By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
YOKOSUKA – A Ringgold, Louisiana, native and 2013 Red River High School, Coushatta, graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy forward-deployed aboard the guided missile destroyer, USS Benfold.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Terrence Ammons is an operations specialist 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 operations specialist is responsible for operating the communications, radar, and navigation equipment that tracks ships, aircraft, and enemy missiles and communicates tactical information to supervisors and other operators.
Ammons is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Ringgold.
“I grew up in a small town so I learned to be humble and be proud of where I came from,” said Ammons. “Also, my father helped me by telling me to join the Navy and go experience the world.”
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 forward deployed here is stressful because our schedule can change any time and we usually don’t know when we will be back from deployment,” said Ammons. “What is good is that since we’re always working, I’m able to gain the job experience which will help me in the future.”
Ammons is also proud of when he volunteered for a morale, welfare, and recreation trip restoring a historical battle site in Guam. He enjoys giving back and helping people from other countries.
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.
USS Benfold 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, Ammons 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 made me more responsible as a person,” said Ammons. “I have also learned to have more respect for people from different cultures. My favorite part of serving here is the diversity of the people that I’ve met from all parts of the U.S., and other countries like Thailand, Guam, and the Philippines.”
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.