By Mass Communication
Specialist 1st Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo By Senior Chief Petty
Officer Gary Ward
YOKOSUKA, Japan – An Arlington,
Washington native and 2012 Arlington High School
graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam.
Ensign Alvin Abes is
an electronic warfare officer aboard the
forward deployed Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser operating out of
Yokosuka, Japan. Antietam is one of three
cruisers forward-deployed in Yokosuka.
A Navy electronic warfare
officer is responsible for ensuring that
the early warning radar on the ship is operational.
“I learned the value of hard work from growing up as a child which carries over to my Navy career everyday,”
said Abes.
With more than 50 percent of the world's shipping tonnage
and a third of the world's crude oil passing through the region, the United
States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world.
"Our alliance is rooted in shared interests and shared
values," said Adm. Harry Harris, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command.
"It's not hyperbole to say that the entire world has benefited from the
U.S.-Japan alliance. While our alliance helped stabilize the region after the
Second World War, it also enabled the Japanese people to bring about an era of
unprecedented economic growth. And for the last six decades, our Soldiers,
Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have worked side by side with the
Japan Self Defense Force to protect and advance peace and freedom."
Approximately 300 men and women serve aboard the ship. Their
jobs are highly specialized and keep each part of the cruiser running smoothly,
according to Navy officials. They do everything from maintaining gas turbine
engines and operating the highly sophisticated Aegis weapons system to driving
the ship and operating small boats.
Forward-deployed sailors are crucial to the success of the
global navy mission and earn high praise from their leaders.
“My dad was in the Navy for 20
years as a gas turbine systems technician,” said Abes. “He was one of
the driving factors why I joined the Navy because I saw that joining the Navy
helped him and decided I would like to do the same."
Sailors serving abroad in Japan are highly motivated and
quickly adapt to changing conditions, explained Navy officials.
“Serving in the Navy to me means defending the Constitution
here and back home and ensuring our country's best interest is at hand,” added Abes.
A Navy cruiser is
a multi-mission ship that can operate independently or as part of a larger
group of ships at sea. The ship is equipped with a vertical launching system,
tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns, and a phalanx close-in weapons system.
Sailors
play a vital role in the overall military mission around the world.
"The U.S.-Japan alliance remains the cornerstone for
peace and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region," said Harris.