By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA, Japan- A Clarksville, Tennessee, native and 2012 Rossview High School is serving in the U.S. Navy forward-deployed aboard USS Blue Ridge.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Goulsby is a ship's serviceman aboard the ship 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 ship’s serviceman is responsible for managing and operating all shipboard retail and service activities such as the ship's store, barber shop, and laundry.
Goulsby is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Clarksville.
“Clarksville is an Army town where everyone is patriotic,” said Goulsby. “I learned a great work ethic and to listen to authority.”
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.
USS Blue Ridge serves as the flagship for the U.S. Seventh Fleet. It is one of only two U.S. Navy command ships in the world, providing command and control for fleet commanders.
“I love being stationed here because this is where all the action is,” said Goulsby.
Goulsby is also proud of serving as the ship’s Morale Welfare and Recreation president and coordinator. “I like volunteering for this because I like helping people enjoy their time during off-duty hours.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Goulsby and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"I’ve learned a lot of skills and responsibility since I joined the Navy,” said Goulsby. “I coordinated a community relations project at a local Japanese orphanage and doing things like that give me a real purpose here.”
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.