SAN DIEGO – A 2007 Newman Smith High School graduate and Carrollton, Texas, native is serving aboard the WWII namesake warship, USS Spruance.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Corey Sarmiento is a fire controlman aboard the San Diego based ship, a guided missile destroyer. As a fire controlman, Sarmiento is responsible for managing networks that allow the ship to be mission ready at all times.
More than 300 Sailors serve aboard the ship, and their jobs are highly specialized, requiring both dedication and skill. The jobs range from maintaining engines to handling weaponry along with a multitude of other assignments that keep the ship mission ready at all times, according to Navy officials.
Sarmiento has carried lessons learned from his hometown into his military service.
“Growing up my parents taught me to treat people with respect and I’ve carried these over into the Navy,” he said. “They also taught me to be tolerant toward everyone and that is a great trait to have when working with different people from different backgrounds,” he said.
Destroyers are warships that provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. They are about 510 feet long and can be armed with tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, variants of the SM missile family, advanced gun systems and close-in gun systems. Destroyers are deployed globally and can operate independently, as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, or amphibious readiness groups.
Spruance is armed with long range missiles intended for air defense to counter threats to friendly forces posed by manned aircraft, anti-ship, cruise and ballistic missiles.
It was commissioned in 2011 and named after Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. He was a key naval commander during WWII, leading U.S. naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific Theatre: Battle of Midway and Battle of the Philippine Sea. He later served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines.
At Midway, Spruance scored the first major victory for the United States over Japan; generally considered to be the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
“USS Spruance is responsible for 22 mission areas, with 350 people onboard each Sailor actively supports multiple missions, said Cmdr. Joshua Menzel, commanding officer of Spruance. “As a member of the Pacific Fleet, the crew of USS SPRUANCE patrol the same waters and trains to perform the same missions as the Sailors Admiral Spruance commanded during WWII.”
Sarmiento has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather served in the Air Force as a mechanic,” he said. “My uncle served in the Army as an infantryman and my cousin currently serves in the Army as a Captain and was deployed to Afghanistan during Operation Iraqi Freedom. I have a sense of pride knowing my family answers the call to serve.”
Sarmiento’s proudest accomplishment was receiving his Enlisted Warfare Specialist pin.
“Receiving this pin shows that I put in the time and effort to learn not just my job but to get a better understanding of all aspects of what it takes to operate the ship. It makes me a more well-rounded sailor and a better asset,” he added.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Sarmiento and other Spruance sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
“It gives me the chance to serve my country while also allowing me to provide a better life for my son,” said Sarmiento.