By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Theodore Quintana, Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA, Japan- A Detroit native and 2014 Old redford Academy graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy forward-deployed aboard USS Blue Ridge.
Seaman Alexis Pugh is a culinary specialist 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 culinary specialist is responsible for operating and managing Navy messes and living quarters established to subsist and accommodate Navy personnel.
Pugh is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Detroit.
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 like being forward-deployed because I get to see Japan, where people back home wouldn’t dream about seeing,” said Pugh.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Pugh 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 goal oriented and I can be a role model,” said Pugh. “It’s more than just your environment, there’s a whole world out there and nothing is impossible.”
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.