Columbus native serves U.S. Navy as missile technician

KINGS BAY, Ga. – As citizens of south-central Indiana go about their daily lives, members of the U.S. Navy’s “Silent Service” work beneath the ocean’s waves, continuing a tradition that only a small fraction of military members will ever know: strategic deterrence. Seaman David Triston, a 2018 graduate of Columbus North High School, executes one of the Defense Department’s most important missions, that of strategic deterrence. He is a missile technician stationed at the Naval Submarine Base of Kings Bay, Georgia, homeport to ballistic-missile and guided-missile submarines. Triston serves with the Trident Training Facility. “I am a missile tech in training the Trident D5,” Triston said. He credits continued success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Columbus. “I learned about respecting others and listening to others around you that want to help,” Triston added. As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Triston knows he is part of a legacy that will last beyond his lifetime. “Serving in the Navy means serving a bigger purpose than myself and protecting the U.S.,” Triston said.