By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of
Community Outreach
Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward
YOKOSUKA, Japan – A Kennett, Missouri native and 2007 Kennett Christian Academy graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy
aboard the guided missile cruiser, USS Antietam.
Petty
Officer 2nd Class Kevin Brown is
a culinary specialist 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 culinary specialist is responsible for managing the ship's large food budget and food
inventory.
“The work ethic that I learned back home contributed greatly to my success
working in the Navy,” said Brown.
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 great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather on my father’s side were
in the military and my grandfather would tell me stories about them and show me
pictures and letters they had written and this influenced me in joining the
Navy,” said Brown.
Sailors serving abroad in
Japan are highly motivated and quickly adapt to changing conditions, explained
Navy officials.
“Serving in the Navy is one of the most honorable things you can do at an
early age and to serve for your country before you lead your own life,” added Brown.
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.