Athens native serves with the next generation of U.S. Naval Aviation Warfighters

Second Lt. William Ratajczyk, a native of Athens, Wisconsin, is serving in the U.S. Marine Corps amongst sailors, Marines and guardsmen at Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC) who are developing the skills needed to be a combat-ready aviation professional. Ratajczyk, a 2011 graduate of Athens High School, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in history in 2023. Ratajczyk joined the Marine Corps 13 years ago. Today, Ratajczyk is a student at NASC. “I joined the Marine Corps because I am grateful for being in this nation, and I was upset by the 9/11 attacks,” Ratajczyk said. “My father spent some time in the Navy and impressed upon me that the Marines were the ones at the tip of the spear. I wanted to be around the best and be part of a group that would work as a team to rise to any challenge.” The skills and values needed to succeed in the military are similar to those found in Athens. “In Athens, I worked various jobs that taught me to approach problems from different angles,” Ratajczyk said. “Wrestling in high school, guided by Coach Dale Westfall, had a lasting and significant impact. Mentors like him, Ryan Bargander and Kurt Schreiner, impacted me throughout my youth, more than they probably know. Their example influenced how I face challenges in life and the Marine Corps.” Located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, NASC provides an educational foundation in technical training, character development and professional leadership to prepare Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and partner nation officers and enlisted students to be combat quality aviation professionals, and deliver them at the right time, in the right numbers, to be the forces their nation needs. NASC is comprised of four schoolhouses: Aviation Training School (ATS), Aviation Enlisted Aircrew Training (AEATS), Aviation Rescue Swimmer School (ARSS) and Aviation Water Survival School (AWS), with instructor cadres that provide a well-rounded curriculum of academics and physical training on topics such as aviation training, aircrew duties and assignments, survival, first aid and water rescue procedures, that produce the highest quality officer and enlisted aviation personnel for the U. S. military. With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America. Ratajczyk serves a Navy and Marine Corps that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation's prosperity and security. Ratajczyk has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service. “I’m most proud of the impact I’ve had on fellow Marines,” Ratajczyk said. “As an infantryman, I had the privilege of leading and mentoring others in demanding environments. Later in my time in the infantry, I taught at the School of Infantry-East, helping prepare new Marines for the challenges ahead. Many still reach out for guidance. Seeing them succeed remains one of the most rewarding parts of my career.” Ratajczyk can take pride in serving America through military service. “Serving in the Marine Corps is an impossible ideal; it is refusing mediocre results from both yourself and others,” Ratajczyk said. “It is an agreement that when one stumbles or fails, the others will pick you up, because they know you will do the same when the tables turn.”