By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tim Miller, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward
YOKOSUKA, Japan – A Granite City, Illinois native and 1993 Granite City Senior High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Schannot is a fire controlman 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 fire controlman is responsible for the technical operation and maintenance of the Phalanx close-in weapon system aboard the ship.
“I was thinking about joining the Navy and after witnessing the attacks of 9/11, my mind was made up," said Schannot. "The opportunity to further my education also infueneced me in joining. Looking back, the job I do now in the Navy has many similar aspecs to what my degree is in."
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.
“I feel honored knowing that my grandfather served in the Philippines during World War II as an aircraft structural mechanic," said Schannot. "He worked on many severly damaged planes during the war."
Sailors serving abroad in Japan are highly motivated and quickly adapt to changing conditions, explained Navy officials.
“Leading other sailors, seeing them excel and develop personally and professionally is rewarding to me,” added Schannot. “The opportunities I’ve been given have really changed my life in many ways. I would have never met my wife and started a family if it wasn't for the Navy. I’m very thankful.”
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.