When Daniel Henderson joined the Navy in 1979 and headed off to recruit training at Great Lakes, becoming an O-6 was the furthest thing from his mind.

Today, he's a captain on the staff of Naval Surface Force Atlantic who has risen 12 paygrades over 35 years.

"I was a first class boiler technician on the USS Preble when I was approached about applying for the program," Henderson recalled. "A [limited duty officer], who was a [command duty officer] and in whose duty section I worked, told me I had the potential and I needed to apply to be an LDO."

Henderson's career — from machinist's mate to SURFLANT's deputy for force material — illustrates the longevity and influence that a mustang can have; he's never felt "limited" at all as an LDO, Henderson said.

Related: Go mustang: LDO and warrant careers offer more authority, a pay hike and big retirement payout

"It's about opportunity, we have lots of that and the ability to command ashore," he said. "I'm just blessed to have had the opportunity to serve as I have."

The beauty of the LDO and chief warrant officer programs is the impact these officers can have not only on the day to day, but in shaping tomorrow's Navy with an enlisted perspective.

"Being a former enlisted man gives you a different perspective, not only when you are executing policy or directing others to do so, but also as you are writing and setting new policies," Henderson said "That insight allows you to influence the setting of that policy so it's achievable at the deckplate level."

Months after Henderson was advised to apply for LDO, he did so while a boiler tech instructor at machinist's mate "A" school. His first officer tour was working on the steam plant aboard the Farragut-class destroyer Preble.

He has had two commands, the Shore Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and the Center for Surface Engineering in Norfolk, Virginia, among his many other tours.

Being an LDO has had a huge impact on his family.

"For me personally, it's given me the opportunity to lead, counsel and inspire others and, at the same time, carry on years of tradition," he said. "It's allowed my family to have opportunities and my two boys have gone to college — something I could only do after I joined the Navy."

He says he's always on the look-out for hard-chargers he can help get into the program.

"What I tell them is if they want to develop policy for the future and be a part of the new technologies coming into the Navy — this program will give them that opportunity," he said. "When I'm counseling and interviewing candidates, I tell them that we're not picking them for today. We're picking them for 20 years from now, when they're senior leaders and can help shape the force."

Going warrant

Becoming an officer also wasn't on the radar screen of Tonya Grange.

Now with 28 years in the Navy, Grange is a chief warrant officer 4 at Navy Personnel Command. She said she's enjoyed the eight years since she was selected as a chief warrant.

"It's given me the opportunity to stretch my leadership ability and my professional expertise to new levels," she said. "Every platform I've hit as a warrant has come with its own challenges."

Those challenges started with her first CWO assignment as the admin officer for Destroyer Squadron 15. Three months into the job, she was told she'd also have to cover the admin billet for her immediate superior command, CTF-70, because of a gapped billet.

For the next six months, she said, her expertise was stretched to the limits, but she accomplished the task — even though many thought that one person doing those two jobs was impossible.

"That challenged me more than I'd ever been challenged in my career to that point," she said. "But I was able to accomplish the job, and that did amazing things to my confidence in my abilities as an officer and as a person."

Her only regret? She didn't make the jump sooner. It took her three times in front of the board to get picked.

"You don't get to this position by yourself, you have the help of others — those who mentor you to this point," she said. "All I can say is, I've been blessed and not only have the chance to serve as an officer, but to have the chance to give back and grow others to take my place."

Grange had worried that her career move would turn-off her enlisted friends.

"I will honestly say I was expecting the worst, but that didn't happen," she said. "My chiefs community embraced me and encouraged me when I got the news on board the [aircraft carrier Theodore] Roosevelt."

About Mark D. Faram

Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.

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