is only four months long, whereas mine was two years.”

Rey also discussed other aspects that come with working on the Healy.

He had positive things to say about both the space and food conditions compared to working in a submarine. As the Healy has a number of scientists and other civilians aboard, keeping real eggs and other decent food available is a much higher priority than it was for him and his peers on the Columbia.

He’s also done his share of work keeping the ship running alongside his students, helping to tackle a number of issues, including a transformer fire.

There are also some charms to be had in working alongside several scientists doing research on climate change and other matters focused on the Arctic Circle.

Rey recalled having a bird expert on the trip last year, studying migration patterns and habits of other wildlife on the ice, though most scientists on the Healy tend to be focused on melting and reformation of ice.

One big benefit of the job Rey mentioned was simply the environment. He noted his love for cold weather and spoke fondly of being on the Arctic Ocean, surrounded for miles by ice and fog for an atmosphere that’s quite a far cry from Monroe County.

“Every day you walk outside, and it’s just so cool looking,” Rey said. “As far as I can see, it’s ice and it’s foggy and overcast, and you can see polar bears and walruses.”

With two trips north under his belt already, Rey will set off again in early July and return in late August – though he’ll also be popping out again a short while later for another training week.

Rey noted he plans to keep himself busy afterward as this is set to be his final journey on the Healy.

As a licensed electrical contractor, he’s hoping to keep his work focused in the Waterloo area rather than having to do a lot of traveling, though he’s also got some personal construction projects he’s looking to stay occupied with.

He also expects to continue working with his wife Kimberly, who operates Logos ‘N Stitches in downtown Waterloo.

“I’m traveling, and then I get home and I start contracting at home, or I help my wife,” Rey said. “If I’m sitting at the house and nobody’s called me, I get bored and heat-press some shirts. There’s plenty to do. I find ways to piddle around.”