DAVE DITTMER
Dave Dittmer’s first ride as a nuclear submarine commander had a familiar name to it — the USS Nebraska. Dittmer was given the command in 1999, just three years after he had earned his master’s degree at UNO. One of the largest nuclear submarines in the U.S. Navy, it’s as long as Woodmen of the World building is tall, weighs 18,000 tons and houses a 160-person crew, including 15 officers. Dittmer oversaw them all until his command ended in 2002. “The best possibility when you enter the Naval Academy is to be in command at sea,” he said. Dittmer later served as a NATO deputy commander leading submarine planning and operations in the Eastern Atlantic and Northern European regions. He also coordinated NATO submarine rescue efforts. Today he is a subdivision manager with Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation.