Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA, Japan - An Alton, Illinois, native and 2016 Alton High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy with U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka (USNH Yokosuka).
Hospitalman Apprentice Eric Gipson is serving with USNH Yokosuka, operating out of Yokosuka, Japan.
A Navy hospitalman is responsible for the prevention and treatment of disease and injury, assisting health care professionals in providing medical care to personnel, conducting preliminary physical examinations, performing medical administrative, supply and accounting procedures, and maintaining treatment records and reports.Gipson is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Alton.
“My uncle taught me to always be true to myself,” said Gipson.
Moments like that makes it worth serving around the world ready at all times to defend America’s interests. With more than 50 percent of the world's shipping tonnage and a third of the world's crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world. The Navy's presence in Yokosuka is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.
USNH Yokosuka is the largest U.S. military treatment facility on mainland Japan: a 47-bed core hospital in Yokosuka, near Tokyo. Branch health annexes are located at Camp Fuji and Hario, while Branch health clinics are located in Sasebo, Iwakuni, and Atsugi in mainland Japan; Chinhae, Korea on the southern tip of South Korea; and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
“You make a difference every day,” said Deputy Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Joey Dodgen. “We are the most prepared, highly trained and the most capable force in the Indo Pacific. Our carriers, amphibious assault ships, aircraft and most importantly, our people, are ready today to face regional challenges and lead our Navy’s forces in this theater, just as the officers and sailors of 7th Fleet have done for 75 years. So thank you for all that you do.”
USNH Yokosuka serves 42,000 beneficiaries throughout the Western Pacific by caring for readiness. USNH Yokosuka strives to be the premier provider of healthcare to active duty forces and their families in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region through Joint Partnerships.
“I enjoy being stationed here. There are not many people who can say they have traveled to Japan," said Gipson.
Gipson is also proud of of receiving a certification as a phlebotomy technician. With rigorous training and testing, anyone who passes feels a sense of accomplishment. Getting this certification helps support the overall mission of caring for the sailors on deployment.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Gipson and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"The Navy has made me more responsible than I was before the Navy,” said Gipson. “I like the command I'm in because we look after each other and get along very well.”
Gipson is also proud of of receiving a certification as a phlebotomy technician. With rigorous training and testing, anyone who passes feels a sense of accomplishment. Getting this certification helps support the overall mission of caring for the sailors on deployment.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Gipson and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"The Navy has made me more responsible than I was before the Navy,” said Gipson. “I like the command I'm in because we look after each other and get along very well.”
Seventh Fleet, which is celebrating its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet's area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors in the 7th Fleet.