By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA – A Queens, New York, native and 1999 Benjamin Cardozo High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy forward-deployed aboard the guided missile destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur.
Petty Officer 1st Class Marco Alarcon is an information systems technician 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.
A Navy information systems technician is responsible for electronic mail systems, shipboard control systems, and special intelligence (SI) systems. They have a broad range of responsibilities, including network administration, database management and computer hardware and software implementation.
Alarcon is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Queens.
“My mother taught me to have respect for others,” said Alarcon.
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 deployed here is fast paced. It’s really different than other commands,” said Alarcon. “But I enjoy traveling to foreign ports and exploring. That is one of the reasons why I joined the Navy.”
Alarcon is also proud of volunteering at a local festival. He felt a sense of connection and community with the Japanese. He feels the it was a great opportunity to enhance the bond between the United States and Japanese people.
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, Alarcon and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"I enjoy the Navy because there’s such a diversity, experiencing different cultures and people,” said Alarcon. “You take things from everyone and build from that and become a better person. There’s a bond there that I will take with me for the rest of my life.”
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.