Navy Office of Community Outreach
SAN DIEGO – A 2004 Grant Community High School graduate and Fox Lake, Illinois, native is serving aboard the WWII namesake warship, USS Spruance.
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.
Sage has carried lessons learned from her hometown into her military service.
“I brought my small town camaraderie and teamwork feel because we really work great together,” said Sage. “My favorite memories from my hometown are all of the community outreach events such as car shows and barbecue kickoffs that are all done in support of different members of the community.”
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.”
Sage has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather was in the Navy and my cousin did a tour with the Coastguard,” said Sage. “There’s a generation gap in my family that didn’t serve, so I am honoring my grandfather's service while paving my own path.”
Sage’s proudest accomplishments are the experiences she got from deployments to training cycles.
"These experiences is worth more than any award or piece of paper," she said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Sage and other Spruance sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
“Serving in the Navy means something different everyday," said Sage. "I originally joined for patriotic reasons and a want to fulfill my duty to my country, but everyday I find another reason to continue serving."