Navy Office of Community Outreach
SAN DIEGO – A 2013 Frederick Douglas Academy six High School graduate and Far Rockaway, New York, native is serving aboard the WWII namesake warship, USS Spruance.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Raquel Reina is a culinary specialist aboard the San Diego based ship, a guided missile destroyer. As a culinary specialist, Reina is responsible for operating and managing Navy messes and living quarters established to subsist and accommodate Navy personnel.
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.
Reina has carried lessons learned from her hometown into her military service.
“My father always motivated me to see things and goals from the cradle to grave,” she 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.”
Reina has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“I feel like a pioneer and trademarked a path for the future generations in my family,” said Reina.
Reina’s proudest accomplishment was finishing school and the Navy plays a big part in her future career.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Reina and other Spruance sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
“Serving in the Navy means that I can have more than one profession at a time and the Navy allowed things in life to be accessible,” said Reina.