By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA – A Goldsboro, North Carolina, native and 1992 Wayne Country Day School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy forward-deployed aboard the guided missile destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Anthony Sexstella is a fire controlman 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.
Sextella is the combat systems maintenance manager onboard the ship. He oversees all maintenance for all combat systems, weapons, and operations on the ship.
Sexstella is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Goldsboro.
“Goldsboro was a place that gave me a sense of community,” said Goldsboro. “I was taught to treat everyone with respect and kindness which has helped me in my Navy career as well as throughout life.”
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.
“This is my fourth time being stationed in Japan and I think it’s great,” said Sextella. “The Japanese people are so nice and I like how they carry themselves and care for one another. It makes me proud to come back here and work with them. They live by the same values I was raised with.”
Sexstella is also proud of his role not only at his job but also as a mentor and leader. His greatest accomplishment is when his junior sailors advance in rank, earn degrees and certifications, and receive awards. He strives to be a positive impact on their lives.
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, Sexstella and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“Being deployed here is what the Navy is all about,” said Sextella. “We’re here making sure this part of the world is free. I love serving in the Navy and want to do it until they tell me I can’t serve anymore. I wouldn’t have had the successes I’ve had at this point in my life if it wasn’t for the Navy.”
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.