Best Friends Reunite Aboard USNS Joshua Humphreys
26 June 2025
NORFOLK, VA --
When he was 12 years old, Greg Saddler relocated from North Carolina to Portsmouth, Virginia, with his mother. It didn’t take long for the energetic, talkative young man to get acclimated to his new home. When he got to high school, he met a very special young woman whom he developed a budding relationship with. However, another young man, Joseph Redwood, had been admiring that same young woman for a long time, and didn’t like that this new guy won her over. The two teens were destined to cross paths, and their meeting each other would shape the rest of their lives.
“He was dating a nice, little young lady that I liked for a long time. Now I’m trying to figure out, how am going to compete with this guy?” Military Sealift Command (MSC) Civil Service Mariner, Cargo Mate Joseph Redwood, said with a laugh.
“I wasn’t dating her, she was my girlfriend!” responded MSC Civil Service Mariner, 3rd Assistant Engineer Greg Saddler, also laughing.
These types of stories typically end with two young men becoming rivals, after competing for a young girl’s affection, but not Saddler and Redwood. They immediately became best friends who bonded over family values, loyalty and hard work.
Inspired by the Navy veterans in their families, the would-be rivals both ended up joining MSC as entry-level Supply Utilitymen (SU). Throughout their careers, they have encouraged and supported each other, and the hawespipers worked their way up the ranks, to become licensed merchant mariners.
Today, after nearly 20 years of service, Saddler and Redwood’s careers and their friendship have come full circle, as they are sailing together for the first time aboard USNS Joshua Humphreys (T-AO 188) where, as licensed merchant mariners, they lead and train the crew aboard the fleet replenishment oiler.
“Joe is the most genuine guy I know,” said Saddler. “It was a mutual friendship from the time we met, and we became friends hanging around each every day. We looked out for each other, and nobody took advantage of either of us.”
“We always wanted the best for each other no matter what the situation was. Greg was always around looking out. It’s a true friendship,” added Redwood.
Redwood said he joined MSC after some unfortunate events resulted in him being removed from high school.
“I got put out of school early, which was a real turning point in my life. I attended the Virginia Challenge Program located at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach for five months and received my GED (General Education Diploma). I decided to attend Tidewater Community College to pursue a degree in Information Technology. Then my dad, a retired Chief Warrant Officer in the Navy, started talking to me about MSC,” he said.
After a few years working various jobs, Redwood took the oath to become a mariner in 2007. Meanwhile, his best friend was charting a different course.
“I had an application for MSC, but it was so thick I never opened it,” said Saddler. “My grandfather was in the Navy for 30 years and is a retired Master Chief Petty Officer. I really wanted to stop being a burden on my mom. I wanted to get out of Portsmouth and to a place where she knew I would be safe and successful, so I signed up and joined the Navy.”
Saddler shipped out to boot camp however, he suffered an injury within the first couple of weeks that ended his Navy aspirations prematurely.
“I got hurt and the doctor told me I couldn’t stay in the Navy,” he said “I had to get surgery and go through rehab. I was stuck there for about six months. When I got home, I started working for this electric company, but I was kind of in limbo.”
He decided to give MSC another look, however, he initially got denied. It was disappointing, but he said seeing how his best friend was progressing as a mariner kept him determined.
“I was still trying to find myself,” Saddler said. “I felt like I was ‘lost in the sauce.’ Watching Joe’s career was motivation for me, because he was doing what I wanted to do. He was the light at the end of the tunnel. I kept telling him, ‘I will see you out there.’”
It would take three years, but Saddler was finally accepted, and when it was time to close the deal, Redwood’s father was there for him to ensure he completed the hiring process.
“His dad is one of the greatest dudes ever, just like Joe,” said Saddler. “He asked me ‘do you want to go to REC (Regional Exam Center) in Maryland or South Carolina?’ The next day, he drove me all the way to South Carolina.”
While they both began their careers as SUs, Redwood and Saddler eventually chose different paths. Redwood transitioned to the Deck Department and Saddler chose the engineering route.
“I was aboard the dry cargo ammunition ship USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE 4), and the Chief Mate and Boatswain asked me if I wanted to come to Deck Department. I said yes, but I had already gotten accepted for supply school. I had to decide what I wanted to do and ended up going the deck route,” Redwood said. “I got all my watches done while I was still an SU. By the time the OS (Ordinary Seaman) position came out I was done with my book and had my watches. I was an OS for about six months before I bumped up to AB (Able Bodied Seaman).”
“I actually went to Storekeeper school,” said Saddler. “After a couple of years of not promoting, although I was one of the best workers, I went to talk with the Supply Officer. He saw how frustrated I was, so he called the Wiper detailer and said, ‘I have a guy here who works hard all the time.’ I got sent to the Humphreys – this ship - as a wiper. Kind of like Joe, I did all my time here as a wiper, went straight to EU (Engine Utilityman) school. When I got to my next ship, I was a Wiper for about a month then they promoted me to EU.”
Redwood sailed as AB for seven years. Then, when he got aboard the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40), he was reunited with his former and current Ship’s Master, Capt. Patrick Christian, Joshua Humphrey’s Ship’s Master. Redwood says Christian was one of many mentors who guided him along the way as he pursued his license.
“I tell young people all the time, when you meet people, you try to make a good impression. You want to not be in the room and people can talk good about you,” said Redwood. “The ship was just sitting in Guam, and Capt. Christian encouraged me to go for my license. I started the process and began going to classes in 2017.”
After being promoted to EU, Saddler completed several high-speed vessel tours and continued to build his reputation in the Engine Department as one of the best qualified deck mechanics in the fleet. Rather than enrolling in classes to qualify for his license, he focused on passing all the testing requirements first.
“I’ve seen people take the classes and then try to get their license,” he said. “You take all the classes but then put a lot of pressure on yourself to pass the tests. I feel like you should prove it to yourself first. I told myself ‘I can do it.’ I studied for a year. I studied so long, I was finishing the tests in 25 minutes,” he said.
While hard work and determination are keys to their success, Saddler and Redwood say they were always motivated by their families and shipmates first and foremost.
“In this job, people make a difference. The Captains, Chief Mates, Boatswain Mates, and crews I’ve worked with all inspired me,” said Redwood. “When I was on Frank Cable and going to take exams, I’d be walking down the pier coming back to the ship and the entire Deck Department would be waiting for me and cheering when I told them I passed.”
“I honestly, just wanted to make my granddad and everybody in my family is proud of me,” said Saddler. “You know, when I was young my mom would be grinding every day working, and I was getting on her nerves. I knew one day I had to make it up to her. That’s not to say she expected things from me. She just wanted me to be successful and safe. I think she is happy with that.”
Saddler and Redwood have accomplished all their goals throughout their careers, but they say being shipmates for the first time is a high point of a successful MSC journey.
“God does things for a reason,” said Redwood. “We’ve tried numerous times, calling and emailing so many people, and it just didn’t pan out. Now after all these years, we’ve both gone through some challenges in our lives, we’re finally able to sail together. We’re here, we’re making good money, we have a great crew and we’re home. It’s like, all the right boxes are finally checked.”
“We haven’t consistently seen each other in 15 years,” added Saddler. “We never got to do things together, like take vacations together because whenever I was home, he would be gone and vice versa. Being able to come to the ship and see each other every day, I love it. Just hearing him on the radio brings a smile to my face.”
The two friends have been there for each other, through deployments, overseas assignments, for career successes and setbacks, and for life’s biggest milestones. Redwood said one of his proudest moments is being named Godfather to Saddler’s son.
Saddler said it is a friendship that will last the test of time.
“Joe will always be in my life, no question,” he continued. “We will be best friends at 60 years old, and I’ll call him and say, ‘Hey, what are you doing? Come over here and let’s hang out on the porch.’ That’s how I imagine us in the future.”