By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Erica Gardner, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jesse Hawthorne
PEARL HARBOR – A Kissimmee, Florida, native and 2015 Osceola High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided missile destroyer, USS John Paul Jones.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyaundra Brown is an operations specialist aboard the guided-missile destroyer operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
A Navy operations specialist is responsible for assisting with navigating the ship and tracking the location of other ships and aircraft in the vicinity.
“I was always taught by my family to stay cool under pressure,” said Brown. “Staying calm will help you get through a lot.”
More than 300 sailors serve aboard the ship, and their jobs are highly specialized, requiring dedication and skill, according to Navy officials. The jobs range from maintaining engines to handling weaponry along with a multitude of other assignment that keep the ship mission-ready at all times.
Fast, maneuverable, and technically advanced, destroyers provide credible combat power, at and from the sea.
Navy guided-missile destroyers are multi-mission ships that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea, Navy officials explained. They are equipped with tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a phalanx close-in weapons system.
Challenging living conditions build strong fellowship among the crew. The crew is motivated, and can quickly adapt to changing conditions. It is a busy life of specialized work, watches and drills. Serving aboard a guided missile destroyer instills accountability and toughness and fosters initiative and integrity.
“I am the only person in the family that is in the military. It makes me feel good to know that I have an opportunity to travel as part of my job,” said Brown.
Brown is also proud of earning a Letter of Appreciation for volunteering to deploy with USS Hopper in 2017.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Brown 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 given me the opportunity see the world, and what it has to offer. I can show others back home that you can do something, and learn without going to college,” added Brown.
A Navy operations specialist is responsible for assisting with navigating the ship and tracking the location of other ships and aircraft in the vicinity.
“I was always taught by my family to stay cool under pressure,” said Brown. “Staying calm will help you get through a lot.”
More than 300 sailors serve aboard the ship, and their jobs are highly specialized, requiring dedication and skill, according to Navy officials. The jobs range from maintaining engines to handling weaponry along with a multitude of other assignment that keep the ship mission-ready at all times.
Fast, maneuverable, and technically advanced, destroyers provide credible combat power, at and from the sea.
Navy guided-missile destroyers are multi-mission ships that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea, Navy officials explained. They are equipped with tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a phalanx close-in weapons system.
Challenging living conditions build strong fellowship among the crew. The crew is motivated, and can quickly adapt to changing conditions. It is a busy life of specialized work, watches and drills. Serving aboard a guided missile destroyer instills accountability and toughness and fosters initiative and integrity.
“I am the only person in the family that is in the military. It makes me feel good to know that I have an opportunity to travel as part of my job,” said Brown.
Brown is also proud of earning a Letter of Appreciation for volunteering to deploy with USS Hopper in 2017.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Brown 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 given me the opportunity see the world, and what it has to offer. I can show others back home that you can do something, and learn without going to college,” added Brown.