On The Front Lines: Dan Stec

 Daniel Stec grew up in a family with a strong sense of duty to the United States: His father, each of his grandfathers and all of his uncles served in various branches of the military. 

Stec was a sophomore in college studying chemical engineering when he first saw an advertisement for the U.S. Navy’s nuclear power program and decided to enroll. He ended up serving in the program for eight years. His first tour as a nuclear engineer was aboard the USS Truxtun, a guided missile cruiser equipped with two nuclear reactors. 

The saying “Join the Navy and see the world” was among his motivations for enlisting, he remembers; there was a sense of romanticism around serving in the Navy. And indeed, one of his trips took him around Australia, up into the Persian Gulf and back home, with stops in Thailand, Hawaii and San Diego. He has also spent time in the Caribbean on counter-drug operations. 

During his second tour Stec earned an M.B.A. from the University of Rhode Island. When he returned to Queensbury he joined the town zoning board. It was military service that spurred his interest in local government, he said. 

“The military reacts so much to what’s happening in politics; if you’re serving you pay more attention to world events and politics. So it was a natural reaction to engage in that interest.” 

Serving in the Navy also developed leadership skills in Stec that he said are invaluable for elected office. Operating a nuclear reactor involved critical thinking, analysis, and decision-making. He learned how to create a plan, follow through with it and lead others through the process. 

“These are leadership skills that any leader should have,” said Stec. 

A member of his local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) group, the assemblyman has recently worked on legislation that would extend privileges to veteran-owned businesses similar to those provided for minority- and women-owned businesses. He thinks the most pressing issue affecting veterans however, is healthcare. And although veterans’ health falls under federal purview, he wonders if there isn’t more that the state could do. 

“If there’s any group that should never have to worry where their healthcare is coming from, it should be veterans who have served this country,” he said.

Military Branch: Navy 

Rank Achieved: Lieutenant