By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA – A Tiffin, Ohio, native and 2013 Tiffin Columbian High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy forward-deployed aboard the guided missile destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Garret Gray is a ship’s serviceman 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 ship’s serviceman is responsible for managing and operating all shipboard retail and service activities such as the ship's store, vending machines, barber shops, laundry, and tailor shops.
Gray is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Tiffin.
“I learned from my mom and sister to never judge a book by its cover and to treat others the way you want to be treated,” said Gray. “I’ve brought that mentality with me into the Navy because being the ship’s barber, I see all sorts of different kinds of people come in.”
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 stationed here it’s very fast paced, a get-up-and-go mentality,” said Gray. “It’s good though because it keeps you on your toes.”
Gray is also proud of being recognized for the 2017 excellence award which was awarded to his supply department. It gives him a sense of pride and accomplishment. He feels like he was noticed for his hard work. He felt proud of serving with other determined Sailors in his department.
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, Gray 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 met a lot of different types of people and I take a bit from all of them, they rub off on you,” said Gray. "There is a sense of community and it feels like a big family. Serving in the Navy for me is about tradition. My great-grandfather and grandfather were in the Navy so I wanted to keep the tradition going and make my family proud.”
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.