By Mass
Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community
Outreach
SASEBO, Japan – A Concord, North Carolina, native and 2011
Northwest Cabarrus High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy with
Commander, Task Force 70.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Dontre Posey is an operations
specialist serving with Commander, Task Force 70, forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan.
A Navy operations specialist is responsible for operating
the communications, radar, and navigation equipment that tracks ships,
aircraft, and enemy missiles and communicates tactical information to
supervisors and other operators.
Posey is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls
memories of Concord.
“My parents taught me to respect others and to take care of
myself,” said Posey. “It was an easy transition for me being in the Navy
because I was taught these values.”
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.
“Being stationed here we work hard and it can be very
demanding at times,” said Posey. “I just hang around other people who have the
same goals as me. This makes it easier for me to focus.”
Posey is also proud of advancing in rank. He has junior
sailors who he mentors. He says that it has made him into a better leader.
“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.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon
assets, Posey and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last
beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I enjoy being stationed here as well as being in the Navy
because of the friends I’ve met,” said Posey. “I hope to keep those friends for
a lifetime. I really don’t know where I’d be today if it wasn’t for joining the
Navy and meeting the people I’ve met.”
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.