By Mass Communication
Specialist 1st Class Tim Miller, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo By Senior Chief Petty
Officer Gary Ward
YOKOSUKA, Japan – A Monterrey, California native and 2010 Central
High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided
missile cruiser, USS Antietam.
Lt. j.g. Marissa Tungjunyatam
is a supply corps officer, disbursing and
sales, aboard the forward deployed Ticonderoga-class guided missile
cruiser operating out of Yokosuka, Japan. Antietam
is one of three cruisers forward-deployed in Yokosuka.
Tungjunyatam is
responsible for operating the ship’s bank and store as the accountant, which serves over 300 sailors.
“Seeing my dad interact with
others in a positive and encouraging way has influenced the way I lead and
interact with sailors every day,” said Tungjunyatam.
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.
“If it wasn’t for the Navy, I
would have ever met my husband," said Tungjunyatam. "There are so many opportunities I would have
never experienced had I not been in the Navy. I consider many of the sailors I
work with day-to-day to be close friends.”
Sailors serving abroad in Japan are highly motivated and
quickly adapt to changing conditions, explained Navy officials.
“I like being part of
something bigger that has a global impact," said Tungjunyatam. "I also like the fact that my day to
day job provides strength and morale to war fighters, allowing them to
accomplish their mission."
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.