By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward
YOKOSUKA, Japan – A Daly City, California native and 2005 Chevalier High School in the Philippines graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided missile destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Michaelangelo Serrano is a logistics specialist aboard the forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer operating out of Yokosuka, Japan. Curtis Wilbur is one of eight destroyers forward-deployed in Yokosuka.
A Navy logistics specialist will order, receive, inspect, stow, preserve, package, ship, and issue materials and cargo. They perform postal counterwork, including sale of stamps and money orders and process incoming and outgoing mail. They process claims and inquiries, account for government materials, and prepare and maintain required forms, records, correspondence, reports, and files.
“My hometown community was so diverse but everyone respected each other and this helped prepare me for life in the Navy because it is so diverse,” said Serrano.
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 U.S. 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 ship 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.
“I really enjoy being forward-deployed in Japan because I enjoy learning a new culture,” said Serrano. “I recently put on the rank of second class in only three years of being in the Navy. This was a huge accomplishment for me because I worked so hard for it.”
Sailors serving abroad in Japan are highly motivated and quickly adapt to changing conditions, explained Navy officials.
“I serve in the Navy to give back to my country for the freedom that it allows me to have,” added Serrano.
With the ability to conduct anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, destroyers are capable of sustained maritime operations supporting forward naval presence, maritime security, sea control, deterrence of aggressive actions on U.S. partners around the globe, as well as humanitarian assistance. Fast, maneuverable, and technically advanced, destroyers provide credible combat power, at and from the sea.