By
Navy Office of Community Outreach
SAN DIEGO – A 2002 Central High School graduate
and Flint, Michigan native is serving
in the U.S. Navy with Afloat Training Group San Diego.
Chief
Blake Franklin
is
a culinary specialist with
the training group operating out of San Diego, California.
A Navy culinary specialist is responsible for providing
nutritious and wholesome food for shipboard personnel on a daily basis.
“The best part of my
job is to teach and train sailors who serve
under my watch to better themselves as a person and a sailor,” said Franklin.
The training
group provides dynamic training to Navy and Coast Guard sailors to ensure a
combat ready force capable of performing a broad spectrum of missions,
according to Navy officials. Special emphasis is placed on preparing ships'
training teams, special evolution teams and watch teams to institutionalize the
onboard capability to sustain and improve combat readiness throughout an
employment cycle.
“The amount of care and understanding of the Navy
sailor and their personal life is important,” said Franklin. “They really care about you as a person in this command. They help make up for the time we've
spent away from our families before this tour.”
Afloat Training
Group San Diego strives to keep sailors’ warfare expertise sharp by maintaining
professional knowledge and skills through a robust training program of
installations and factory training, technical symposiums, informal training and
self-study. By maintaining a group of subject matters experts in different
warfare areas, they prepare ships to be missions ready.
"It’s amazing to hear our sailors’ stories,” said Capt. James Storm, commander of Afloat Training Group San Diego.
“Some of them are working on their PhDs and others are working on their first
degree. I’ve met sailors who grew up in extreme poverty, and now they own their
own home here in Southern California. Serving here at Afloat Training Group is
considered a career enhancing tour because these sailors are recognized
experts. They lay the foundation for successful deployments.”
According to Navy officials, approximately 355 sailors
make up the training group making their jobs highly specialized in
order to
keep each part of the command running smoothly.
As a member of
the Afloat Training Group San Diego, sailors prepare ships to deploy. Franklin
explained they are building a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes. The
trainers know how important it is for the Navy to maintain and uphold
war-fighting capabilities to continue their success on the world’s oceans.
“Serving in the Navy lets
me defend freedom and democracy around the world,” added Franklin. “Being able
to be that positive role model for my children is rewarding.”