By Mass Communication Specialist 1nd Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA – A Belleville, Illinois, native and 2016 Bellville East High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy forward-deployed aboard the guided missile destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur.
Seaman Apprentice Ebony Stallings is a boatswain's mate aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer operating out of Yokosuka, Japan. The ship routinely deploys to protect alliances, enhance partnerships, and be ready to respond if a natural disaster occurs in the region.
A Navy boatswain's mate maintains and preserves the exterior surfaces of the ship, handles deck machinery and equipment, handles mooring lines, and takes part in various evolutions such as search and rescue and underway replenishment.
Stallings is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Belleville.
“I learned from my English teacher in high school, Misselhorn, to never be afraid to be yourself, to always stay true to yourself,” said Stallings. “I’ve carried that with me in the Navy.”
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.
“Serving abroad is challenging but cool at the same time being deployed here because I feel like our ship is the best ship in the fleet and I’m proud of being a part of it,” said Stallings.
Stallings is also proud of earning her Petty Officer of the Watch qualification. This qualification is earned by training as a lookout and relaying any information to the rest of the watch or ship’s crew. Stallings was able to overcome her fear of public speaking while performing her duties of standing watch at the helm.
Destroyers are warships that provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. They are 510 feet long and armed with tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, Standard Missile-3 and newer variants of the SM missile family, advanced gun systems and close-in gun systems. Destroyers are deployed globally and can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, or amphibious readiness groups. Their presence helps the Navy control the sea. Sea control is the precondition for everything else the Navy does. It cannot project power, secure the commons, deter aggression, or assure allies without the ability to control the seas when and where desired.
Curtis Wilbur has anti-aircraft capability armed with long range missiles intended for air defense to counter the threat to friendly forces posed by manned aircraft, anti-ship, cruise and tactical ballistic missiles.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Stallings and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"Joining the Navy has changed me in so many ways," said Stallings. "It's matured me. I’ve had the opportunity to meet all sorts of new people and opening up to them and accepting them and their views. Joining the Navy is one of my proudest achievements.”
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.