Complex sentence: Pocalyko was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy in 1976 and earned his wings as a naval aviator in 1977, later becoming dual-warfare qualified at sea as a surface warfare officer.
Split into simpler sentences: Pocalyko was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy in 1976 and qualified as a naval aviator in 1977. He later became dual-warfare qualified at sea as a surface warfare officer.