By Kayla Good, Navy Office of Community Outreach
SAN DIEGO – A 1999 Bertie High School
graduate and Lewiston, North Carolina native is serving
in the U.S. Navy with Afloat Training Group San Diego.
A Navy logistics specialist is responsible for specializing in logistics of all aspects of the ship.
“I love to take care of people. I like to make sure
people have what they need to get the job done,” said Demery. “I've been like
that since before the Navy and so being able to continue that is a blessing.”
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.
“There is a lot of young sailors that we interact with
on a daily basis,” said Demery. “We get to train them and make sure they are
safe and doing everything the correct way.”
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. Demery 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 is
not only giving back to my country,” added Demery. “As a person, it has bettered
me. I am able to learn about different cultures and see the world. The more I
learn about different cultures, it’s going to help me when I continue into the
civilian sector.”