Chartiers Valley grad takes command of USS Pittsburgh nuclear submarine
It’s more than just a simple coincidence that U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jason Deichler, a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Scott Township, took over as commanding officer of the USS Pittsburgh earlier this year.
With a naval career that started soon after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Deichler eventually was screened to become a commanding officer of a submarine. When the USS Pittsburgh, a Los Angeles class nuclear-powered submarine, came into his “window of opportunity,” he expressed his desire to command the ship to a group of superior officers. He took control of the ship Jan. 12.
“Based on my career and achievements, I got the command of the ship,” he said in a recent phone interview. “I now consider this the pinnacle of my career.”
In service for 34 years, the USS Pittsburgh was one of the first fast-attack submarines to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles at enemy targets during Operation Desert Storm and later saw additional service during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
One of the oldest boats in the Atlantic fleet, the sub recently attained the short list distinction of having completed its 1,000th dive, a rare occurrence for a nuclear sub.
“The USS Pittsburgh is very well built, and I take pride in the fact that a lot of steel in these subs was made in Pittsburgh,” Deichler said. “The ship’s 1,000 dives is testament to the maintenance organization — both civilian and naval, as well as the men on board, to keep it seaworthy and operating as it should be.”
As the ship’s new captain, the 40-year-old Deichler said his first priorities were to talk with its former leader, Cmdr. Neil Colston, about the sub’s future operations and to understand the readiness of his 150-man crew.
“On a monthly basis, new people come on board while other senior people move out,” he said. “But, for the most part, the crew remains pretty stable. Even so, one of my main objectives is to train the relief to become experts on the ship’s systems.”
Besides previously working directly with assistant navigator, Senior Chief Dave Johnson, he got to visit other subs while previously on staff assignment. As a result, he now has face and name recognition with about half of the sailors on board the USS Pittsburgh.
Soon after Deichler assumed command of the sub, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto – a fellow Chartiers Valley High School graduate – tweeted him a congratulatory message.
“I’m so proud to be a representative of the city,” Deichler said. “I keep trying to explain to my men what it’s like to have an entire city behind you. I find it very enabling.”
Now residing in Mystic, Conn., with his wife, the former Michelle Hoover of Pittsburgh, and four children — Hannah, James, Matthew and Ian – Deichler is often away at sea for a minimum of two weeks up to an indefinite length of time, limited only by the amount of food aboard the sub.
Not only is he frequently away from home, his career has taken him and his family to many areas of the country, necessitating frequent moves. Deichler said he often talks to his family about what he does and why he does it.
“I tell them I do it for them and for the safety of the nation,” he said. “Like many Navy wives, Michelle has grown up with the values of faith and family and is proud of the work I do.”
While he’s away at sea, his family can find support in the Family Readiness Group, a nonprofit on base that provides services and help like babysitting and simple things like having coffee and conversation about issues that concern them.
“Borrowing from the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, I like to tell the wives and crew that ‘We are family,'” Deichler said.
While it may seem like a hardship for his children to have lived in and moved to California, Hawaii, Georgia, South Carolina and Connecticut during his career, their experiences there have let them encounter different people and assimilate some of the good qualities they’ve been exposed to at each place they’ve lived.
While both of Deichler’s parents, James and Karen Deichler, are deceased, his mother-in-law, Lesa Hoover, resides in Mt. Lebanon and his sister, Kristin Deichler, is principal at South Fayette Middle School. Last December, Deichler and his family returned to this area to visit relatives for Christmas.
Another sister, Kimberly Deichler, lives in Cleveland where she works as the public affairs officer for the Cleveland Children’s Symphony, and sister Kari Falbo resides in Kenosha, Wis., where she’s employed as a guidance counselor for a local school.
“Normally, commanding a sub in the Navy is a three-year stint,” Deichler said. “After this current tour, I’ll probably rotate to a staff job, but I might also become commander of another submarine.”