Navy Office of Community Outreach
SAN DIEGO – A 2004 Rich East High School graduate and Park Forest, Illinois, native is serving aboard the WWII namesake warship, USS Spruance.
Chief Petty Officer Darian Williams is an operations specialist aboard the San Diego based ship, a guided missile destroyer.
As an operations specialist, Williams is the leading chief petty officer of his division and is responsible for leading sailors who operate and maintain radar, navigation and communications equipment aboard the ship.
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.
Williams has carried lessons learned from his hometown into his military service.
“Growing up, my family instilled the importance of having a strong work ethic,” he said. “I wouldn't be who I am today if I hadn’t applied this mindset throughout my life.”
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.”
Williams is the first of his family to serve in the military and hopes to begin a family tradition.
“I’m the first one of my family to join the Navy and I want to create the tradition of other family members to serve in the military.
Williams’s proudest accomplishment was making the rank of Chief Petty Officer.
“Making board and advancing to chief was a difficult process especially, when my family was having twins at the same time. It’s a great accomplishment in my Navy career achieving this goal, and I'm very proud of my wife as she continues to be supportive of my career,” he added.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Williams and other Spruance sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
Serving in the Navy means everything to me,” said Williams. “I'm very grateful for what it has provided me. Growing up in Chicago, I don’t know where my family and me would be if I chose not to join. I also love the opportunity to train and mentor junior sailors and have a sense of satisfaction watching them grow both personally and professionally.”
Chief Petty Officer Darian Williams is an operations specialist aboard the San Diego based ship, a guided missile destroyer.
As an operations specialist, Williams is the leading chief petty officer of his division and is responsible for leading sailors who operate and maintain radar, navigation and communications equipment aboard the ship.
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.
Williams has carried lessons learned from his hometown into his military service.
“Growing up, my family instilled the importance of having a strong work ethic,” he said. “I wouldn't be who I am today if I hadn’t applied this mindset throughout my life.”
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.”
Williams is the first of his family to serve in the military and hopes to begin a family tradition.
“I’m the first one of my family to join the Navy and I want to create the tradition of other family members to serve in the military.
Williams’s proudest accomplishment was making the rank of Chief Petty Officer.
“Making board and advancing to chief was a difficult process especially, when my family was having twins at the same time. It’s a great accomplishment in my Navy career achieving this goal, and I'm very proud of my wife as she continues to be supportive of my career,” he added.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Williams and other Spruance sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
Serving in the Navy means everything to me,” said Williams. “I'm very grateful for what it has provided me. Growing up in Chicago, I don’t know where my family and me would be if I chose not to join. I also love the opportunity to train and mentor junior sailors and have a sense of satisfaction watching them grow both personally and professionally.”