Petty Officer Second Class Hermant Tilku

Petty Officer Second Class Hermant Tilku serves in the New York State Naval Militia. Previously, he served in the United States Navy.

In 2004, Petty Officer Tilku enlisted in the Navy. Following completion of Navy boot camp at the Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, on the outskirts of Chicago, Petty Officer Tilku was assigned to Norfolk NAS, Virginia, working as an Engineman aboard the USS Laboon and USS Gonzalez.

In 2012, after eight years on active duty, Petty Officer Tilku returned to his hometown of Queens, New York, where he continued his service in the Navy Reserve, under the Command Surgemain, EMDET NYC, and PHIBCB2, a Seabee unit.

During Petty Officer Tilku’s time in service, he was deployed in support of the Global War on Terror. He served along the African Coast in 2006 aboard the USS Gonzalez, where they encountered Somali pirates, and in Lebanon, where they assisted stranded American citizens during the Lebanon War.

A native of Berbice, a region located in central Guyana, south of the capital Georgetown, Petty Officer Tilku immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was five years old.

After settling in Corona, Queens, Petty Officer Tilku went through the New York City Public School system, graduating from John Bowne High School.

Outside of his time in uniform, Petty Officer Tilku is an active member and officer of the Flanders Field VFW Post 150 in Corona, Queens, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Excelsior College. He is the proud father of two sons, Christopher and Jacob.