Page 70 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2026

70 | July 2026
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
story by Victoria Snyder photo courtesy of Navy Office of Community Outreach
The United States Navy has been around for more than 250 years sailing the globe. Gulfport native Austyn Mundell is a submariner with the Navy, who is taking what he learned from growing up on the Gulf Coast to his career.
Graduating from St. Martin High School in 2024, Mundell joined
the military a year ago. He is now an information systems technician (electronic warfare) and credits southern hospitality, good manners, and general kindness as some of the values he’s needed to be successful: “You can make all kinds of great connections through a good attitude.”
Even with only about a year of service under his belt, Mundell is already proud of his accomplishments, including graduating from A School, where sailors learn the skills they’ll need for their career. Mundell is proud to have graduated and been assigned to a prestigious submarine.
Now, Mundell is assigned to USS Greeneville which is a fast-attack submarine homeported at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California. Greenville has a crew of over 140 enlisted sailors and officers.
Fast-attack submarines have a variety of jobs, from tracking enemy ships and striking targets to carrying Navy SEALS and conducting reconnaissance missions. Submarines like Greeneville have been the foundation of the Navy’s submarine force with approximately 23 currently in service.
Mundell is following in his family’s footsteps. His father served in the Navy as a Seabee and asked Mundell to continue the tradition. “I would like to thank my mother back home as well as all the Navy personnel and leadership above me,” Mundell told the Navy Office of Community Outreach. “My mother supported my decision to join and has always been there for me. My Navy leadership has also been there to make sure that we are well taken care of every day.”
This year the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, marking over 250 years of the United States Navy defending the interests of the country.
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