SAN DIEGO – A 2003 Elizabeth Seton High School graduate and Rancho Cucuamonga, California native is serving aboard the WWII namesake warship, USS Spruance.
Chief Petty Officer Hanz Villanueva is a gas turbine systems electrician aboard the San Diego based ship, a guided missile destroyer.As a gas turbine systems electrician, Villanueva is responsible for being in charge of the propulsion of the ship and all the electrical generators and controls that makes the Spruance 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.
Villanueva has carried lessons learned from his hometown into his military service.
“The discipline instilled in me from my family taught me a good work ethic and I took this value with me into the Navy,” he said. “It prepared me to be a better leader and I teach junior Sailors these same values.”
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.”
Villanueva has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My wife previously served in the Navy as a Second Class Petty Officer Machinist’s Mate,” he said. “I also have two uncles who served in the Navy and one in the Airforce. My oldest uncle is a retired Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer who served aboard a naval submarine and the youngest served in the Navy as a Yeoman Chief Petty Officer. My other uncle, served as a medical officer in the Airforce. I have a lot of honor and pride carrying on the family name by continuing to serve in the military.”
Villanueva’s proudest accomplishment was making the rank of Chief Petty Officer.
“It was a long term goal that I achieved in a short period of time than expected, and it was a great sense of accomplishment knowing I can achieve any goal I put my mind to,” he added.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Villanueva and other Spruance sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
“It gives me a sense of honor and pride serving my country,” said Villanueva. “It provides my family stability in all aspects of life and I can set the example for my sons to follow in my footsteps.”