NTAG Empire State Recruiter in the Spotlight CE2 Crishnah Blackwood

For Construction Electrician 2nd Class Crishnah Umar Blackwood, serving in the U.S. Navy is about more than a career. It represents opportunity, family, service and the chance to help others build a better future.

Originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica, Blackwood immigrated to the United States before beginning his Navy journey. He enlisted through a recruiting office in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with a strong sense of gratitude toward his new home.

“As an immigrant, I felt like I had to do my part to earn the right to call this country my home,” Blackwood said. More than seven years later, Blackwood has built a Navy career centered on service. He began his career with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 before reporting to Navy Talent Acquisition Group Empire State, where he has served as a recruiter for more than two years.

For Blackwood, recruiting offered an opportunity to provide others with the same chance that changed the direction of his own life.

“I was given an opportunity when I first walked into the recruiting office, and that decision changed my life,” Blackwood said. “I wanted to do the same for as many young men and women as possible before my time in recruiting is up.”

That motivation drives his approach to every applicant. Rather than simply discussing Navy careers and benefits, Blackwood first tries to understand what brought each person into the recruiting office and what they hope to accomplish.

“There is always a relatable reason,” Blackwood said. “I share my personal experience and show them how they can use the Navy to their advantage in their plans for success.”

One of his favorite moments comes when an applicant realizes that the goals they discussed during the recruiting process are becoming real.

“One of the most rewarding things in recruiting is seeing the joy on my applicants’ faces, knowing that everything we discussed during the blueprinting process is no longer just a possibility, but has become their new reality after signing their contract,” Blackwood said.

Recruiting has also challenged Blackwood to grow professionally. He identified time management and learning to work effectively with different personalities as two areas that tested him early in his recruiting tour. He responded by prioritizing tasks, planning ahead and learning how to navigate different working relationships. His goals extend well beyond his current assignment.

Blackwood is working toward completing his bachelor’s degree by July 2027 and plans to reenlist. Following recruiting duty, he hopes to become a recruit division commander at Recruit Training Command. In the coming years, he sees himself advancing to Construction Electrician 1st Class and returning to the battalion environment or serving as an RDC.

He also intends to make the Navy a career and serve for at least 20 years.

Family remains at the center of that plan.

“I am both family- and goal-oriented,” Blackwood said. “The Navy gives me the stability to provide for my family so I can focus on my goals.”

When he is away from work, Blackwood prefers to spend his limited free time with his family. And one fact his applicants and fellow Sailors might not expect? “I love to sleep,” he said.

Blackwood encourages future Sailors to enter the Navy with a plan and begin using the opportunities available to them early in their careers.

“I would advise everyone joining the Navy to start taking advantage of the benefits as soon as possible and do what you set out to do,” Blackwood said.

Looking back, his advice to his younger self is equally straightforward: save and invest.

From Montego Bay to the Seabees and now to recruiting in the New York metropolitan area, Blackwood’s Navy journey has given him an opportunity to build a future for his family while helping others begin journeys of their own.

For Blackwood, every applicant who walks through the recruiting office door represents the same thing he once found there himself: an opportunity that could change a life.

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