By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA, Japan- A Grove City, Ohio, native and 2017 Franklin Heights High School is serving in the U.S. Navy forward-deployed aboard USS Blue Ridge.
Seaman Razi Nil is a personnel 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 personnel specialist is responsible for maintaining pay and personnel records, providing information and counseling related to Navy occupations, and maintaining various paperwork relating to personnel needs.
Nil is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Grove City.
“I learned to respect people from backgrounds other than my own, and I’ve carried that with me into the Navy,” said Nil.
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 on the Blue Ridge and the experience of working here,” said Nil.
Nil is proud of his job on the ship because it gives him the opportunity to help others, something he finds important and fulfilling.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Nil 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 is a life changing event that I will never forget,” said Nil. “Working as a personnel specialist, I try to provide the best I can to the command and the Navy as possible.”
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.