Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA, Japan - A Reevesville, South Carolina, native and 2000 Woodland High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy with U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka (USNH Yokosuka).
Chief Petty Officer Hasaon Riley is a hospital corpsman serving with USNH Yokosuka, operating out of Yokosuka, Japan.
YOKOSUKA, Japan - A Reevesville, South Carolina, native and 2000 Woodland High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy with U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka (USNH Yokosuka).
Chief Petty Officer Hasaon Riley is a hospital corpsman serving with USNH Yokosuka, operating out of Yokosuka, Japan.
Riley is the administrative supervisor for the hospital. His job entails inpatient and outpatient care, records, and medical evacuation services.
Riley is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Reevesville.
“My mother always told me to pray and keep God first. I have a lot of faith; it's helped me tremendously," said Riley. "I've been through a lot of adversities and I was able to overcome it because of my faith and how I was raised.”
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.
USNH Yokosuka is the largest U.S. military treatment facility on mainland Japan: a 47-bed core hospital in Yokosuka, near Tokyo. Branch health annexes are located at Camp Fuji and Hario, while Branch health clinics are located in Sasebo, Iwakuni, and Atsugi in mainland Japan; Chinhae, Korea on the southern tip of South Korea; and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
“You make a difference every day,” said Deputy Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Joey Dodgen. “We are the most prepared, highly trained and the most capable force in the Indo Pacific. Our carriers, amphibious assault ships, aircraft and most importantly, our people, are ready today to face regional challenges and lead our Navy’s forces in this theater, just as the officers and sailors of 7th Fleet have done for 75 years. So thank you for all that you do.”
USNH Yokosuka serves 42,000 beneficiaries throughout the Western Pacific by caring for readiness. USNH Yokosuka strives to be the premier provider of healthcare to active duty forces and their families in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region through Joint Partnerships.
“It feels great being deployed here; it’s the tip of the spear," said Riley. "Any threat that happens in the region, we need to be be prepared.”
Riley is also proud of of assisting his junior sailors in advancement and education degrees. Helping sailors out gives Riley a sense of purpose in his unit. He is dedicated to contributing to mission by doing as much as he can to assist others.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Riley and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"Serving in the Navy I've learned to have more patience, and better understand other views and cultures. The Navy has also given me tools to better succeed outside of the Navy,” said Riley. “My favorite part about this command is that I get the opportunity to mentor junior sailors so they can grow and excel in 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.